Deism was a lifeline to me that I literally stumbled across not long ago while I was lost in the confusing world of revealed religion. I am 46 years old, and have spent the last 27 years visiting so many different Christian churches that I don’t think I could list them all! But, something inside me kept me moving from one religion to another and from one church to another, never letting me rest and continually pushing me to find the true path to God. I never understood the reason why I could not settle into Christianity as was expected of me, but now I know! The reason was reason, my own God-given reason! My reason would not let me believe the contradictory and confusing stories presented to me that were not evidenced anywhere! How clear it is now, for the first time in my life, I am finally at peace inside and it feels so good! There really is happiness, peace, and unity in Deism! I am a Deist, and want to share with everyone I love and everyone I meet, and offer the same lifeline out to those people mired in the miserable and prejudiced dogmas of "revealed" religions.
Five things I love about Deism (I could list 100, but we will stay with five for now):
1. In Deism, I am not expected to believe stories and ideas presented to me that are not evidenced anywhere in the works of God. Thank you for this one, as God’s gift of reason absolutely will not allow me to live a life governed by blind faith!!
2. In Deism, science is a wonderful tool and not an enemy!! Scientific discoveries do not have to pass the ‘Bible test’ by undergoing reconciliation with the stories of the Bible! I love that Deists recognize that the Creator of man is also the Creator of science, and it is through the study of the creation that we learn of and see God.
3. And thank you Deism for not pretending to know what happens to us after our bodies die!! Reason will not let me believe that our Creator’s plan is to torture our everlasting souls if we do not live by the impossible dogmas written and voted upon by a host of men over a thousand years ago! I prefer to trust that our Creator has a plan for us, and just like Thomas Paine, I choose to leave these matters to God.
4. WE ARE ALL EQUAL!! Deists do not believe that God has chosen an enlightened individual to reveal himself to and does not have a chosen group of people to be the recipient of special gifts! This is GREAT news! God’s word is visible to all mankind in the works of the creation!! Wow! This makes much more sense then expecting us to believe the stories of mystical appearances and miracles that suspend God’s own laws of nature, the very laws on which our existence depends. As the opening of the Declaration of Independence states, “all men are created equal with certain inalienable rights.” How true this becomes in Deism; all genders, all sexual orientations, and all races - equal. Are those representing man-made religion to decide who in God’s creation is to be accepted and who is to be rejected? Are we to listen to the word of various humans each with their own agendas, or should we turn to the true, unbiased word of God?
5. We are to honor life; our own and that of others. How simple is that? By removing the prejudiced, confusing and contradictory dogmas of the various man-made cultural religions, we are free to return to a simple and pure love of God. No more hatred and violence. No more depending on prayer to make things happen or to save the life of a child, we are created by God who gave us reason, free will, and those who are gifted and driven to study medicine and science. We have the ability to take care of each other, and it is up to us to create the kingdom of God here on earth. In Deism, we are one on this planet sharing God’s beautiful creation together and can turn our focus to protecting and caring for human life and the natural resources of this planet, and opening our minds to the many wonderful discoveries of science! I am going outside now to watch the amazing hummingbirds that have recently discovered the feeder that I filled with nectar for them to enjoy. For some reason, though, the hummingbirds fight over this resource that I have provided for them. I do not understand this as there is plenty of nectar and perches for all, so why can’t they just sit there together and enjoy the sweetness of the nectar? Why must they fight?
Peace, love, and unity to all
Jane