Incontinent Desecrator Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I used to be a Xian since the age of 12, and left for Atheism when I felt like Yahweh was not responding at 17. Then I started re-experiencing spirituality and became a Deist at the age of 18, and to this day I still do not go without questioning authority, whether it be Xianity, Islam, Atheism, etc. I want knowledge, not religion. I have no problem applying the belief that a Creator God exists and thus our marvelous and complex universe came into existence. I don't believe that God truly has a name or a gender, that we are here because of our Creator and not because we have to accept outdated rules. Also, I believe that the Big Bang Theory is possible to translate into how God created this world, and Biological Evolution makes a lot of sense to me. So, any other Deists willing to share their spiritual beliefs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I used to be a Xian since the age of 12, and left for Atheism when I felt like Yahweh was not responding at 17. Then I started re-experiencing spirituality and became a Deist at the age of 18, and to this day I still do not go without questioning authority, whether it be Xianity, Islam, Atheism, etc. I want knowledge, not religion. I have no problem applying the belief that a Creator God exists and thus our marvelous and complex universe came into existence. I don't believe that God truly has a name or a gender, that we are here because of our Creator and not because we have to accept outdated rules. Also, I believe that the Big Bang Theory is possible to translate into how God created this world, and Biological Evolution makes a lot of sense to me. So, any other Deists willing to share their spiritual beliefs? It must be difficult to retain a belief in God when He has been chased from Mount Sinai and the tabernacle to the firmament to some other dimension of undetectability. His creation has whithered from individually creating species and planets to a spark over 13 billion years ago which no one really understands. Poor Christians are still trying to pin the implantation of souls onto some species of human or another in the primordial past when they can't even explain what a soul is that can't be attributed to the brain. When we do finally understand how the universe formed, where will God hide then? And why should anyone care? While the theists dispute the physical nature of Man and the chemical basis of life, their beliefs are shrinking into irrelevence. If the only thing "god" did was a quantum mechanical "miracle", and matter has acted like matter ever since, then as far as I can tell God blew Him/Herself up with the Big Bang - which may not have been a big bang at all. I guess you can tell I'm not a diest. The Diest God seems no more real than the gods of many cultures. He just does less than they do (did). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight-mindwanderings Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I have little problem with Deism though I consider myself pantheist rather than Deist. In any case, here is a linkto a book that is free to read online called God vs. the Bible that is about Deism. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Welcome to the forums, you are not alone as a Deist though they may be less vocal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotBlinded Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I'm not a Diest really, but I'm not sure what to call myself. I believe there is something and not knowing what this Essence is is, to me, what makes it so much more powerful. Those that want a definition of what God is, be it Theist or Atheist, only want to define the ineffable in order to deny or accept and that kind of defeats the intent behind "ineffable". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev R Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Heimdall you seek Heimdall, mmmmm. Take you to him, I cannot. Ok so I indulge in Yoda-speak occasionally, sue me. Welcome aboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 My first reply, on second reading, seems a bit harsh. I have nothing against Deism. ""It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." Welcome to Ex-C, and there are Deists here. Well, of one sort or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
necrosmith Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Used to be. I think Deism is the rest stop on the way from Christian to Atheist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Welcome to the forums! You may be interested in reading Thomas Paine's The Age Of Reason which is available online as it's in public domain now: http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext03/twtp410.txt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hereticzero Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I used to be Deist, then Gnostic, then Agnostic and now an atheist, somewhat. I still refer to the Big Bang as that Divine power that set the universe on a course to establish life in the universe. What was the first cause? I believe it was an explosion. The power itself is of sufficient strength to set the creation of the universe into motion, the magnitude of that explosion defies explanation. It was big and powerful but how big and how powerful boggles the mind to explain. To say something is 'Divine' in nature is not to say it had sentience such as a god but that the results were the universe and life on earth. If people look for a god in it, then I would have to point to the earth itself and say, this is god, because no other description of gods are adequate to explain life on this planet, everyone has their own idea of god or no god. But the earth can be described by everyone, felt by everyone, and seen by everyone. The earth preserves life and the creatures that produce life on this planet also pass on that ability to create life, inheritance of life. That sounds like the workings of a god to me, spiritually but not realistically. Realistically I see the workings of a course of nature that produces life over a period of time without the interference of a god. Confused? Good, then my work is done here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I guess you can tell I'm not a diest. The Diest God seems no more real than the gods of many cultures. He just does less than they do (did). I was interested in Deism for a short time, but came to the conclusion that there is no point to a belief in a deistic god. What good does it do me to believe in it? Even if it were real, it does nothing for me and adds nothing to my existence. It serves absolutely no purpose to believe in such a deity. Not to dis the newbie or anything We are all working through our own deconversions and it is a different path for everyone. Some have reached an endpoint that they are comfortable with - some haven't yet. Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heimdall Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I am a 3rd generation Deist...will remain one until someone can show that a self-starting universe is more likely than a created universe. A deist does not believe in a deistic god, but rather a creator...the difference being that a deistic god interferes and manipulates whereas the creator merely created and has no more congress with what he created. is it any different than no god? I dunno and frankly really don't care. The only thing that really matters is living a good life and leaving the world a little better off for your having been here - Heimdall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I am a 3rd generation Deist...will remain one until someone can show that a self-starting universe is more likely than a created universe. A deist does not believe in a deistic god, but rather a creator...the difference being that a deistic god interferes and manipulates whereas the creator merely created and has no more congress with what he created. is it any different than no god? I dunno and frankly really don't care. The only thing that really matters is living a good life and leaving the world a little better off for your having been here - Heimdall I thought a deistic god was a non-interfering creator? Do you mean a "theistic god"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
necrosmith Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I am a 3rd generation Deist...will remain one until someone can show that a self-starting universe is more likely than a created universe. A deist does not believe in a deistic god, but rather a creator...the difference being that a deistic god interferes and manipulates whereas the creator merely created and has no more congress with what he created. is it any different than no god? I dunno and frankly really don't care. The only thing that really matters is living a good life and leaving the world a little better off for your having been here - Heimdall If a creator could have always existed, why couldn't the universe have always existed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I am a 3rd generation Deist...will remain one until someone can show that a self-starting universe is more likely than a created universe. A deist does not believe in a deistic god, but rather a creator...the difference being that a deistic god interferes and manipulates whereas the creator merely created and has no more congress with what he created. is it any different than no god? I dunno and frankly really don't care. The only thing that really matters is living a good life and leaving the world a little better off for your having been here - Heimdall I thought a deistic god was a non-interfering creator? Do you mean a "theistic god"? From some of Thomas Paine's writings, I got the idea that his god did more than just set things in motion, but not much that I could tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heimdall Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Do you mean a "theistic god"? Yer right...sorry, got my tongue in front of my eye teeth and couldn't see what I was saying...LOL From some of Thomas Paine's writings, I think you will find that lacking a dogma or doctrine, we Deists have different views from other Deists. If a creator could have always existed, why couldn't the universe have always existed? I dunno, do you? - Heimdall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRDWarrior Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Like necro, I was deist for awhile after dropping christianity. For myself, however, it was also just a "rest stop" and allowed me to mentally take some time to separate my new ideas with what I had "known" to be true for over 20 years. It wasn't the end for me, and I think I'm very content being a "weak atheist" at this point (or agnostic with atheist leanings - I can't find a difference between the two so someone can correct me). But it was an important rest stop for me as I struggled to balance my past with what I otherwise saw and knew to be true - and logical. It was probably a longer rest stop than I at first realized, and in reality I was probably what would be considered deist for several years (I just didn't know the label at the time) during which time I was also exploring Buddhism and found some comfort there as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incontinent Desecrator Posted January 21, 2010 Author Share Posted January 21, 2010 My first reply, on second reading, seems a bit harsh. I have nothing against Deism. No problem. I think Deism is the rest stop on the way from Christian to Atheist. Not really, it's Agnosticism, because you are not sure. And instead of referring it as "Xianity," why not just say "Theism?" It's more specific that way. I was interested in Deism for a short time, but came to the conclusion that there is no point to a belief in a deistic god. There is no point for me to believe in a God who acts like a strict parent who doesn't put His children before Himself. I'd rather go for a Natural God because these laws and regulations that you see in bibles are all man-made revelations. To discover God is to discover the feeling that there may be more than what we know of in out physical existence. It's as if our physical/material world is like a house that was built from an outer source, known as the "spiritual world." Sorry if that sounded a little corny. I think you will find that lacking a dogma or doctrine, we Deists have different views from other Deists. In a way I concur. Even some Atheists I know reject the stereotype of being "godless people who don't believe in spirituality and/or believes in Evolution." Thanks for the welcome, guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heimdall Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Found another use for being a Deist...had a Creationist Fundie try to witness to me yesterday...I raised my hand and said, "sorry, not interested in mythology, I am a Deist and quite happy with my own religion." Dude looked at me like I was the spawn of Satan and slunk away...LOL...Christ Cultists are so stupid about other religions, that they can't make a good comeback when confronted with a religion they have no information on...Heimdall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalt Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I am a 3rd generation Deist...will remain one until someone can show that a self-starting universe is more likely than a created universe. I feel the same way. Also, lately I've given a lot of thought to the idea that we may all be living inside a simulation (so to speak). http://www.simulation-argument.com/simulation.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heimdall Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I've read about that and the "we are a hologram" theory and find them totally lacking any evidence. I have always maintained that we Deists are "gutless" Atheists, not willing to the last step and let go of the concept of a deity/creator. But then that is only my opinion. - Heimdall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight-mindwanderings Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Found another use for being a Deist...had a Creationist Fundie try to witness to me yesterday...I raised my hand and said, "sorry, not interested in mythology, I am a Deist and quite happy with my own religion." Dude looked at me like I was the spawn of Satan and slunk away...LOL...Christ Cultists are so stupid about other religions, that they can't make a good comeback when confronted with a religion they have no information on...Heimdall I do the same with paganism/ pantheism. Their arguments are built either against atheists, or in the case of my dad's church, other Christians who believe differently. They have nothing to use against other religions, even the biggest non-monotheistic religion, Hinduism. Its also fun in general to watch them try to make the "logical" leap from 'there is a Creator of the Universe' to 'its the Christian God, Jesus and the bible is true'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 From some of Thomas Paine's writings, I got the idea that his god did more than just set things in motion, but not much that I could tell. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the early deists a miracle free form of Christianity and Paine was one of the first anti-Christian deists? Like the early deists were basically the 19th century version of the UUs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 From some of Thomas Paine's writings, I got the idea that his god did more than just set things in motion, but not much that I could tell. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the early deists a miracle free form of Christianity and Paine was one of the first anti-Christian deists? Like the early deists were basically the 19th century version of the UUs. I think you're right, although many diests seem to have despised organized religion in general and Christianity in particular. I'm sure there were exceptions. Jefferson took the Bible and removed the miraculous parts of it to make the "Jefferson Bible", but that was his own particular fetish AFAIK. Diesm in those days was an appreciation of "creation" and the Creator while accepting that the creation is over and done with, and we are now on our own. I have no idea if they had particular ideas about the afterlife, but I would guess they would likely retain that belief and simply reject the dogma and doctrine of religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitsofreaky Posted January 24, 2010 Share Posted January 24, 2010 I think you will find that lacking a dogma or doctrine, we Deists have different views from other Deists. I think that every deist is at some level a individualist. I think this is why some of the nastiest boards I've seen have been deist, because, unfortunately, some people don't leave behind the "either you are with me or against me" attitude. I went through a fairly long "phase" of deism, and I do think that for some it is just a rest-stop on the way to atheism, but it works for some people. For me it lost its usefulness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incontinent Desecrator Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 Diesm in those days was an appreciation of "creation" and the Creator while accepting that the creation is over and done with, and we are now on our own. I have no idea if they had particular ideas about the afterlife, but I would guess they would likely retain that belief and simply reject the dogma and doctrine of religion. There are Deists who are spiritual and even believe in an afterlife, so not every Deist has the same beliefs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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