Life long Atheist and philosopher Antony Flew, pictured at left, has evolved into a Deist! Professor Flew is a man of profound integrity who is more concerned with the truth than he is with orthodoxy of any kind, whether religious or secular.
Professor Flew wanted to be certain that his acceptance of a belief in God was not misunderstood to a belief in the Bible god or any god of the various "revealed" religions. Professor Flew said, "I'm thinking of a God very different from the God of the Christian and far and away from the God of Islam, because both are depicted as omnipotent Oriental despots, cosmic Saddam Husseins." He said his belief in God is akin to the Deism of Thomas Jefferson.
Like all Deists, Professor Flew believes we should be honest and be concerned with facts, not mythology and hearsay/revelations. And he is not concerned if he is attacked by either the "revealed" religionists or the Atheists. He said, "My whole life has been guided by the principle of Plato's Socrates: Follow the evidence, wherever it leads." This idea is key to Deism. Deists are open-minded enough to know the importance of that Socratic standard.
Many people unfamiliar with Deism claim that Mr. Flew has developed a belief in God because he is getting older and fears death. These people who make these statements don't realize that Deists openly state that they don't know what, if anything, happens to us after our body dies. And Mr. Flew is among those Deists who don't believe in an afterlife at all. (Because there are no man-made dogmas in Deism, Deist are free to believe whatever makes most sense to them as individuals regarding things like an afterlife.)
I'd like to welcome Professor Flew into the family of Deists! He's an outstanding man loaded with honesty and integrity and it's a true honor to have him as a self-proclaimed Deist!
The fact that Professor Flew has become a Deist, and the fact that Ray Fontaine, a former Roman Catholic priest, has become an active Deist, as well as Jayson X who evolved from a Christian Orthodox priest, demonstrates the power of Deism to reach across the lines of both atheism and "revealed" religion. Deism can do much, provided we do much to promote Deism!
For an interview Dr. Flew gave regarding his reasons for leaving Atheism for Deism in PDF click here.
After living a full and meaningful life, Dr. Flew died on April 8, 2010 at the age of 87. His courage and sincerity in always following the evidence as taught in the Socratic principle allowed him to evolve into a Deist. The World Union of Deists is very thankful for Antony Flew's honesty and openness regarding his Deism! He's a great example for all of us!