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I currently consider myself a Deist, but feel myself slowly moving towards Atheism. Wondering if others went through a similar "evolution" or if it was a more direct process for them?
For me deism was a stop on the train from uber-religious theist to atheist. I'm not sure how long I considered myself a deist. Not long. Didn't make any more sense than any other religion to me.
I currently consider myself a Deist, but feel myself slowly moving towards Atheism. Wondering if others went through a similar "evolution" or if it was a more direct process for them?
I never believed it. I read a lot when I was a child and when the teacher was reading the Bible in school growing up I just thought this was "story time". I was around 11 or 12 before it hit me "Hang on... some people think there actually IS a god?" and my mouth likely dropped open in shock. Metaphorically it has not closed since.
I have literally not been shown a single argument, evidence, data or reason.... ever..... to lend even a modicum of credence to the idea that a non human intelligence exists and is responsible for the creation and/or subsequent maintenance of our universe (which is what I understand deism to be and most theism to be based on).
So have I "Considered Deism Seriously"? Very much so. It is an interesting topic.
Have I "Seriously considered Deism"? Not in the slightest. I have not been given a single reason to.
I never believed it. I read a lot when I was a child and when the teacher was reading the Bible in school growing up I just thought this was "story time". I was around 11 or 12 before it hit me "Hang on... some people think there actually IS a god?" and my mouth likely dropped open in shock. Metaphorically it has not closed since.
I have literally not been shown a single argument, evidence, data or reason.... ever..... to lend even a modicum of credence to the idea that a non human intelligence exists and is responsible for the creation and/or subsequent maintenance of our universe (which is what I understand deism to be and most theism to be based on).
So have I "Considered Deism Seriously"? Very much so. It is an interesting topic.
Have I "Seriously considered Deism"? Not in the slightest. I have not been given a single reason to.
I thought there was a God for awhile, but I did have a similar experience upon discovering that some people believe others are somehow rebellious for not believing in their invisible friend/friends. I also felt another shock upon discovering most people believed it was morally righteous for most people to be punished for not believing in their particular variant of invisible friend/friends...and not only that, that some were willing to imagine things that their invisible friend/friends want them to do, most of which are subject to multiple possible meanings...and go with the possible meaning that is likely to be largely damaging in the likely case that they have mistranslated the meaning...that a prior translator who wrote the holy text has mistranslated the meaning...or that there was no invisible being to begin with. I've never understood to rationale for blowing yourself to blow others up for such a reason...particularly when most people who follow your particular variant of invisible friend disagree...even if someone tells you you'll get virgins for it.
I currently consider myself a Deist, but feel myself slowly moving towards Atheism. Wondering if others went through a similar "evolution" or if it was a more direct process for them?
In my Questioning teens, I looked at the idea (or reasoned my way to) of Deism (though I didn't know that was what it was called) when I reasoned that no one religion looked right and that any god had to be the god of all religions or none.
Thus the personal anthropomorphic gods were man-made and 'god' was more intelligent (and creative) nature. That was as close as I came to deism and becoming a buddhist was as close I came to Mystic's personal communion with Deistgod.
I have not changed my views on that other than to accept that there are other possible and (to me) increasingly likely no-goddist explanations for cosmic origins, the start of life and the results of meditation and the mystical experience.
Having rejected personal gods as man - made and relegated deism to a theory which actually doesn't seem to me to have a lot going for it other than gaps in our knowledge, I cannot logically believe in Deistgod as fact and have to be, therefore softly atheist about it.
About the Man - made gods and their religions, I am strongly atheist.
P.s You are right Nozz. I have indeed "Considered Deism Seriously", but no, not "Seriously considered Deism"?
Last edited by TRANSPONDER; 03-05-2012 at 08:58 AM..
I haven't because I never had a god concept to begin with, I simply understood early on that what I felt I knew to be true was atheism.
If people believe that a god-figure/thing created the universe and that's the end of it, I can see that. What I can't see is this personal relationship thing, with every little move in a person's life being from or related to their god belief (and how they can't get around bad things happening to good people, and how they seem to twist themselves around and around the issue of suffering- not only from human stupidity and cruelty, but from natural disasters and so on).
As I say to believers, "I have no idea how all this got started, but your answer doesn't make any more sense."
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