Does anyone have info on Deism? I need to know the good and bad.?

Question

I have a close friend that claims he is a deist. I researched it, and to me this pseudo religion is a joke (no offense). Im trying to be understanding and learn about it, though Im a Christian.

I DID research it online. Im looking for real people with real answers. Most of the sites are outdated.

Answer 1

Have you told him about Christ and everything he's done in your life? Don't worry so much about his religion - only Jesus offers eternal life.

Answer 2

Most of the founding fathers were deists. They believed in a creator god and natural laws he used in creation. Man as God's special creation was gifted with the power of reason and logic . By this belief system one can use reason to understand the universe and "God's creation." Free Masons can also be considered Deists and have a similar belief system.

Basically a Deist is an athiest who beleives in a higher power. A deist uses reason instead of fear of Heaven and Hell to act morally.

As a school of thought Deism was popular among early scientist to incorporate spiritual views with reproducable accurances in the physical world. The idea of a natural law used in many scientific theories comes from Deist ideaology that God created underlying systems in the physical world.

Answer 3

Why would you think deism is a joke, is it because deists don't believe talking snakes, and talking donkeys. Or is it because they don't believe zombies climbed out of their graves and walked around. Or perhaps is it because they don't believe people could live in a whale for three days. Personally I am not a deist but I think it is kind of funny that a person who believes in christianity would call another religion a joke.

Answer 4

Hey, don't insult Washington and Jefferson's religion! They built this nation, and they were deists! Anyway, it's a religion that's just not that organized, I mean how are you going to really organize it? Let me give you a really quick explanation of deism. God created the universe, but abandoned it. Short and simple. What are you going to do, go to church and pray to a God that you think abandoned you? It's not so much a religion as a belief, why don't you talk to your friend about what he believes?

Answer 5

Do research on Wikipedia and other sites, but remember that the best way you can help your friend as a Christian is just to love him as Jesus would. People aren't going to care what we say about Jesus if they don't see His love in our lives. I've got several friends who aren't Christians but who have been asking a lot of questions not so much because they've found Christianity to be intellectually convincing but because they've seen changes in other Christians' lives that can't be explained away. Show your friend the love of Christ in all you do and say and let the Lord take care of it from there.

Answer 6

There is a lot of information on deism on the Internet. I'd google it. But the quick view about deism is that God exists. He created the universe & all life, then left us to fend for ourselves and has nothing to do with us anymore. It is a very sad view in my opinion, and I don't see where it offers much more hope than secular humanism. As for me, Jesus saved my life and I'm grateful today for all He has done and continues to do in me, through me, and for me.

Answer 7

You are a Christian and you can seriously use the term pseudo religion?

Answer 8

It isn't a religion in the same way as Christianity is. Deism is a sort of belief system. Deists can still believe in God and still even attend church.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

Historical and modern deism is defined by the view that reason and logic, rather than revelation or tradition, should be the basis of belief in God. Deists reject both organized and revealed religion and maintain that reason is the essential element in all knowledge. For a "rational basis for religion" they refer to the cosmological argument (first cause argument), the teleological argument (argument from design), and other aspects of what was called natural religion. Deism has also come to be identified with the classical belief that God created but does not intervene in the world, though this is not a necessary component of deism.

1. Belief in God based on a foundation of Reason, Experience and Nature (nature of the universe) rather than on the basis of holy texts and divine revelation. Essentially, through the use of Reason, God’s existence is revealed by the observation of the order and complexity found within nature and our personal experiences.
2. Belief that the nature of God is abstract and generally incomprehensible which puts it beyond definition for humanity at this time. Furthermore, human language is limited and inadequate to define God; however, man can use Reason to theorize and speculate on what this possible nature is.
3. Belief that man's relationship with God is transpersonal which transcends the personal/impersonal dichotomy. However, this does not create a feeling of a distant and cold deity but of one in which God has a profound and unfathomable relationship with all of creation (nature) rather than just one aspect of it.
4. Belief that humanity has the ability to use Reason to develop ethical/moral principles and through the application of Reason these principles can be used to implement moral behavior, which in turn creates a rational morality. Essentially, humans can be guided by reason and their conscience in matters of morality.
5. Belief that humans have the individual capability of experiencing God, which is defined as spirituality. These spiritual experiences are multi-faceted and can include awe, epiphany, fellowship and even the transcendental. Essentially, each human is capable of having a profound experience of God and nature.
6. Belief that God should be honored in a way that the individual believes is best and most appropriate for them. Individuals must determine for themselves how best to honor God and only they can develop how to accomplish this. For many, it is a multi-faceted and an individualized process.
7. Belief in the principle of Natural Law that states that all men and women are created equal to each other with inherent freedom and liberty so that no human has more worth than another. Essentially, each human is equal in terms of the freedoms that they have and in the eyes of the law.
8. Belief that mankind’s purpose is to use our God-given reason to understand what it means to be alive in every sense of the word (to live life to the fullest) and to act in such a way as to secure human happiness and contentment for everyone.
9. Belief that Reason and Respect are God-given traits to mankind and that we are to utilize them in all aspects of our daily lives thus creating a practical approach to life. This includes respecting other alternative views and opinions of God (other religions) as long as they do not produce harm and/or infringe upon others.

Answer 9

Try putting "deism" in a search engine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism