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Saturday, July 18, 2015

Why Deism is Free of Mystery

 What it all means? Some would define deism as if it were Anosticism, Atheism, Theism, "Christianity", they don't honest seek any discourse on the issues and we are at odds with those who have stood to silence us and to still our views since they feel it reflects badly on them. It is a shame that some people can say they believe in free speech discourse, and though, but who use abusive and dictatorial tactics to muzzle views of others they disagree with and can't control.

As Deists on the subject matter of the issues related to Deism we walk a fine line between the extremes, which itself is perhaps and extreme, but of which we are not afraid.

We reflect the most revolutionary and progressive of advances in modern progressive thinking while at once we embrace the best of the traditional we are not confined by the contradictions that embroiled past religious schools in controversy. As Newton, Gallileo, and Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543 changed the face of tradition religion in the west we wish to remain attuned to the developments in modern science which would have corresponding application elsewhere for example unified field theory which deals which systemic concepts, quantum physics dealing with particles, and black hole theory which incorporates components from both which we balance as follows:

Firstly We as Deists say:

"Everything in reality is not a matter of opinion, but that the opinion that everything is a matter of opinion is itself only an opinion" and unfitting as a rationale as insufficient by means of reason to do anything but trivialize what is sought found and argued.

Everything can not be abstract - for then there is no basis for even defining the abstract ... Though there may be basis to some things considered supernatural, there is nothing supernatural, nor above the laws of nature, or any basis to what is commonly referred to as esoteric, metaphysical or sophist which society and individuals alone can not decipher."

There often is no distinction between Theist and Atheists, nor for that matter Humanist, and Agnostic, Satanist or "Christian" in all that which greatly varies and most often suffices as folly as we can see it as such.

Ready We ask "What is the nature of god if god is not nature and all that means minus mankind's speculations?"

We are not Theists, nor Agnostics nor Atheists
 As Deists we are for all intents and purposes of many religious backgrounds as we are of one mind in the stages of creation and development as presumably the first Deist group of our kind. None has a monoploy on the principles of Deism unfortunately as many other "Deist" groups (there are many) have incorporated foreign non-Deist elements into their essence of belief, we are obligated to regard them as Deist in name only as they have adopted the ways of their captors (Stockholm Syndrome) whom surround us.

Deists can be considered the for-bearers of what may be considered as "Intelligent Design", but which we distinguish in that we view "Intelligent design" as a reactionary rhetorical device of the "religious right" who hypocritically foists it on the public in attempts to appear hip and reinvent itself so as to gain political leverage. We are not "Scientologists", nor members of the "Unification Church" which we have strongly oppose/d and argued against when ever possible as opportunism, nor do we wish to be their pawns.

We strongly believe in the separation of church and state, and we are totally against teaching religious curriculum's in the public education school in any shape manner or form, as we "do unto others" as we would have them do unto us without impositions placed upon us. We are also most strongly against separate parochial education systems as we feel the education system for the most part should be publicly based, strong supporters of civil rights, we are most probably closest to Unitarians, Re-constructionists, Ethical Culturists, Unstructured Quakers, some forms of Buddhism and progressives of all denominations though there are some issues that separate us.

As a Deist religious school of thought without saying we have been strongly influenced by immortal Thomas Paine, as well as many others in many varied fields including Einstein in physics, Bertrand Russell, Alfred J. Ayers, Gandhi, and George Novak, et al relating to the fields of materialism, empiricism, psycho-linguistics without whose intelligent discussion can not be done without.

Like Pantheists we find what is commonly referred to as god in all that which is Nature, without human hands and words to pollute it, as well as those interested in Tao, music, and physics also in the lack of substance manifested by the rests between the notes, spaces between the electrons, and the yin as well as yang all too often disregarded and ignored.

If you interested in these forms of discipline in study, and are unimpressed by the hallow sound of rhetoric, and hypocrisy commonly heard in religious circles in these most recent days as often they have serve political masters join us.

If you as a Deist, or merely interested in Deism as a writer, artist, or merely lay persons interested in Deism, we encourage you to contact us:

Regarding any content if you would wish to assist in your own understanding as well as ours you may for we are open to a diversity in discussion as long as that discussion maintain a sufficient level of study and forethought.
We are very interested in social issues, human rights, ethics, news, history, art, aesthetics, and much more.

On a simple inquiry to the United State Internal Revenue Service we have had it conformed repeatedly (by them) that we as a Religious based organization and ministry we are considered tax-deductible by the US Internal Revenue Service that we exercise as any not for profit organization may and invite you to assist us if you wish.

Soon for the advancement of that cause we will be constructing forums, and formal programs of study for discussion that will be based not only on our writings, but those of related authors in comparative religious study and Deism. We will offer comprehensive instructional courses in cross study for those interested in the totality of rational natural existence including empiricism, theology, psychology, linguistics, historical materialism, physics, cosmology, culture, language, science, and all that which is living, true, and good, but not mysterious supernatural mystical or metaphysical, nor esoteric, agnostic and theist. We do not believe in magic/majik, voodoo nor most established schools of thought.

Reviewed by Dr. Ben Johnson, Doctor of Divinity-Original author unknown.

Understanding Deism

Most people have either never heard of Deism or consider it to be of historical interest only. Its roots can be traced to ancient Greece and it flourished for a while in the eighteenth century in Britain and America, a product of the Enlightenment. Many of America’s founding fathers – Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, James Madison and the British radical Thomas Paine – were Deists.

Deism was regarded by those who espoused it, to be a personal philosophy. Deists were not proselytizers striving to win converts which proved to be its weakness. While evangelical religion brought large numbers into its pews throughout the nineteenth century, Deism dwindled.

Yet despite reports to the contrary it did not disappear. Today, in the USA, Deism is resurgent, growing, it has been claimed, by over 700% between 1991 and 2001. This has largely been due to the internet allowing widespread presentation and discussion of Deist ideas. This at a time when there has been a search for alternatives to evangelical religion and it’s often equally fundamentalist counterpart, militant atheism.

Meanwhile, Deism remains virtually unknown in the UK outside a very small disconnected coterie. Yet there may well be a large number of Deists who simply don’t realise that is what they are. It is not uncommon to hear statements such as, “I’m not religious, but I do believe in God”, “The universe is just too ‘organised’ to be just a series of random accidents”, “I just get the feeling there’s something else, something beyond what we can see” and so on. The following bullet points are an attempt to give some definition to Deism. They are most certainly NOT a creed demanding adherence.

Observing the order and complexity found in nature (and the nature of the universe), combined with personal experience, reason leads to a belief in God.

Reason, not sacred texts or divine revelation, bring about a sense of divine being as a personal response.

Sacred texts and revelation are, at best, second hand, being the experience of some other person needing to be taken on trust.

God is abstract, ineffable, beyond human comprehension: language is inadequate to produce a definition of God. Yet reason allows for speculation and theorizing.

God is beyond the personal, while having an unfathomable yet profound relationship with all creation.

Humanity seems to have an innate sense of right and wrong even though their expression is culturally determined rather than a rigid deontology.

Every human has the capacity to have a profound experience of nature, a spiritual experience and such, for the Deist, is an experience of divine being.

Each individual finds a personal way to honour and celebrate God. This may be solitary or in fellowship with others, even some combination of the two.

As God is transpersonal no individual human has more worth than any other. In creation, all are equal.
God-given reason enables life to be lived to the full while acting for the mutual fulfilment of all.

There is no reason to suppose God has assigned a special place in creation for humanity. Microbes are as integral to this world as Man.

Whatever God is, the anthropomorphic “God-in Man’s-image” will not do for the Deist. Perhaps Divine Being points a little along the way.

Reason is the crucial element in Deism, allowing for the assessment and interpretation of the universe in its complexity and wonder. Intuition and logic harnessed to knowledge allows for inferences to be drawn based on empirical and circumstantial evidence. While many religions are based on prophets, scriptures and revelations, Deism chooses Nature, Experience and Reason. Nature is for Deists the metaphorical word of God, a sacred “book” open to inspiration, contemplation and reverence perpetually.

Science, rather than being a threat, is an ally Deists can learn from. A science denying God goes beyond its remit while a religion or philosophy that cannot cope with scientific advances has surely become moribund. Human knowledge has extended phenomenally over the last few centuries, but it would be misguided to presume that all, or almost all, that is worth knowing is now known.

Deism is not an unchanging and eternal truth. It is recognition of Divine Being within, behind and beyond a universe that surely inspires a spiritual as much as a materialist response. It is perhaps the kernel within all religions, a recognition that it is up to the individual to react in a dynamic way to creation. This is an invitation to all who are aware of a personal religious sensibility that has not found expression through more formal faiths and creeds to contemplate the possibility of being a Deist.

NB: Thanks to J. Hardwick of www.moderndeism.com for “Modern Deism: A Primer” on which this piece is based.