Existentialism....?

Question

is it a friend or foe to deism? Can there be a deistic approach? Or is it stuck to the confines of atheism and christianity?

Answer 1

Read Martin Buber. Yes there is Religious Existentialism

Answer 2

The only thing that existentialism confines itself to is the discussion of what it means to be human. Because existentialists reject an inherent meaning in life, they can find themselves in any religious context, but always in dialogue with the traditionalists who believe meaning is handed down through the faith. Kierkegaard remained a Christian his entire life, while Nietzsche was an atheist. Anything flexible enough to embrace those two paths can find ways to incorporate other faith or demi-faith traditions, including deism.

Answer 3

Though I am not an expert in philosophy, it doesn't seem that deism and existentialism are necessarily contradictory. As to your second question, the Jewish thinker Martin Buber is associated with existentialism.

Answer 4

Both...
Soren Kierkegaard took a Christian perspective.

Modern day philosophers are overwhelmingly secular in their existentialism: Neitzsche, Camus, Sartre.

I believe that many concepts of Existentialism work well with Christianity, but be careful of the secular viewpoint.

Blessings,

Answer 5

"This they found in the writings of the nineteenth century Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). His philosophy, which eventually became known as existentialism, ostensibly dealt with the problems human existence. He taught that human existence cannot be rationalized. Therefore God, being inextricably linked with our existence, cannot be rationalized by an objective system of rational truths."

Answer 6

Fish

Answer 7

There are Christian Existentialist. We bring our faith into our understanding of life. God is the God of the present. To live each moment in the presence of God brings a deeper dimension to our living.

Answer 8

I don't see how it would exclude Deism. Can't say I have ever read anyone who was, but they aren't exclusionary.

Answer 9

Always was, always will be. Only the first source and center fills the bill.

Answer 10

The Purpose of Life
By Loren M. Chamberlain


The Bible is made up of sixty-six books explaining the whole “Purpose of Life.” It is a sad thing to say, but most people on earth have no idea of the awesome reason why they are here, much less the purpose of it all, even after reading the Bible.

Present estimates put the number of galaxies in the known universe at over ten thousand million, million, million individual stars or “suns.” And this is probably underestimated. Why did God design such an immense universe? And why did God create such an innumerable number of stars? For no purpose, for some purpose, for an astounding purpose?



The Purpose of Human Life

In the Beginning, God created the animals “After their Kind,” “God made the wild animals according to their kinds” (Genesis 1:25). God created man after “His own Kind,” after the “God Kind.” Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). And again it is stated, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). The phrase “after its kind” is never applied to “man.” The reason is because the primary purpose of human life is not to physically reproduce after the human kind, but to be spiritually reproduced after the “God Kind.”

God the Father and Jesus Christ are reproducing themselves. They are enlarging their God family. They are begetting sons and daughters, “Real” sons and daughters. Literal members of the God family, that’s the purpose of human life. That’s the purpose for this earth and for that matter the entire Universe! The apostle Paul stated, “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name” (Ephesians 3:14).


The Entire Universe

What could bring us to the point of believing such an awesome possibility of the Universe being used in God’s overall plan to create new members of the God family? And how could we possibly base this postulation on the Bible, could it be logic and common sense?

Everything God the Father does is for a purpose. “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace…But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40). “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God is not a wasteful God. He created the entire Universe and it would be out of character for Him not to use it. We must remember, God knows every star by its own individual name. “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name” (Psalm 147:4). This is truly amazing when we realize how many stars there are. In the Book of Revelation, chapters 21 and 22, God really does kindle our curiosities and imaginations. With this briefest of information He whets our appetites.

In the “new heaven” and “new earth,” those who have qualified and who will by then have been changed into the God kind, will still be living on this earth. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:1-2). Also in verse 24, it is stated, “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.” But with all this said we must understand that God also reveals, “Man will not be forever limited to the earth. “You [God] have put all things [and “all things” means all things!] in subjection under his [man’s] feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him” (Hebrews 2:8).

What are “all things”? God tells us in the book of Hebrews 1:10 (quoting Psalm 102:25): “…In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” “The heavens—the entire universe—is” “all things.” And “all things” will eventually be put under man’s subjection and control. Man is destined to assist God in administering the whole universe.

What will we (“the saints” in Biblical language) do with the universe? As an initial project, we under the Father’s and Christ’s direct and personal authority, of course, will “restore all things” (Acts 3:21), the whole universe to its originally created orderly arrangement. “I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people’” (Isaiah 51:16). In the future, after the universe is put back into order, the God family will begin implementing the next stage in the Father’s overall plan. We can only guess at just what that will be because God does not reveal what we do not yet need to know. However, there are certain concepts that establish and set the main purpose and fundamental character of the Kingdom of God.


The Increase of His Government

The greatest goal God can set His will to achieve is the reproduction of “Himself,” the creation of new sons and daughters in His God family. God is working toward this goal on earth at this time. That is the great purpose being worked out here below. There is no greater work. God the Father will literally beget billions of sons and daughters on this earth. “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18). It is entirely possible that the Father will continue to beget children even after His 7,000-year plan for earth has been completed. God the Father by begetting children expresses and manifests the very highest form of spiritual love—giving, sharing, selflessness, outgoing concern. Creating new God-plane Beings is the supreme act of selfless, outgoing love.

It is difficult for human beings to imagine an eternally increasing number of members in the God family. It is also impossible for us to comprehend eternity. Even though we can’t comprehend an eternally increasing number of children in the God family, we must understand that we are still faced with an eternity of time. The Scriptures seem to indicate there will be no end to the increase of God’s family. “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7). What this verse emphasizes is the increase of God’s government shall have no end. The key word is increase—the family of God forever increasing in number, area, power, responsibility, creativity, happiness, excitement, and fullness of life.

Is it possible, then, that this is what the enormity of this universe is for; territory, or growing room for the continually expanding family of God?


An Occupied Universe

No matter how large the family of God becomes, we needn’t worry about the Universe being over crowded. It is possible the known Universe is infinite in size.
If it is not, we can be sure there is nothing too hard for the Lord and there is nothing impossible for God. He could, if He desired, stretch out the heavens even more and create even more stars. Jesus looked at them and said, “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). God and His family are spiritual. Therefore all physical reality becomes inconsequential. Remember, all physical reality is temporary. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).


We realize from the verse we just read that physical reality is patterned after, and perhaps even formed from the much more real spiritual reality. We do not have to limit God’s overall spiritual plan by the confines and limitations of His own physical creation as comprehended by our finite human minds. “Now we see but a poor reflection; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Psalm eighty nine alludes to the unending plan of God to increase His family throughout the Universe: “I will sing of the love of the Lord forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself. You said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, “I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations”’ The heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones” (Psalm 89:1-5).

We must take special note of the following words and phrases: “forever” and “to all generations” in verse 1; “stand firm forever” and “in heaven itself” in verse 2; “establish your line forever” and “through all generations” verse 4; and “the heavens” and “the assembly of the holy ones” in verse 5.

“The assembly of the holy ones,” spoken of here are the converted human beings who will have been born into God’s family. The assembly or the congregation of the saints (God’s family) is mentioned as “continuously increasing” and forever (eternity). In other words, a continuous, unending process of forever building up, and this could well be the magnificent future of God’s family. God’s government is never ending and is characterized by Peace! i