I grew up in a Christian home, and throughout the last few years of actually studying the bible (instead of just going by what preachers teach on Sunday, like most Christians do) I found a lot of things that did not make sense. The main thing being the whole issue of salvation. From what would God be saving us from? From going to hell, a place that he would have had to make himself in the first place? Yeah sounds like a loving God to me. I know that I would not send my own son to that kind of a place, no matter what he did wrong. So if we as humans would not do this kind of activity we find in the bible, why should we think that God would? There is so much violence in the bible and perverted sexual things it’s a disgrace to call it the word of God. Another thing that really got me is how people say Jesus is such a nice guy. Well, why would you you call someone that who is FOR child abuse (Matt 15:1-8) and animal abuse (Matt 8:32). Jesus okays beating slaves (Lk 12:47). He even says he has come NOT to bring peace but a sword! (Matt 10:34) In (Matt 10:35-37) He even talks about who he will break up families and that you must love him more than your own family and more than the life God gave you (Lk. 14:26).
I ask you how can we love someone that we cannot see or interact with? Love is an emotion pertaining to physical existence not to faithful ideologies. Yeah, sounds like a real nice guy to me. I'm not worshiping anybody like that.
Then I started researching other religions, I studied Islam and it made a little more since because they don't worship Jesus but with all the violent things that the religion teaches, that says enough for itself. Zoroastrianism sounds the most logical, but only if you go by the Gathas, which is believed to be the only thing Zarathustra wrote. But they believe that God is totally 100% good, which is a flawed idea. You can see from the creation how animals have to kill each other every day just to survive. This shows how God is not totally good, for if he was, he would have created a way for all creatures to survive without killing. Of course, if putting the individual above all else, which today's society and Christianity both do, then the way the creation is designed is not good. However, if the importance of the species is more critical than the importance of the individual, then the way the creation is designed makes more sense and in the long run provides more good by benefiting the entire species instead of just the individual. In that case, God is good. We have a lot to think about and a lot to learn, which we are free to do in Deism!
Then I read The Age of Reason and it was totally an eye opener and very true how you can see just how God is right out your front door. That's how I found Deism.
I have am even closer relationship with God now than ever, since I don't have it in the back of my mind I might get sent to hell just because I didn't do something the way God wanted. I still talk to God everyday but I don't do it in a fearful way anymore, its more comforting to think God wants to help me overcome my problems by being my friend instead of an overruling tyrant.