Modern Deism

This is a long but good post...copied from "The Positive Deism" site

"Modern Deism: A Primer


If I were to ask the majority of people to raise their hands if they have heard of Deism, very few hands would go up and puzzled looks would abound. Like most, you have probably never heard of Deism unless you have taken a college philosophy and/or seminary course. Deism is a natural religion that started roughly 400 years ago with roots to ancient Greece and was primarily the belief of the intellectual class. In terms of locality, it was prevalent throughout Europe and North America. In fact, many of the American Founding Fathers were Deists, or incorporated Deistic thought, including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, James Madison, Thomas Paine and George Washington.

Traditionally, many of the men and women who were Deists viewed it as a personal philosophy, which is also one of the primary reasons for its fall. This fall was further compounded by the fact that it remained small and had no real organization with the final blow occurring around the time of the Second Great Awakening of the 1800's. However, contrary to reports of its demise, it did not become extinct but remained alive albeit small and individualized. Today, Deism is seeing a resurgence in popularity with it growing 717% from 1991 to 2001. Its growth is partly due to the increased availability and communication of the Internet and because this philosophy kept its classical roots while evolving into a more modern and inclusive interpretation.

While there are no "official" tenets of Deism, many of the following "unofficial" tenets might be the best way to introduce generally accepted beliefs within Deism. The unofficial tenets of Deism are:
1.Belief in God based on Reason, Experience and Nature (nature of the universe) rather than on the basis of pure faith, holy texts and divine revelation. Essentially, through the use of Reason, God's existence is revealed by the observation of the order and complexity found within nature and our personal experiences.
2.Belief that the nature of God is generally incomprehensible and is beyond definition for humanity at this time. Furthermore, human language is limited and inadequate to define God; however, man can use Reason to theorize and speculate on what this possible nature is.
3.Belief that mans relationship with God is impersonal and abstract. However, this does not create a feeling of a distant and cold deity but of one in which God has a profound and unfathomable relationship with all of creation (nature) rather than just one aspect of it.
4.Belief that humanity has the ability to use Reason to develop ethical/moral principles and through the application of Reason these principles can be used to implement moral behavior, which in turn creates a Utilitarian-Humanist morality. Essentially, humans can be guided by their conscience in matters of morality.
5.Belief that humans have the individual capability of experiencing God, which is defined as spirituality. These spiritual experiences are multi-faceted and all of humanity has the innate capability to have these experiences. Essentially, each human is capable of having a profound experience of God and nature.
6.Belief that God should be honored in a way that the individual believes is best and most appropriate for them. Individuals must determine for themselves how best to honor God and only they can develop how to accomplish this. For many, it is a multi-faceted and an individualized process.
7.Belief in the principle of Natural Law that states that all men and women are created equal to each other with inherent freedom and liberty so that no human has more worth than another. Essentially, each human is equal in terms of the freedoms that they have and in the eyes of the law.
8.Belief that mankind's purpose is to use our God-given reason to understand what it means to be alive in every sense of the word (to live life to the fullest) and to act in such a way as to secure human happiness and contentment for all involved.
9.Belief that Reason and Respect are God-given traits to mankind and that we are to utilize them in all aspects of our daily lives thus creating a pragmatic approach to life. This includes respecting other alternative views and opinions of God (other religions) as long as they do not produce harm and/or infringe upon others.
Most Deists will agree with these basic tenets and regard Deism as a personal philosophy (theology) and as a religion. Many may expand on these beliefs and may also add personal touches. This is appropriate and encouraged as Reason tells us that humans are freethinkers that have different beliefs and experiences.

Deists develop a belief in God based on the foundation and the application of our ability to use Reason. Through the use of Reason, the individual is able to develop a belief in God based on the observation of the order and complexity found within nature and this is coupled with our personal life experiences of the world we inhabit. Interestingly enough, there are many misunderstandings about what Reason actually is. Generally, Deists consider Reason to be the ability to use intuitive and rational thought coupled with knowledge to develop logical inferences based on degrees of evidence (empirical and circumstantial). It is made up of a balance between logic, intuition, knowledge and inference and this balance must be maintained for proper Reason to flourish.

Reason is the foundation with Nature and Experience being the basis for a belief in God. Many religions base their belief in God on prophets, holy books and revelations. Deists are tolerant of these alternative viewpoints but base their beliefs on the above- mentioned factors and have come to different conclusions. Deism views nature as the metaphorical "word of God" and can be seen as the holy book of the Deist. Unlike these other methods, nature is not limited but is a vast expanse of knowledge and discovery for the Deist that can continue for life. God's fingerprints can be seen in the structure of a leaf, the complexity of DNA, the beauty of life and the elegance of the known emerging universe. All of nature is open to the Deist for contemplation, inspiration and reverence from the mundane to the spectacular.

The application of Reason as the foundation of Deism causes this philosophy to view the world from a different vantage point than most religions. An example is that science is not seen as an enemy but one of many tools that Deists can learn and grow from. In fact, Deism as a belief system thrives on diversity of thought. Modern Deism incorporates the latest interpretations found in the areas of physics/quantum physics, biology, evolution, philosophy, theology, psychology, mathematics and many other fields in the arts and sciences. This has lead the modern Deist movement to be a dynamic concept because it integrates classical and modern viewpoints with the wisdom of the past and the discoveries of the present.

Classical Deism has been defined as a belief in which God is separate from his creation (only transcendent); however, Modern Deism does not define God. This is because Reason is limited in its ability to fully comprehend and define God, which produces different views on what individuals believe the nature of God to be. Some Deists see design in nature and through this design they also see purpose in the universe (and in their lives). Others see God and the universe in a co-creative process. God may be seen as an observer or as a subtle and persuasive spirit. Of course, there are many other views as well. However, the overall view of Deism is to use Reason as the foundation and Experience and Nature as the basis of belief. As can be seen, some Deists are classical while others are not but each is respected and finds a home in Modern Deism.

The area that most separates Deism from other belief systems is the belief that man's relationship with God is impersonal and abstract. For many religions, the relationship with God is viewed as one that is personal in which God wants to know each of us as individuals and communicates directly with mankind. Many Theists view an impersonal God as one that is pointless but for the Deist the opposite is true. This impersonal and abstract God does not just have a relationship with humanity but with all of nature (creation) and man is a part of it. This means that God is seen in human terms such as a parent and/or judge but is much grander in scope than can possibly be imagined which creates a sense of awe and reverence. This is evidenced by how Deists have a calling to nature and study of the universe.

One of the most frequent questions asked of Deists is, without a God that creates absolute moral law, how can man be a moral being? Essentially, Deists answer this in two parts. The first is that humans have the ability to use Reason to develop and create ethical and moral principles. The second is that through the application of Reason, these principles can be used to implement and institute moral behavior. This creates a Utilitarian/Humanist morality that respects the dignity and self-worth of the individual but maintains that this must be reciprocal in nature so that moral behavior is instituted. However, individuals must be held accountable for their actions and accept responsibility for their lives. Many Deists live by one of the most ancient moral principles that have existed since man began to record his beliefs, the Golden Rule.

Since Deism is specifically correlated with rationalism, there is the erroneous belief among many that spirituality does not exist among adherents. However, this is untrue, as spirituality is a major component of Deism. There are many religions that believe that spirituality is attained simply by believing in the proper doctrines. The opposite is true in Deism. Spirituality is about the ability to experience God and it is a multi-faceted experience that can be accomplished in numerous ways by the individual with the primary ways being awe, wonder, epiphany, fellowship, communion and the transcendental. These spiritual experiences are generally beyond description and this allows the individual to have unique and profound experiences of God and nature.

Individualism and independence are of primary concern to Deists. This is especially true as evidenced by the many ways that God is honored. Deists do not worship God as much as they honor God. They may do this many different ways. Some like to meet and discuss philosophy, science and religion. Others may pray to thank God for the life they have had while others may meditate. The goal is to honor the God in the best possible fashion based upon individual preferences. It is important to understand this aspect, as it is an area that truly separates Deism from other belief systems. Essentially, honoring God is done in many different ways and is up to the individual to decide what works best for them.

Deists view humans as equal to each other with inherent rights which is a philosophy called Natural Law. This idea was best exemplified in the opening of the Declaration of Independence when it was stated, "all men are created equal with certain inalienable rights." It states that all men and women are equal with certain rights and that these rights make each human equal in the eyes of the law. This includes concepts such as the freedom of religion, speech, congregation and independent thought. It is important to understand that this philosophy does not mean that all have the same potential. Not everyone can be a professional basketball player just as not everyone will be a world-class mathematician. However, when it comes to freedom, everyone is equal.

Since Deism is based on Reason, the idea of direct (special) revelation by God to mankind is seen as secondary information at best and is therefore hear-say. Instead, Deists believe that nature is the only "word of God" (so to speak) we have access to and we experience inspiration rather than revelation. This being so, Deists believe that God may or may not have a purpose for man and this is left up the individual to determine. However, this does not mean that man cannot have a purpose, it simply means that we as humans must determine what that purpose is. For the Deist, mankind's purpose is to use our Reason to determine what it means to be alive in every sense of the word so that life is lived to the fullest and that we act in a way as to secure human happiness and contentment for all involved.

Reason is not just a concept that is used for developing a belief in God but is used throughout our daily lives as well. Deists believe in a pragmatic approach of Reason and Respect in all aspects of life so that it is used in all that we think, say and do. This includes the ability to learn from other viewpoints whether they are religious, political and/or social as long as human harm is not advocated. This is nowhere more true than in regards to alternative religious viewpoints. In fact, many Deists study these alternative viewpoints for greater knowledge and understanding. Therefore, we must respect other viewpoints and ideas regarding God and demand that this respect be reciprocated. This includes other religions that Deists may disagree with but respect the realization that each person has the right and requirement to find their own path to God.

Deism has evolved into this modern form because it uses Reason as its primary tool. The tool of Reason allows the Deist to grow and mature in his/her belief over time and thus strengthens the belief. Deism challenges the individual because it does not tell one how to believe but instead is a minimalist approach. Deists tend to be independent freethinkers that utilize critical thinking skills and then apply these skills to their beliefs and lives. For many religions, doubt is looked down upon but this is reversed in Deism. For the Deist, doubt is an enjoyable by-product of belief as it keeps them on their toes, causes questions to be asked and allows an open mind to be cultivated. It must be realized that human knowledge is limited and this means that different views must be allowed to exist under the umbrella of Deism so that it remains inclusive and dynamic. Ultimately, it is the Deist who, centering his belief within Reason, develops a profound and unique belief in God. "

Holiday Lights: A Civil War Christmas

This video is really nice and features a young cousin of Eric Addison..friend, journalist, editor..present editor of Morgan Magazine

My Comments on the Tiger Woods Affair

Ha! I bet you thought I was going to post something about his behavior...well I'm not...I don't need to...you can read and hear those comments anywhere....It's not not my place to place judgement... but those of you who know me know I'm not a religious person and I do sincerely believe that when someone has treated someone very badly...especially someone who is supposed to hold a special place in that person's life that "The Chickens Do Come Home to Roost"! It's probably more scientific..like "Cause and Effect"....if you cause this then something will happen and not always something good...So now we wait to see what happens..trust me the result may reach far beyond dollars and cents. Now the only advice I have for the womeninvolved with this man is that they get tested as soon as possible for all known sexually transmitted diseases and in the case of Herpes and HIV get those tests repeated in 6 months...unfortunately they may require repeated testing over the next several years.
Martina
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SpiritOfAChoctawFreedwoman

Black Genealogy Summit 2009

The Three Gates of Right Speech

I am a seeker....my quest is to obtain a higher level of spirituality..a path of salvation that will allow me to obtain insight into the ultimate nature of reality.....Buddhism speaks of ethics, morality, making an effort to improve...all without being judgemental...awareness...to see things for what they are with clear conciousness and most important (at least to me ) being aware of the present reality...I'll share my journey with you.

I must admit I got this topic from another blog I was reading tonight and it caught my eye because of what I have learned (understand) from the writings of Buddha...basically Right Speech is as important as Right Action.

The Three Gates of Right Speech

"The words of the tongue
should have three gatekeepers."
- ARAB PROVERB


"Before words get past the lips, the first gatekeeper asks, "Is this true?" That stops a lot of traffic immediately. But if the words get past the first gatekeeper, there is a second who asks, "Is it kind?" And for those words that qualify here too, the last gatekeeper asks: "Is it necessary?" Ekanth Easwaran, "Words to live By"
Bodily wounds heal but harsh words can cause a wound that lies open and raw for years with pain that can last a lifetime.

It seems rather simple,very straightforward...something we were all taught as kids...but how many times a day a week do we violate Right Speech? Remember the argument that started as a simple disagreement...but somebody got angry...why? Because we haven't learned to agreed to disagree..instead we allow our minds to be out of control..think about it.

Dental Issues

I have been told many times over the years that I have a nice smile but now as I approach the beginning of another decade of my life I can see how time has taken it's toll...this morning I have a dental appointment...for an extraction! I'm not happy.. for some reason the bone surrounding the root of one of my molars ( thank gad it's only one)got reabsorbed and now the poor tooth is hanging by a thread..another space...anybody know a good cosmetic dentist?

Throw'd TV Presents: Facebook Breakup

These guys are hilarious!

Alcoholic Vervet Monkeys! - Weird Nature - BBC animals

Skateboarding Dog

James Brown Dies (Tribute w/ Michael Jackson)

American Brewery redevelopment

American Brewery redevelopment

Fall

Nothing compares to the fall season on the east coast...I must admit I enjoyed the average 324 days of sunshine a year while living in Southern Nevada but I also missed the changing of the seasons..especially summer into fall. While in med school I had the good fortune to date a nice brother from Connecticut who had his pilot's license....in fact he got his license to fly before his driver's license...a very nice, sensible and ambition young man..well, anyway he took me flying several times during the fall of year...over the Shenandoah Valley..it was majestic..absolutely beautiful....and now more than 30 years later when I woke this cool overcast fall morning I had this mental vision of it and could only smile...the vision has forever been captured by the shutters of my eyes....today I'm debating...should I stay home and just chill or go to the annual book fair in Mount Vernon..I still have a few hours to decide...might be able to do a little bit of both.
This past week marked either the end of the year for most local non profits or the beginning of fall/winter season and trust me I had a blast! Creative Alliance has a very cleaver and now popular way to raise money during the fall...Art to Dine For...starts shortly after Labor Day and goes on every weekend and sometimes evenings until the week before Thanksgiving. I went to two Eat2Dine for Events this week...the 1st was Tuesday night at the newly renovated American Brewery in the 1700 blk of Gay Street....as a kid I walked past that place frequently ..almost daily...to get to school...my grandmother's house and church. Every year at X-mas they would put up (using cranes!) what I thought I was the biggest X-mas tree in the world! My mother probably dreaded this because it meant my brother and I would begin to bug her about when were we going to put up our tree....they had drinks...wine and of course beer...light fare to eat and a wonderful slide presentation about the 25 million dollar renovation...I included a link on my blog for those of you interested in learning more about the brewery...oh yes..I almost forgot...the brewery was fully operational during my childhood.
On Wednesday night Chilean artist Soledad Salame opened her Reservoir hill home to share her art, good food and fabulous company....check out her work www.soledadsalame.com
Thursday night Maryland Life Magazine had their annual Marylander of Distinction 2009 dinner ...honoree J. W. Marriott Jr...at the Marriott in Rockville...My good friend Jannette...( my personal social director..ain't I lucky!)is on Maryland Lif's Board ..invited me for the 3rd year..and I always enjoy myself...Thank you Jannette!..I thought The Annual Baltimore Clayworks gala would be my last event for the week on Friday night but I am really glad I decided to accept the invite from Gloria Askins to attend the St. Francis Neighborhood Center's 1st Annual Fall Fiesta and Gala...so I ended my week dancing the Salsa!
Well the Ravens are ahead 13-0....so I should go and do the patriotic thing..watch the rest of the game! LOL!

Posting on this site

Okay....here's the drill....this website will allow posts from folks who are not registered....they want to keep down the spam..that's the reason for registering...now I've had more than a few emails from folks who tried to post but couldn't so I decided I would leave everything open to see what happens....so those of you who tried to post and couldn't you should be able to do so now...Good luck!

This Blogg!

This blogging business and I may get divorced very soon if I can't learn to navigate my way around this site!! I have lost at least 3 drafts that I thought I saved!

Love by Chance or Choice

I have wonderful friends....as we approach another decade in our lives they still ponder the questions of need versus want and now Love. The following quote I saw for the 1st time today...I later learned that it has been floating around the net for sometime... but for the life of me I could not find the origin or the author....I did manage to locate quite a few blog sites where people posted their truncated definitions and/or interpretations. When I see the word Chance I think of Las Vegas....having lived there for 10 years I was exposed to quite a few games of CHANCE ..if you won...everyone said you were lucky.....but I'm also a scientist so CHANCE in mathematics takes us to probability....to me...that would be something like "What's the Chance/probability of my getting pregnant if I repeatedly have sex without birth control".... I would say a very high probability based on fact....so here I have some degree of control to either prevent an event from happening or allowing it ( based on behavior) ....I say it is possible by CHOICE to bring one or more events together for a specified result and by doing so greatly increase the CHANCE of it happening. Share your thoughts.

NO ONE falls in love by choice, it is by CHANCE.
No one stays in love by chance, it is by WORK.
And no one falls out of love by chance, it is by CHOICE

Missed it

For those of you signing in to read my posts...too late I deleted them ..except the first one..the topic was started by a question I posed about need versus want...the post gave me an opportunity to work thru the question and come up with a conclusion that satisfied me...so to prevent further discussion I deleted them. In the future I'll try to pick topics that I really want to discuss with others. I'll probably stick to books I'm reading. :)

I had grand ideas when I created this blog....visions of smart and informative posts! Ha! Well, anyway...here are my first comments.....today is the sun is shining and it's absolutely beautiful outside and that's where I'm headed!