Whats your take on Deism ? [With link to website]

deism.com...

This religion is interesting. Thomas Paine who apparently is behind Americas independence and revolution is a Deist. He wrote something that inspired some American people to be independent from the British.

This religion believes in God but has a hell of a lot to say about all the other religions, saying their false basically and they give their reasons on the website.

Deism looks and sounds great. The logo of their website caught my eye especially. What if the elite have had this rational religion throughout the ages but have remained hidden from public eye because of the fear of being killed. And what if they are trying to alter society and our culture to turn to this rational religion. Because since media and entertainment came around, more and more kids find life to be more fulfilling by watching TV, surfing the net, playing the PS3 than going to church.

Am purely speculating but what do you think of Deism?

Note: Am not totally basing my speculation of this religion from being of the elite because of the logo. haha.

reply to post by jonnyc55


I am tempted to wonder where the boundaries between some forms of Paganism and Deism are, it at all.

I don't doubt that many people can far easier accept the concept of organised design for the planet, than an ancient Man with a long white beard and unruly hair, simply floating on a cloud and pointing at things to make them manifest, particularly if that cloud has a hotline to odd individuals throughout time with which to send his ideals for his next creation to follow.

For the record, deism is not a religion. Just like theism, pantheism, atheism and so on are not religions. They are all perspectives that become religion when a group of people congregate to become fanatic pushers of that particular point of view.

As for what I think of it. It makes sense from the perspective of the big bang. Basically, the big bang is nothing more than a first miracle used to explain the rest of existence, without any viable explanation of what got it started.

Deism is what most closely describes how I see the Universe, us, and "reality."

Paine is brilliant. I am what would be labelled as an "Agnostic Deist."
It's a philosophy that embraces the fact that we can't really know or comprehend the larger "picture."
with Deism.

Deism is not a religion.
Its a belief
We believe in god but believe organized religions have become or are corrupt.
And that some people in these organized religions break the tenants of there own religions in dealing with other religions and even sects of there own religions.

A better site for understanding deist is this forum.
www.positivedeism.com...

You have to watch when looking for deist and sites claiming to define deism. many are wrong or done by people that are trying to mislead people.

Deist Principles

You shall honor and worship the Creator in a fashion that suits you

You shall treat others with dignity and respect and you shall insist that others respect your dignity as well

You shall live life pragmatically and use Reason as the cornerstone for all you think, say and do

You shall be honest and not lie, cheat or steal

You shall not harm another unless it is in defense of yourself or loved ones

You shall treat others as you want to be treated

You shall take responsibility for your actions

You shall have faith in yourself

You shall honor and be faithful to your Father, your Mother and your Loved ones

You shall learn from the mistakes that you will make

You shall find awe, inspiration and beauty in the creation and the natural order of the universe

You shall search for truth and be willing to accept new ideas based on reason as you are exposed to them

_______________________________________________________

Copyright © 2004 - 2010 J Hardwick

Originally posted by vasaga
For the record, deism is not a religion. Just like theism, pantheism, atheism and so on are not religions. They are all perspectives that become religion when a group of people congregate to become fanatic pushers of that particular point of view.

As for what I think of it. It makes sense from the perspective of the big bang. Basically, the big bang is nothing more than a first miracle used to explain the rest of existence, without any viable explanation of what got it started.

edit on 7-7-2013 by vasaga because: (no reason given)

Ok not religion then. Natural Religion, as they call themselves at deism.com.

Deism has a lot to offer you! It also has a lot to offer society! Deism is knowledge of God based on the application of our reason on the designs/laws found throughout Nature. The designs presuppose a Designer. Deism is therefore a natural religion and is not a "revealed" religion.

Originally posted by wildtimes
Deism is what most closely describes how I see the Universe, us, and "reality."

Paine is brilliant. I am what would be labelled as an "Agnostic Deist."
It's a philosophy that embraces the fact that we can't really know or comprehend the larger "picture."

with Deism.

Starred. Well stated, and pretty much nails my stance too.

reply to post by ANNED


The deist principles that you mentioned, what sources are they taken from? Who decided what should be the principles?

reply to post by jonnyc55


I'd love to respond, but your avatar is making me sick. So, I won't risk replying where you would would reply back. Sorry.

Deism: Deism is the recognition of a universal creative force greater than that demonstrated by mankind,

The four fundamental forces of the universe, for instance? These are not gods. It doesnt even mention gods.

Originally posted by AfterInfinity
The four fundamental forces of the universe, for instance? These are not gods. It doesnt even mention gods.

The God Particle, a major force of the Universe

Food for thought...

Originally posted by jonnyc55
Deism looks and sounds great. The logo of their website caught my eye especially.

It seems to me I feel hypocrisy. Novus Ordo Seclorum doesn't mean "New Order of Ages", but "New Order of Secularism". "Seclorum" translates to "Secular". Which means, god-less. I'm inclined to think they disguised so to infiltrate the then christian majority. This symbol also appears on the French Revolution seal. It seems whoever is REALLY behind this seal profits greatly from worldwide revolutions. Reminds me of the Rothschild family behaviour in 1800s, when they profited from Napoleon's war.

Originally posted by ANNED
Deist Principles

You shall honor and worship the Creator in a fashion that suits you

You shall treat others with dignity and respect and you shall insist that others respect your dignity as well

You shall live life pragmatically and use Reason as the cornerstone for all you think, say and do

You shall be honest and not lie, cheat or steal

You shall not harm another unless it is in defense of yourself or loved ones

You shall treat others as you want to be treated

You shall take responsibility for your actions

You shall have faith in yourself

You shall honor and be faithful to your Father, your Mother and your Loved ones

You shall learn from the mistakes that you will make

You shall find awe, inspiration and beauty in the creation and the natural order of the universe

You shall search for truth and be willing to accept new ideas based on reason as you are exposed to them

Reminds me alot of Anton Lavey's Satanism. From the Church of Satan:

The Nine Satanic Statements[edit]
Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence.
Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams.
Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit.
Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates.
Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek.
Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires.
Satan represents man as just another animal (sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all fours), who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all.
Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification.
Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years.[18]
The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth[edit]
Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
When in another's lair, show them respect or else do not go there.
If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat them cruelly and without mercy.
Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
Do not take that which does not belong to you, unless it is a burden to the other person and they cry out to be relieved.
Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.
Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
Do not harm young children.
Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.[19][20]
The Nine Satanic Sins[edit]
Stupidity — The top of the list for Satanic Sins, the Cardinal Sin. It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. One must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.
Pretentiousness—Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn’t applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone’s made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not.
Solipsism—Can be very dangerous. Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won’t. Instead, one must strive to apply the dictum of “Do unto others as they do unto you.” It’s work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.
Self-deceit—It’s in the “Nine Satanic Statements” but deserves to be repeated here. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it’s fun, and with awareness. But then, it’s not self-deceit!
Herd Conformity—That’s obvious - it’s all right to conform to a person’s wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.
Lack of Perspective—Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints—know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world.
Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies—Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it’s something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society.
Counterproductive Pride—That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you’ve painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it.
Lack of Aesthetics—This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It’s not what’s supposed to be pleasing—it’s what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one’s own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.[21]

source: Laveyan Satanism

They are even presented in almost the same order. In Deism, the "beauty" criteria is just before the last criteria, while in Satanism, The "beauty" criteria (Aesthetics) is the last criteria.

After a bit of research, 'deism' is about as clearly defined as 'witchcraft' - that is to say, not at all. According to the linked website, deism is primarily characterized as a belief in a creative universal force that exceeds the capabilities and comprehension of homo sapiens. Other websites define deism as "...the belief that reason and observation of the natural world are sufficient to determine the existence of God, accompanied with the rejection of revelation and authority as a source of religious knowledge."

I am inclined to agree with this...to a point. I believe in a creative universal force so far as organization may be described as creative. By which I mean, as long as it's working to remain coherent, it's clearly creative. Resistance to chaos cannot be anything other than creative, in that an organized scheme must be present to some extent to resist the chaos. In this way, I would describe the four fundamental forces of the universe - the nuclear force, strong and weak forces, and the electromagnetic force - as being creative universal forces that exceed human comprehension or capability to replicate in their full capacity.

To this extent, I can agree with deism. To this extent, deism falls in line with reason. As soon as an actual personified, conscious and intentive entity emerges, however, the logic of deism begins to wane as the universe apparently exhibits a perspective that must inherently exclude some angle or other of the whole. Thinking is a subjective activity, and any cognitive process indicative of a distinct and conscious entity must be subjective, in my opinion. We are subjective creatures, but why would an entire universe be subjective when everything that can be seen or experienced is automatically a part of its very being?

I do not have a problem with defining a "god" as a "creative universal force". I do, however, have a problem with defining "creative universal force" as anything remotely resembling the gods of old and new. I hope that makes my stance in the matter clear.

ETA: On second thought, defining the term "god" in such a way changes the face of divinity in all of its expressions. Gods are no longer divine entities, they are divine influences. A god is not a person, it's an idea. It's a style of philosophy. Literally, a "god" becomes a form of philosophy. That behavior becomes the face of that god, and those thoughts become its mind. Is this what Christians have been trying to say all along?