My cyberfriend Mike responded on Facebook to my Psalm 53 prayer which I began:
You are God and there is no other.. only a fool questions your existence.. those who love the darkness reject your light.. rescue them from their folly Lord.Mike good-naturedly responded with this:
That explains my foolishness and great love of darkness. :-PFor some reason this exchange got me thinking about Desim. Here are a few bullets from the wiki on Deism:
- Deism is a religious and philosophical belief that a supreme god created the universe, and that this and other religious truth can be determined using reason and observation of the natural world alone, without the need for faith.
- Deists generally reject the notion of divine interventions in human affairs - such as by miracles and revelations.
- The belief that reason, not faith, leads us to certain basic religious truths – this was the positive or constructive aspect of deism.
While I am not a Deist, I do think that it is somewhat logical to embrace a divine Creator. The complexities and order of creation seems to point to a divine Designer. When I think about my 30 years in software design I can relate to a heavenly programmer that designed this universal operating system. It is not a stretch for me to embrace a God who brought order from chaos.. something from nothing.. just like a system programmer.
Of course I think that reason will get a person just so far. There are many unanswered questions.. in the book of Hebrews the author says that by faith we understand that God created the world.. for me that says it all.. nobody can argue one into believing.. faith is a heart thing.. not a head thing.. and I am not sure of what the purpose of embracing a divine operating system would be anyway.
What do you think? I think most people are Deists of some sort. Do you know any?
I know several deists. While I am not a deist, I do not think a creator impossible, though I certainly don't accept the young earth creationist ideas.
ReplyDeleteIf there is or was a prime mover, a first cause, I'm pretty sure it was drunk when it created certain things. ;-)
Bob,
ReplyDeleteThanks for having the courage and good sense to post the Truth about the God of the Bible.
Keep up the good faithful work. God will surely reward you!
Tom Schuckman
tschuckman@aol.com
Jesus is Lord.
Vietnam Vet: 68-70
Wisconsin.
Here's a couple of my thoughts on the subject...
ReplyDelete1. Religious truth can be determined using reason and observation "alone" is problematic because this assumes nothing else is needed and reason is more trustworthy than various other ways of knowing which is undefendable unless one starts with the unprovable premise and "faith" that this is true. Just drop the assertion that "reason is king" and were in business.
2. Regarding Miracles...I am empathetic to Deist's skepticism of miracles but not only do I think Deists have thrown the baby out with the bath water but how can they assert with any certainity that God can or cannot do miracles...
"how can they assert with any certainity that God can or cannot do miracles"
ReplyDeleteI don't believe they do. I think the position is that he does not do miracles, not that he cannot.
Heli gunner Tom,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your service to our country. :-)
Mike...Thanks for the qualification regarding that God does not do miracles...I assumed people believed God doesn't do miracles "because" they believe we live in a closed universe where God is restricted to his own laws of nature...
ReplyDeleteYou gentlemen all have such deep minds and ideas, and I love to read them. I've been married to a preacher for 48 years and he loves these types of discussions and debates... As far as me...
ReplyDeleteGod Said it, I believe it, That settles it!!
I know I'm a simple woman, but I know who the truth IS, and I have faith in HIM.
LOL:Wanda
I guess I'm a deist. I believe in a Creator. I do not believe that the Creator has predestined our lives or intervenes in our lives (miracles).
ReplyDeleteEarly man's religious beliefs were limited to faith because he had no understanding of the physical world and its evolution. Early man interpreted his observations of nature as the acts of an intolerant and vengeful God. As man's understanding of the physical world increased his concept of God has changed and He is seen as forgiving and loving.
There is much about the universe that man still does not know and likely will never know but I think that what we now know is very strong evidence of a Creator.