Ever since I heard the story of Adam and Eve, I knew something was "wrong". I was born and baptized a Lutheran, married [and divorced] a Catholic, and always thought the Jews had it closer to right with the Old Testament.
Being a history buff, I decided to read 'Common Sense' by Thomas Paine and as luck would have it the book also contained 'The Age of Reason'. It was all right there before my very eyes. Every thing that I had doubted, every word that had been pounding in my brain for 50 years, every simple [yet profound] word of faith in the belief of God hit me like a ton of bricks. I was a Deist and didn't even know it!
I live in Tennessee which is the cradle of The Church of Christ and Baptism. To my closest friends, I have no problem confessing my beliefs. To the rest, discretion is the better part of valor. Having retired from the Defense Dept, war, violence, and fighting are in my DNA, but this is not the time to start another war, even of words. I believe winning converts to Deism will be more successful through Friendly Persuasion.
Today, my love of God is deeper than ever. The beauty of Nature's God, Truth, and Love are everything I need to be at peace with myself and to serve others. I do not need a Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Abraham, or whoever between me and God to know that I am truly blessed.