Deism is the foundation of all religion. All religion begins with Deism. On their web site, the World Union of Deists defines Deism thus: Deism is knowledge of God based on the application of our reason on the designs/laws found throughout Nature. The designs presuppose a Designer. Deism is therefore a natural religion and is not a "revealed" religion. 1) Most religions are ‘revealed’ religions. A revealed religion is based upon scripture. For instance, Islam is a ‘revealed’ religion because it’s based upon the Koran. Christianity is a ‘revealed’ religion because it’s based upon the ‘revealed Christ’ and the writings of the Gospels. On the other hand, Deism is not a ‘revealed’ religion, as it’s not based upon Scripture.
Some may be surprised that the Bible is not antagonistic to the concept of Deism as defined above. In Romans 1:20 we read, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse…” KJV. In this verse the Bible clearly defines Deism.
In Job 38 & 39 we read a beautiful passage on nature. This passage teaches us that nature illustrates the wisdom of God; that the ways of God are impossible for incarnate humanity to fully comprehend. This is a wonderful passage extolling the wisdom of the Deist philosophy.
God created humanity with an inborn knowledge of His existence. It is normal for a man to believe in God. It is abnormal for a man to be an atheist. For example, the Soviet Union attempted to wipe out belief in God. The Soviet authorities consistently sought to discredit God and the Church. For instance, when speaking about Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, Nikita Khrushchev said "Gagarin flew into space, but didn't see any god there." Atheism was systematically taught in the schools of the Soviet Union. Religious liberty was greatly inhibited in the Soviet Union. One would think that, once the Soviet Union dissolved, that the citizens would continue in their atheistic beliefs. However, that is not what happened. Religions of all sorts are thriving in the former Soviet Union. The reason for this is clear: atheism does not quench the spiritual thirst that is natural to humanity. Man naturally pursues after God. Atheism may be forced upon some, but when it’s forced upon a population, the people only go along with it outwardly. Inwardly they retain the desire to know God.
In his book Universal Spiritualism, W.J. Colville outlines the fact that the belief in God and in the immortality of the soul has always existed among mankind. In this book he demonstrates the belief in the Divine from Ancient Egypt to Modern Spiritualism. He also touches upon Atheism and the blind belief in “science without God”. On page 295 he wrote, “But if death, as the atheist contends, ‘ends all, then this life is little more than a tempest-tossed, tantalizing dream. If men rich in possibilities become, in dying, only dust and drifting gases, then hope, sympathy, aspiration for immortality, and all the soul’s transcendent attributes, are nothing but heartless, pitiless mockeries. This world is of very little importance unless there is another and a higher with equal opportunities and vastly better facilities for unfoldment; another world or worlds to look forward to in the future. “ (2)
It’s not surprising that the belief in the Divine is found among all humanity. The fact is, a belief in God does not begin with proof. Belief in God is a natural attribute of all spirits, for all spirits are the offspring of God. Paul declared in Acts 17:28, “For in him (God) we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring’. KJV.” If our nature is godlike (eternal), then how can we deny the source of our eternalness? We do not set out to find an unknown God, or to assure ourselves that God exists. Why? Because, these are things that we naturally are aware of.
Although belief is God is a natural attribute of the soul, there are some who will claim to not believe in God. They will say “Show me proof of God, and I will believe in Him.” Those who insist on proof that God exists are blind to the witness of nature, which clearly reveals the existence of a Creator. But, for the sake of argument, there are arguments extant for the existence of God.
There are three classical arguments for the existence of God. These arguments have been used by religious thinkers since ancient time. All three of these classical arguments are based upon Deism. The arguments are not based upon scripture, but are based upon nature. They are called:
A. The Cosmological Argument. The Cosmological Argument says that the existence of creatures requires the existence of a Creator. Nothing can’t produce something. Therefore, Something has always existed, and that Something is God. From God, all others things have sprang into existence. Some will say that God produced the universe out of nothing. Others tell us that God produced the universe out of His own being. The former statement is the most logical, and jives with Paul statement, “For in him (God) we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring’.” Acts 17:28. In other words, God is the Creator, but He didn’t produce the universe from nothing. He produced the universe from His own Being. This belief does not equate the creation to the Creator. What it teaches is this: we, as souls, are part and parcel of God, but we are not God. A drop of water from the ocean may contain qualities of the ocean, but that drop of water is certainly NOT the ocean. A spark from a bon fire may contain the qualities of the blazing fire, but the spark is certainly NOT the bon fire. The offspring of man and woman possesses the qualities of the parents, but the child is NOT equated with the parents. Thus, God created the universe from His own Being, but the universe is not God. God stands alone, apart from His creation.
B. The Teleological Argument. This Classical Argument says that God has left His mark on nature. The Laws of Nature point to a Law Giver. The Laws of Nature show order. From the wonderful process of conception and birth, to the cycle of the seasons, all of nature declares that God is the Mind behind the rhythms and patterns that we observe all around us.
C. The Anthropological Argument. The Anthropological Argument teaches that the existence of God is naturally known to man. In other words, as stated further above, man normally believes in God. Man’s conscience testifies to the existence of God. Conscience is defined by Merriam-Webster as, “the part of the mind that makes you aware of your actions as being either morally right or wrong.” (3) The human Conscience testifies to the existence of a Moral lawgiver. Apart from God's existence, man's conscience can’t be explained.
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[list="list-style-type: decimal; direction: ltr;"]
[*]http://deism.com/deism_defined.htm
[*][size=19]UNIVERSAL SPIRITUALISM by W.J. Colville. C. 1906 R.F. Fenno and Company. Reprinted January 1987 by Morris Pratt Institute of Wisconsin.[/size]
[*][size=19]http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conscience[/size]
[/list]
Some may be surprised that the Bible is not antagonistic to the concept of Deism as defined above. In Romans 1:20 we read, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse…” KJV. In this verse the Bible clearly defines Deism.
In Job 38 & 39 we read a beautiful passage on nature. This passage teaches us that nature illustrates the wisdom of God; that the ways of God are impossible for incarnate humanity to fully comprehend. This is a wonderful passage extolling the wisdom of the Deist philosophy.
God created humanity with an inborn knowledge of His existence. It is normal for a man to believe in God. It is abnormal for a man to be an atheist. For example, the Soviet Union attempted to wipe out belief in God. The Soviet authorities consistently sought to discredit God and the Church. For instance, when speaking about Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, Nikita Khrushchev said "Gagarin flew into space, but didn't see any god there." Atheism was systematically taught in the schools of the Soviet Union. Religious liberty was greatly inhibited in the Soviet Union. One would think that, once the Soviet Union dissolved, that the citizens would continue in their atheistic beliefs. However, that is not what happened. Religions of all sorts are thriving in the former Soviet Union. The reason for this is clear: atheism does not quench the spiritual thirst that is natural to humanity. Man naturally pursues after God. Atheism may be forced upon some, but when it’s forced upon a population, the people only go along with it outwardly. Inwardly they retain the desire to know God.
In his book Universal Spiritualism, W.J. Colville outlines the fact that the belief in God and in the immortality of the soul has always existed among mankind. In this book he demonstrates the belief in the Divine from Ancient Egypt to Modern Spiritualism. He also touches upon Atheism and the blind belief in “science without God”. On page 295 he wrote, “But if death, as the atheist contends, ‘ends all, then this life is little more than a tempest-tossed, tantalizing dream. If men rich in possibilities become, in dying, only dust and drifting gases, then hope, sympathy, aspiration for immortality, and all the soul’s transcendent attributes, are nothing but heartless, pitiless mockeries. This world is of very little importance unless there is another and a higher with equal opportunities and vastly better facilities for unfoldment; another world or worlds to look forward to in the future. “ (2)
It’s not surprising that the belief in the Divine is found among all humanity. The fact is, a belief in God does not begin with proof. Belief in God is a natural attribute of all spirits, for all spirits are the offspring of God. Paul declared in Acts 17:28, “For in him (God) we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring’. KJV.” If our nature is godlike (eternal), then how can we deny the source of our eternalness? We do not set out to find an unknown God, or to assure ourselves that God exists. Why? Because, these are things that we naturally are aware of.
Although belief is God is a natural attribute of the soul, there are some who will claim to not believe in God. They will say “Show me proof of God, and I will believe in Him.” Those who insist on proof that God exists are blind to the witness of nature, which clearly reveals the existence of a Creator. But, for the sake of argument, there are arguments extant for the existence of God.
Arguments for God's Existence
There are three classical arguments for the existence of God. These arguments have been used by religious thinkers since ancient time. All three of these classical arguments are based upon Deism. The arguments are not based upon scripture, but are based upon nature. They are called:
a) the Cosmological argument.
b) the Teleological argument.
c) the Anthropological argument.
A. The Cosmological Argument. The Cosmological Argument says that the existence of creatures requires the existence of a Creator. Nothing can’t produce something. Therefore, Something has always existed, and that Something is God. From God, all others things have sprang into existence. Some will say that God produced the universe out of nothing. Others tell us that God produced the universe out of His own being. The former statement is the most logical, and jives with Paul statement, “For in him (God) we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring’.” Acts 17:28. In other words, God is the Creator, but He didn’t produce the universe from nothing. He produced the universe from His own Being. This belief does not equate the creation to the Creator. What it teaches is this: we, as souls, are part and parcel of God, but we are not God. A drop of water from the ocean may contain qualities of the ocean, but that drop of water is certainly NOT the ocean. A spark from a bon fire may contain the qualities of the blazing fire, but the spark is certainly NOT the bon fire. The offspring of man and woman possesses the qualities of the parents, but the child is NOT equated with the parents. Thus, God created the universe from His own Being, but the universe is not God. God stands alone, apart from His creation.
B. The Teleological Argument. This Classical Argument says that God has left His mark on nature. The Laws of Nature point to a Law Giver. The Laws of Nature show order. From the wonderful process of conception and birth, to the cycle of the seasons, all of nature declares that God is the Mind behind the rhythms and patterns that we observe all around us.
C. The Anthropological Argument. The Anthropological Argument teaches that the existence of God is naturally known to man. In other words, as stated further above, man normally believes in God. Man’s conscience testifies to the existence of God. Conscience is defined by Merriam-Webster as, “the part of the mind that makes you aware of your actions as being either morally right or wrong.” (3) The human Conscience testifies to the existence of a Moral lawgiver. Apart from God's existence, man's conscience can’t be explained.
___________________________________________________________________
[list="list-style-type: decimal; direction: ltr;"]
[*]http://deism.com/deism_defined.htm
[*][size=19]UNIVERSAL SPIRITUALISM by W.J. Colville. C. 1906 R.F. Fenno and Company. Reprinted January 1987 by Morris Pratt Institute of Wisconsin.[/size]
[*][size=19]http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conscience[/size]
[/list]
