T.J. is my homeboy.
I was reading up on Thomas Jefferson – I don’t remember why – and was excited to learn that he was a deist. And then I was even more excited to learn what deism entails, because it perfectly articulates my current philosophy:
“Deism is the belief that a supreme God exists and created the physical universe, and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason alone, without dependence on revelation. It is in contrast with fidelism, found in many forms of Christianity, Islamic and Judaic teachings, which holds that religious truths rely upon revelation in sacred scriptures and upon the testimony of other people as well as reasoning.
“Deists typically reject most supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and tend to assert that God has a plan for the universe, which he does not alter by intervening in the affairs of human life nor by suspending the natural laws of the universe. What organized religions see as divine revelations and holy books, most deists see as interpretations made by other humans, rather than as authoritative sources. Deists believe that God’s greatest gift to humanity is not religion, but the ability to reason.”
I feel liberated. As I’ve stated before, I have decided to begin taking an Epicurean approach to life, and with that in mind, I am giving in to the reservations I’ve always had about Christianity. My parents always made me feel guilty about failing to demonstrate the same enthusiasm they have for the faith. But every Sunday, I felt overwhelmingly uncomfortable with the various goings-on of their church.
No more. I’ve finally managed to rid myself of that tiny but (until now) ever-present voice in the back of my head, pleading with me to not give up on the tenets of Christianity. I’ve begun to establish my own personal moral code and am focusing on what I want out of life and what I can do for others. Organized religion is little more than a dictatorship requiring unnecessary discipline and 10% of your income. Am I a bad person for not buying into that? I think not.
1 Comment
October 16, 2008 at 7:10 pm
First of all, thanks for the post. I didn’t know what a deist was before hand, but that’s close to my philosophy of our existence. Also, love TJ. He’s the man. I use his quotes in class.
I’m not an atheist, because I would never be as pompous as to claim I know in my heart there is no God, but that reason keeps me from being a Christian as well.
In most societies, it seems we have two choices, don’t worship, or worship what you know.
Exempli Gratia: People are products of their environment. It’s not my supposition that this is true, many many many scientists attest to this in the wild, as well as with humans. Any wise human can figure this out. We look like our parents, genotypically, and we to some degree mimic the ways of our parents, phenotypically, whether we realize it or not.
If you were born in Saudi Arabia, sadly, you would be atheist or Muslim, you cannot refute that.
It’s even more pompous to claim your religion is right over someone elses because you essentially discredit them and your religion has damned them to hell for non-convergence.
Think about this though, religion is based not upon logos, but rather pathos and ethos. Believers of other faiths have just as much justification for their religion as you do yours. It’s not based on what’s better, or what makes more sense. Religious decisions are based upon emotion and ethics, both wonderful parts of our animalistic nature, but hardly enough to explain our existence, so they merely make up fairy tales and beautiful stories. There are over 300 cultures with a flood story. Did this really happen, or did this myth simply wander around like the early travelers and nomads across cultures? Every culture has a creation myth as well, be it polytheistic or monotheistic, that attributes their culture with the beginning of mankind. We’re pompous and arrogant in our nature. From the beginning we have all tried to explain our origins, be it scientific or religious, but that doesn’t make either one right.
Did you know the Easter bunny is derived from the pagan goddess Estre, the God of fertility. Hence the bunny and the egg (Jesus’ rebirth). Christianity became so popular there was a council, and forgive me for I forget the name, which combined the two.
I won’t even speak on all the bad things religion has done, because if religions never existed, evil things would have been done in a different name; humans are innately, animals, though we try to deny ourselves through religion that we are by making sex sacred, fighting illegal, etc.
If matter cannot be created nor destroyed, is it not then infinite and existing outside of time, like christians say God does? Waste of a sentence probably.
Ultimately, my question to religious peoples is, “Why is dying and being at peace, just dead and cold in the ground, such a fear? Why must you think life has to continue as a spirit?” I’m comfortable knowing that my body will be at peace when I die. I don’t want a heaven, and I know there’s not a place with sulphurous fire and evil demons that torture my soul for eternity. Please stop believing in fantasies. You focus so much on your next life you forget to live in this one.