POSITIVE DEISM: A NEW FORM OF DEISM?

Currently it seems that most Deists consider Thomas Paine's 'Age of Reason' to be the definitive book on Deism. There is no question that Paine's book was radical for it's day, and still provides inspiration for Deists today. However, Paine's book actually spends very little time discussing Deism directly. In fact a great deal of the book is primarily a negative attack against Christianity and false “revealed religions”.

There are some members of the Positive Deism discussion groups that feel that Positive Deism is more than just a name for the board. They feel that Positive Deism is in fact a new form of Deism for the 21^st century. They feel that the guidelines that we have for the discussion board should actually be developed as new form of Deism, and embraced as a personal philosophy among Deists.

Basic Tenets of Positive Deism:

So what would the basic tenets of a Positive Deism philosophy be? Here are a few thoughts....

1. Positive Deists accept the traditional Deist belief in God based on reason, nature and life experience.

2. Positive Deists respect other people's right to believe in whatever religion they choose, as long as those beliefs aren't causing harm or violating the rights of others.

3. Positive Deists do not show disrespect to others by unnecessarily attacking their faith.

4. Positive Deists seek to win others to Deism by personal example. They wish for others to see that Deists and Deist beliefs are good, natural, logical, moral, and that Deism is a worthy theology. They want others to look at Deists and see something worth having.

5. Positive Deists believe that Positive Deism should be fully developed as a stand-alone theology/philosophy. They believe that when non-deists begin to seek another form of theology, they should have a concrete and fully developed theology to present to them.

Summary: Positive Deism as a personal philosophy seeks to positively establish itself as a worthy theology able to stand on it's own without having to resort to negative attacks on others religious beliefs.

Official Stance of the Discussion Boards:

At this time the moderators of the 'Positive Deism Discussion Groups' wish to remain neutral regarding the concept of Positive Deism as a personal philosophy. Deism is about freethought, and the moderators of this group want to encourage all Deists to think for themselves and decide on their own what is the right path for them. If some of our members determine to embrace Positive Deism as a personal philosophy, then that's fine. If others choose to embrace a more traditional form of Deism, that's fine as well.

The overriding philosophy should be that all men be free to think, choose, and decide for themselves. These discussion groups will respect peoples rights to their religious beliefs no matter what they decide.