Deist vs Theist

Not sure how you arrived at that from what I said.

I have sought and found God. I just did not find God in the Bible or from a preacher.

 

Any study in Deism should began with Thomas Paine "Age of Reason" he was the founder of Deism....Thomas Jefferson disliked the NT so much that he cut pasted it. Jefferson did not believe in the miracles this concocted god man of christianity performed. As far as that goes you strip away the miracles (so called) your left with nothing. You can find Jefferson's version online simply by typing in Jefferson Bible or you can find it in most bookstores for those that are interested.

 

Well, who is the "God"?

 

itself (nature)

You live within the alpha/omega. Each breath is hers, each step, upon her back. Give of self to support life to continue and live forever in the heavens of 'the garden'.

cause a loss to the common

and eventually be extinct

over her time (judgment)

 

I have no interest in telling others who God is... it is a matter of faith and my belief in God is not based upon others agreeing or disagreeing with me.

I say beware of those who claim to have God all figured out.

 

So let me get this straight, you may have found this "God", but He's not good enough to share with anyone? You would probably show people, a new show, new car, or something new and exciting but this "God", isn't good enough to share? Some God....

 

Religious doctrines are not interested in truth. They feast of faith.

Most desists are still stuck with a view of a creator being the one mentioned in their former religions. Theists? Stuck on what is supernatural.

 

Your source??

 

you!

i post scripture, constantly

it aint scripture that is important to you. It is your beliefs that your hold, not good, not jesus, not god, not the love of others. It is the sole observance of your religious belief that not only myself, but others that can see that is priority to you.

 

I never said that. Nice assumption though.

Honestly, where do you come up with this nonsense?

I have shared God with more people than I could ever recall. For example for 5 years I brought faith into a State Prison as a civilian facilitator 2 days a week. But who cares? How we each find God is personal, and how we spread His word is also personal.

You Christians hold no monopoly on God by the way. 2.2 billion Christians and 7 billion people on Earth means that Christianity represents 31% of humanity while 69% of humanity are of other faiths or are non believers.

 

well, then share......

- - - Updated - - -

well, then share......

 

I wouldn't say that you'd have to have faith in man before you have faith in God. The world is a really scary place if you don't have faith in your own species though...

I have a basic understanding of Deism but if you could explain the Deist take on this particular issue. In general I view Deists in a similar way to Agnostics.

 

Source? Religious doctrine is based on a belief system. Hello?

 

As a deist I I do not follow any religious dogma, I reject religious texts, buildings, idols, symbols... etc. Exactly how I found God is deeply personal and I will not discuss it on the net. But I will say that God gave me a brain and He expects me to use it. I have never needed a Church, religious adviser, or a religious text to tell me good from bad and right from wrong. Faith and prayer is worth more than all the religious texts on Earth combined.

There is no fast and hard rule to being a deist. For me its simply rely upon and follow the will of God. I don't need any verbose books to tell me how to do that. Its not rocket science! I pray, I listen, I do. I have faith. What makes a Christian Christian? The Bible? The Church? A Crucifix? Stick a Christian out in the middle of nowhere with no Bible, no Church within 100 miles around, no Crucifix... take away all the things that identify them as a Christian... are they still a Christian? Of course... because you can never take away a persons faith in God.

IMO faith in God is all that matters, everything else is incidental.

 

I thank you for sharing. I'm a little different than most "christians", I wont dog your beliefs, but I'll usually question people to see where their their beliefs stand. I may not agree with your beliefs, but if they're thought out, I will respect them in that I will not, condemn them, but I'll usually question them. Do you mind if I question you further? If you're not comfortable on an open forum, we can always P.M. the exchange.

 

I was asking for the source of data that has been collected concerning the conclusion of the statements that "diests are still stuck in the mindset of their former religions", & "theist are stuck in supernatural". I would also ask that you qualify what you mean by the latter comment.

 

All religious texts being written by man means one has to first put their faith in men before they can put their faith in a God.

What I'm saying above is that because religious texts are written by man anyone who reads them or learns of God from them MUST put their faith in the people who wrote them. No matter what is written about God it was written by man. They can say they had an experience, they can say that they literally spoke with God but no matter what they say you have to have faith in them that they are telling the truth. Unless you have directly spoken to God everything you KNOW of him came from man.


Would a deists take on things not be wiser than that of a theists?

An agnostic is someone who says that the question of Gods existance is something unknowable whereas a deist says God does exists but the who, what, when, where, why are unknowable. In other words deists do not do not accept the teachings of man in regards to Gods existance.

 

Anyone needing a definition of Deism you got it with the above.

Of The Religion of Deism Compared With
the Christian Religion

by Thomas Paine

http://deism.com/paine_essay_deism_christianity.htm

Since Paine is considered the Father of Deism all you that are questioning it should start by reading Paine's "Age of Reason."

 

As I've said before, a person would come to God through "general revelation" (nature), and then be led to some sort of special revelation be it some religion or otherwise, and that would lead to theism.

So to answer your question NO, a diest position would be less wise, because he acknowledges a God, that is incapable of communicating with him, whereas a theist would receive the special revelation, and would adhere to a God that could communicate with him.
The diest looks around and says "yep theres a God and nope, He is incapable of communicating with me". The diest has a very low view of God. If his God can't communicate with him, then why does he think his God created all he sees?

 

Sure, I am game. I appreciate your tact, wish more people were like you. You and I may be alike in a key way... I like to question and try to understand... doing so enriches me.

 

This does nothing to change the question or damage the validity of it. General revelation does not tell you anything about God other than (if you accept it) that a God exists. The faith that God exists is completely separate from the faith that THIS God exists; once you get to that distinction you are putting your faith in men.

There is nothing wise in accepting what other people have to say about the unknowable. Unless God is directly communicating with you about who he/she/it is in a LITERAL sense (which then excludes the possibility of your bias creating fictions) you are putting your faith in men in regards to their knowledge of God

The deist looks around and says I'm trying to communicate with God but no matter what I do I get no response. The deist look around and says praying to God actually has no effect on the outcome of any situation. The deist looks around and says because there is no way to communicate with God there is no way to communicate with God.

There is nothing wise about rejecting reason for countless theories from countless people who have received special revelations most in complete odds with the others and none of them producing anything worthy of considering them valid beyond vagaries, subpar philosophies, and immoral doctrines.

Tell me how do you know which special revelation of all the thousands of special revelations is the correct one and why do soooo many others have it wrong?

You will answer this last part completely ignorant of the fact that any answer you give will validate by necessity that you put your faith in men and then God. Or if you like God - Men - Your God.

The deist simply stops before they take it to a place of absurdity.

 

Ben Franklin once said:

I looked around for God's graces and saw none.

The Creation speaketh a universal language, independently of human speech or human language, multiplied and various as they may be. It is an ever-existing original, which every man can read. It cannot be forged; it cannot be counterfeited; it cannot be lost; it cannot be altered; it cannot be suppressed. It does not depend upon the will of man whether it shall be published or not; it publishes itself from one end of the earth to the other. It preaches to all nations and to all worlds; and this word of God reveals to man all that is necessary for man to know of God." -

Thomas Paine

 

[MENTION=39375]elijah[/MENTION]: data? What are you talking about? Conclusions are formed all the time without data. Data? Deists believe in a being or force that comes out of beliefs of humankind through the ages.. Theists believe in a supernatural being.

 

OK, I see. So its opinion. Thats fine I have opinions as well. I try to state them as such, and not state them as though they would appear as facts, but I see where you're coming from now. Thanks!

 

I don't see it that way. To me its absurd to think that a God who created people to communicate with each other, would simply choose not to communicate with them or can't communicate with them.

Answer a question for me please. Can the Deist God communicate with His creation? Yes or No.