lunachick

...perhaps.


I do wonder, sometimes.


So what's the skinny on Deism, anyway? Any reason why I shouldn't be one?

:huh:

Columbus

Deism is the simplest possible religion. It's hard to distinguish Deism from Agnosticism.
Deism is basically the belief that God created the Universe, but doesn't meddle in it. IOW, belief in God the Creator without beliefs about God's characteristics. More specifically, belief that the Universe's existence is proof that a Creator exists, but the Universe doesn't contain compelling evidence about God beyond that.

I don't see any reason why you shouldn't believe that. This might be related to the fact that it is nearly identical to what I believe. :wave:

Tom

muon

A good reason not to believe in deism is the lack of any evidence for it ... same reason for not believing in theism, now that I think of it.

perfectbite

I have come to think that Deism is the acknowledgement of a Deity that has specific attributes (there are many Deities all with their assigned distinguishing characteristics) and for me Deism then becomes a subset of Theism with Theism being any or all of these Deities.

Deism specific, Theism general, Atheism decline to state for whatever reason.

If you make your livelihood through preaching about the munificence or demands or both of a particular Deity then I would say that that would be encouragement enough to be Deist but otherwise it's 'yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice.'

lunachick

I have a feeling that I may have had a little too much beer and weed after work yesterday. Add to that a mild winter evening with lotsa lovely stars and lunachick becomes a Deist! Put her back in the office the next day and there is no more God.

Ooops.


It is kinda nice to romanticise about cosmic energies, gods and higher beings, the interconnectnedness of everything, and how beer and weed proves the existance of such things, though. Hmm, perhaps I'm not so much a Deist/Agnostic as I am an Alcohostic, and the Pub is Church.

perfectbite

As Benjamin Franklin said;

Beer is proof that God loves us.

_Naturalist_

There's even less potential for evidence to support deism.

Columbus

The only evidence needed for Deism is the existence of the universe. That evidence does exist.

Referring to "the reason the universe exists" as God is not the same as theistic claims about the nature of God. Once you start making claims about God then you're a theist, and do need some evidence for the claims. But deism is only based on the claim "the universe exists". Most people don't dispute that.
It is the lack of specific attributes that defines deism. Atheists and theists make specific claims. Deists and agnostics don't.

I think much of the confusion between the terms comes from the assumption that personification and anthropomorphism are required to believe in God. Most theists are certain that God not only exists but they know a lot about him/her. For that matter, atheists seem quite certain as well.

Tom

muon

Surely deism is more than the simple affirmation that the universe exists! Be serious---if that's all it was we wouldn't need a special word for it.

Deism generally is the belief that a supernatural entity designed and created the universe then left it alone. There is no evidence for any of that as far as I can see.

If to you deism is simply the affirmation that the world exists, you're seriously distorting the normal meaning of the word.

Splarnst

I think you can only be a "part-time" deist if you believe in God less than 40 hours per week. And you don't get any eternal health benefits.