Not-That-Bright said:
Can I ask, what properties do you give to this non-interventionist god? Also why do you think you believe in it?
I believe in some unspecified intelligent force ("intelligent" is no doubt an inadequate, human explanation). I think it's foolish to attempt to give specific characteristics to something which I'm not even sure exists, and which I certainly can't describe in any empirical manner.
I believe in God as a cosmological first cause and as a designer (I'm not an IDer, though, yuck
). This belief comes outof my own observations of the universe, readings of science, and philosophical argument. I don't doubt that there is also a predisposition towards theism in my psyche, given that I was raised a Christian.
Some deists i've met have a view that 'god' is no conscious and is just the energy of the universe (or something like that, it seems very wishy washy imo)? I don't buy any of it myself, to me it seems deists are just picky believers in God who try to remove any form of criticism of their belief.
If you read up on history, you'll find that Deism has always been heavily criticised, and Deists have lived very uncomfortable lives. It takes a pussy of epic scale to choose a philosophy based on what others' will think, and I know that I receive flak from both Christians and dogmatic Atheists for my stance. Feel free to differ with me--I like rational argument with both theists and atheists.
My philosophy is "wishy-washy" only in that it is open and undefined. There are few constants. It's not New-Agey or superstitious though. If you mean wishy-washy in the sense of indeterminite, then you are correct. I'm hesitant to buy into any metaphysical argument which claims absolute truth--and plus I enjoy the uncertainty and free thought an open philosophy allows.
If I wanted to believe in God but I was a smart person who knew all the faults with god, I'd maybe become a deist, your beliefs aren't widely known like christianity or judaism so you can feel safe there will be no attacks there, while you can come up with all these fantastic arguments as to how stuff points to the existance of god (I thought god was non interventionist? :/ maybe you guys mean limited intervention).
Intellectual rigour is one of the definite advantages of Deism. I see it as a smart man's superstition
. It lets me ponder the nature of existence without getting the feeling that I'm kidding myself.
Once again, you are mistakenly saying that Deists aren't picked on. In any case, I'm not cowardly enough to lie to myself just to avoid getting paid out by my mates for believing in God. Generally, as a Deist people are more respectful though to you, because you don't evangelise, preach, or act self-righteously (of course, I'm not saying that all Christians/Muslims/etc. do this, but a visible minority of them do). I don't believe in sin or hell or any of that gloomy stuff so I have no moral obligation to constantly point out that others are sinners, or destined to hell etc. as some Theists do.
As for interventionism, I'll just outline my present musings on the matter (subject to change at any time). I don't believe it is possible for God to intervene supernaturally in the universe. There are observable natural laws (put in place by God?) which I consider fairly static. I've never seen any proof for any supernatural activity. Certainly, I don't believe God intervenes physically in human affairs. If God really wanted to make himself known, I'm sure he'd choose a better vehicle than a thick book and a Nazarene (though I find great philosophy in both those sources). If anything, I think the universe is self-evidently ordered and, well, "dignified", and I'm hesitant to think that there is a deity out there who amuses himself by smiting people and doing magic tricks.
To me, from what I see of deist... it just seems to be a 'personal religion' not based off christianity or whatever. I don't see how they're any better.
Deism is a "personal religion" only in that it contains no dogma, and allows for personal choice. It is impersonal in that most Deists believe that God (for lack of a better name) is not personal.
not based off christianity or whatever. I don't see how they're any better.
I think its unwise to give objective "value" to any religion (except those which are violent etc.), but personally, I find Deism superior to Christianity for these reasons:
a) Intellectualy more compelling. I find the Christian meta-narrative contradictory and illogical.
b) More in line with observable, empirical data.
c) Freedom to think for oneself, and enjoy argument and reasoning without having an authority figure such as a priest/imam tell you "the truth".
d) No hell, no sin, no evangelism. All these are destructive doctrines, and promote fear and distrust.
e) Altruistic ethics. If God threatens you with hell for being immoral, is morality really altruistic? Moreover, an open philosophy allows ethical thought to develop beyond the beliefs of a society thousands of years prior to our own.
f) Beer and sex are allowed. Beer is evidence of God, btw
g) Deism isn't a psychological crutch. I don't believe in Heaven/Hell or a personal superhero God who'll save me from baddies. As such, I think it is more rational and gives me freedom to live my own life and develop as a human being.
Disclaimer: These are my personal convictions. I have the utmost respect for people of all faiths, and I don't wish to offend anyone. Please extend the same respect to me.
