Do you understand the difference between deist theory and intelligent design?

Question

Me? I'm a deist. Intelligent design is a matter of faith, NOT SCIENCE, and in fact tends to supports the theory of evolution.

ID is NOT a subset of deists. ID states God is actively taking part in directing how life forms change over time. Deists believe God started it all, but it runs on its own since then.

Answer 1

I am also a deist in this, but you cannot assume that the average person sees a difference. To most people, it is either 'god' or 'no god', and anything else just gets shoved in one group or another and is assumed to all be the same thing pretty much.

The possibility that evolution works pretty much as advertised is supposed to put us in the 'no god' group, but then again, we are indeed working on a point of faith, so we are indeed in the 'god' group.

Our problem is that we cannot point to a segment of the process and say 'This is God'. Did god do the Big Bang, or is that just another part of His 'set and let run'? When exactly did god touch the process?

We can SAY that he did so at point X, or at time Y- but it is just a guess, and the next scientific breakthrough could easily force us to revise our ideas.

So- in my case, at least, I believe that evolution and the origins of life and the cosmos are pretty much as science describes, but that God has directed this all in some way as yet unproveable or unknowable. Definately a statement of faith.

Answer 2

Can an ID'er not be a deist?

Are ID'ers simply a subset of deists?

A deist simply believes in god, no more, no less. Id'ers think god did it - in your own words that makes them deists. An ID'er could believe that god just started it, and doesn't have an active hand anymore - that too would be ID which by your def, makes them a deist. I'm not sure you understand the ID position too well.

I suppose some ID'ers could believe in aliens creating us, who do they think created the aliens? Or don't they say anything about this.

If you are an ID'er who believes in God, then you are by definition a Deist.

Answer 3

Isn't that kind of like the Great Green Arkelseizure theory? The universe got sneezed up by the Great Green Arkelseizure and you're waiting for the Handerkerchief to wipe your sins away. j/k.