Deist Document

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Positive Deism Store We have a paperback version of Modern Age of Reason available for purchase at our Positive Deism Store HERE. From the back cover: "Thomas Paine, who was one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, held to a religious philosophy called 'Deism'. 'Age of Reason' was the book he wrote to share his reason-based theological beliefs with the world. The book was written in the 18th century, so we have paraphrased Mr. Paine's classic work into modern English in order to make it more accessible to modern-day readers." Purchase of this paperback, and other items in the store, will help support the Positive Deism website.

Contents

You Might Be A Deist!
Things That Deists Believe
Frequently Asked Questions About Deism
Deism According to Thomas Paine
What Deism Does For Me
Why Deists can't Accept Revealed Religions

Notes: The words "He", "Himself", and "God" are a matter of conventional language and do not refer to the Judeo-Christian deity nor do they indicate that the Creator is male or has a gender. An expanded version of this document is available at http://www.positivedeism.com/deistdoc.html . The expanded version contains more FAQ questions, and a lengthy section of additional quotes from Paine's Age of Reason.

Do you believe in God? Do you find your current religion to be dissatisfying? Do you find yourself questioning the validity of the claims that your current religion makes? There is a good chance that you are actually a Deist, but just don't know it yet.

You Might Be A Deist! by Jay Boswell

Are you a Deist? You might be if:

You believe in God but are not accepting of the authoritarian creeds of any particular religion.
You believe that God's word is the universe (nature), not human-written holy books.
You like to reason or speculate what God might be like rather than be taught about it.
You think that religious ideas should reconcile with and not contradict science.
You believe God can be best found outside rather than inside a church building.
You enjoy the freedom of seeking spirituality on your own.
You are morally guided by ethics and conscience rather than by scriptures.
You are an individual thinker whose religious beliefs are not formed from tradition or authority.
You like to call yourself rational or spiritual before you call yourself religious.
You believe that religion and government (church and state) should be separate.

Many people who find Deism say the same thing, "I couldn't believe that there is actually a name for what I really believe!".
Although Thomas Paine did not "discover" Deism, many modern Deists consider him to be the Great Promoter of Deism. Back in the 18th century, Paine wrote a book entitled "Age of Reason". In this book he simply stated his own religious beliefs, and he showed many examples of why Christianity couldn't be the "real" religion. Instead, he showed why the natural religion of Deism makes much more sense.

In 'Age of Reason' Mr. Paine says that nature is the true, unchanging "Word of God". He says that God reveals himself through science and natural laws.

Deists do not believe in "Revealed Religions". These would be religions where God supposedly spoke to a few select individuals, and then relied on them to accurately write down what he told them in "Holy Books". Deists don't deny that someone might possibly have a direct revelation from God. However, that sort of revelation would be a revelation to THAT PERSON only. If that person then tells us that he had a divine revelation, for us that would be second-hand revelation, and we are not obliged to believe it. We refer to second-hand revelation as "hear-say". (Back to top)

Things That Deists Believe based on a post by Richard Albin

Although Deists don't have an official set of tenets, there are a few beliefs that most Deists agree on. Here is a list of seven unofficial basic Deist beliefs:

Belief in an intelligent designer of the universe.
Belief that the intelligent designer is "outside" the universe, and not part of the universe (as in pantheism). [Editor's note: This is the view of "Classical" Deism. Some modern Deists have a different view.]
Belief that after the Deity created the universe, He stepped away from it to allow it to evolve naturally based on the laws of physics which He created without any need for His further intervention.
Belief that the Deity does not perform "miracles" which defy the laws of physics, or intervene in a supernatural way in the affairs of mankind.
Belief that the Deity does not reveal Himself to mankind through priests or other "enlightened" individuals, but rather through the workings of nature.
Belief that the Deity imposes no pre-ordained, or divinely inspired moral code of behavior on mankind, but rather expects man to develop his own codes of conduct for living in harmony with his fellow man based on his God-given Reason.
Although there is no scientific evidence for an afterlife, most Deists do have a "hope" for an afterlife.

The above list is not intended to be a dogmatic set of rules that Deists MUST believe. In fact, Deists regularly discuss, debate and modify various aspects of the above items all the time. That's a good thing about Deism. It doesn't tell you what you MUST believe. However, if you are a Deist, then you are probably in agreement with most of the items listed above. (Back to top)

Frequently Asked Questions About Deism taken from an FAQ written by Jay Boswell

What is Deism?
Why do Deists believe in God?
If a Deist thinks that God is inactive, why does he/she continue believing in God?
If a Deist believes in a Creator, why does he/she also believe in evolution?
Where do Deists get their morals?
How can a Deist establish a good model for living from a survival-of-the-fittest nature?
How can a Deist find comfort and fulfillment with a rational and limited view of God?
Do Deists believe in fate or free will?
What is the history of Deism?
What are the positives of Deism? Why are people trying to make it popular?
Do Deists have any creeds or rituals?
Do Deists pray or worship?
What do Deists find inspiring?
What do Deists believe happens when one dies?
Why do Deists feel the need to spread the word? Isn't that just more unwanted evangelism?

1. What is Deism?
Deism is a belief in God as Creator of the universe who set it in motion to run by natural processes and is based on the observation of orderly nature and human reason rather than on holy books.

Galileo Galilei said, "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason, and intellect has intended us to forego their use, giving us by some other means the knowledge that we could gain through them."
Blaise Pascal said, "We are usually convinced more easily by reasons we have found ourselves than by those which have occurred to others." (back to FAQ contents)

2. Why do Deists believe in God?
Deists most frequently mention that they instinctively consider nature's order and complexity to be some evidence for God's existence, and/or it satisfies their reasoning that the universe has a creator.

George Berkeley said, "God seems to choose the convincing our reason of His attributes by the works of nature, which discover so much harmony and contrivance in their make, and are such plain indications of wisdom and beneficence in their Author, rather than to astonish us into a belief of His Being by anomalous and surprising events."
William Paley said, "Every indication of contrivance, every manifestation of design, which existed in the watch, exists in the works of nature; with the difference, on the side of nature, of being greater or more, and that in a degree which exceeds all computation." (back to FAQ contents)

3. If a Deist thinks that God is inactive, why does he/she continue believing in God?
A Deist might wish to be at peace and reverence the provider of life, to feel humble at the universe's vast size and powerfulness, to keep the search alive for life's ultimate meaning or source, to seek a higher spiritual power, to find a common bond between him/herself and other living things, or to hope for a final justice or afterlife.

Albert Einstein said, "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, "Nature! We are surrounded and embraced by her: powerless to separate ourselves from her, and powerless to penetrate beyond her. Without asking, or warning, she snatches us up into her circling dance, and whirls us on until we are tired, and drop from her arms." (back to FAQ contents)

4. If a Deist believes in a Creator, why does he/she also believe in evolution?
Evolution is accepted as the natural processes that drive nature's and life's changes after the creating or design input that went into the Big Bang.

Thomas Huxley said, "Science sees the order which pervades the seeming disorder of the world; the great drama of evolution, with its full share of pity and terror, but also with abundant goodness and beauty." (back to FAQ contents)

5. Where do Deists get their morals?
Many Deists see in nature that positive actions have positive results and negative actions have negative results (cause and effect), or that their God-given reason and developed conscience helps them aspire to the best of human ethics. If you want something more specific, see a list of suggested values.

Thomas Paine said, "I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy."
Abraham Lincoln said, "When I do good I feel good; when I do bad I feel bad; and that's my religion."
Henry David Thoreau said, "Be not simply good, be good for something." (back to FAQ contents)

6. How can a Deist establish a good model for living from a survival-of-the-fittest nature?
A Deist can develop survival into a long-term human cooperation and interdependence ideal rather than a short-term conquer the weakest attitude.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus said, "We are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth. To act against one another then is contrary to nature."
Albert Schweitzer said, "The deeper we look into nature the more we recognize that it is full of life, and the more profoundly we know that all life is a secret, and we are all united to all this life." (back to FAQ contents)

7. How can a Deist find comfort and fulfillment with a rational and limited view of God?
A Deist can achieve these by having the freedom from authority to seek personal spirituality, by believing that we have been given everything we need to survive and no further supernatural controlling is necessary, and by allowing Deism to have room for a God that knows and loves its creation.

Thomas Crum said, "What would it be like if you lived each day, each breath, as a work of art in progress? Imagine that you are a masterpiece unfolding, every second of every day, a work of art taking form with every breath."
Freeman Dyson said, "I do not feel like an alien in this universe. The more I examine the universe and study the details of its architecture, the more evidence I find that the universe, in some sense, must have known we were coming." (back to FAQ contents)

8. Do Deists believe in fate or free will?
They believe strongly in human free will, but for the events outside of human control including things like the time period of a particular life's existence, many believe that they are random ever since the original creation, while some believe God still maintains an orderly universe and determines these.

Reinhold Niebuhr said, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
Paul Davies said, "Through conscious beings the universe has generated self-awareness. This can be no trivial detail, no minor byproduct of mindless, purposeless forces. We are truly meant to be here." (back to FAQ contents)

9. What is the history of Deism?
Beginning with ancient Greek roots in Aristotle's First Cause philosophy, rational religious philosophy gained recognition as an alternative to traditional religions. Deism flourished during the periods of the Renaissance with support from Italian and English scientists such as Galileo and Newton, the Enlightenment from English and French writers such as Hume and Voltaire, the American Revolution with support from Founding Fathers such as Jefferson and Franklin, and in the modern age through scientists such as Einstein, but most consider Thomas Paine's The Age Of Reason as the definitive Deistic writing.

Thomas Paine said, "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." (back to FAQ contents)

10. What are the positives of Deism? Why are people trying to make it popular?
Deism allows individuals to maintain a belief in God and seek their own spiritual path while enjoying rather than fearing new scientific discoveries, and while using their own good reason and questioning about issues rather than following the authoritarian creeds of others. It has simplicity and beauty, and it helps to ensure human freedom, tolerance, scientific education, and progress.

Elihu Palmer said, "Deism declares, that the practice of a pure, natural, and uncorrupted virtue, is the essential duty, and constitutes the highest dignity of man; that the powers of man are competent to all the great purposes of human existence; that science, virtue, and happiness are the great objects which ought to awake the mental energies, and draw forth the moral affections of the human race." (back to FAQ contents)

11. Do Deists have any creeds or rituals?
No, but there are at least a few definitive ideas on which most all Deists agree.

Horace Greeley said, "I exchanged the severe creed of my orthodox neighbors for a kinder one of my own devising."
John Shelby Spong said, "What the mind cannot believe, the heart can finally never adore." (back to FAQ contents)

12. Do Deists pray or worship?
It depends entirely on the individual. Some do express thanks or wishes that forces beyond their control will be favorable, but these practices indicate the Deist leans toward being a Theist.

Thomas Jefferson said, "Religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship."
Soren Kierkegaard said, "Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays." (back to FAQ contents)

13. What do Deists find inspiring?
Going outdoors and enjoying nature's beauty, the search for truth, knowledge, science, philosophy, good books, music, art, and fellowship.

Albert Schweitzer said, "Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf."
John Herschel said, "Accustomed to trace the operation of general causes, and the exemplification of general laws, in circumstances where the uninformed and unenquiring eye perceives neither novelty nor beauty, [the scientist and natural philosopher] walks in the midst of wonders." (back to FAQ contents)

14. What do Deists believe happens when one dies?
Some think that it is the end of life with only one's children and productive works to live on, while others believe life's energy continues in another form, but disagree on whether or not it involves judgment and heaven.

Epicurus said, "Why should I fear death? If I am, death is not. If death is, I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not?"
Benjamin Franklin said, "Take courage mortal, death cannot banish you from the universe." (back to FAQ contents)

15. Why do Deists feel the need to spread the word? Isn't that just more unwanted evangelism?
Although most Deists would love to see the number of declared Deists soar, the goal of promoting Deism is to get more people thinking for themselves about what their religious and ethical beliefs are rather than just jumping in as blind followers of a traditional organized religion. It is not about proselytizing (converting) anyone. If more people engage in freethinking, and the name Deism is well known, then it gives those thinkers a more accurate label to identify with rather than assuming a mismatched one from a traditional religion. Regardless of what religious label a person identifies with or what political persuasion he/she has, Deists feel that a freethinking population can best ensure the values of freedom, tolerance, scientific education, and progress.

George S. Patton, Jr. said, "If everyone is thinking alike then somebody isn't thinking."
Henry David Thoreau said, "What other liberty is worth having if we have not freedom and peace in our minds."
Mohandas Gandhi said, "Happiness is when what you say, what you do and what you think ... are in harmony."
Carl Sagan said, "A religion old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science, might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later, such a religion will emerge." (back to FAQ contents) (Back to top)

Deism according to Thomas Paine quotes from the paraphrased version Modern Age of Reason prepared and paraphrased by Steve Dowell

1. Deism is an "opinion". Other people have rights to their opinions just like Deists do.

"Please remember that I have always supported the Right of every person to have their own opinion, even if that opinion is different than mine. Anyone who denies another person of this right, makes himself a slave to his own opinion, because he prevents himself from being able to change it."

"Everyone has the same right to their belief as I do. But for man to be truly happy, he must be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in 'belief' or 'unbelief'; it consists of saying you believe something that you really don't believe."

2. Deism is a belief in God based on Nature and Reason.

"It is only in the CREATION that all the ideas and concepts of the word of God can come together. The Creation speaks a universal language that does not depend on any human speech or language. It is an eternal 'original copy' that all men can read. It cannot be faked or counterfeited. It cannot be lost or changed. It cannot be kept secret. It does not depend on man deciding whether to publish it or not. It publishes itself from one end of the earth to the other. It preaches to all the nations, and all the worlds. This natural word of God reveals to us all that man needs to know of God."
"Do we want to think of his power? We see it in the vastness of the Creation. Do we want to think of his wisdom? We see it in the unchanging order of the universe. Do we want to see his generosity? We see it in the abundance that fills the earth. Do we want to think of his mercy? We see it in the way he does not withhold abundance even from the ungrateful. In fact, do we want to know what God is? Do not look in the bible (that any man could have written), but look instead to the Creation."
"The strongest weapon against all kinds of errors is Reason. I have never used any other, and hope I never will."

"Only by using reason can man discover God. Take away his reason, and man could not understand anything."

3. Reason and Nature indicate to us that there is a God. But we cannot know the specific nature and purpose of God.

"Reason can be used to determine that God exists, but it falls far short in discovering all of God's qualities."
"It is evident that an Almighty Power exists, even though it is impossible for us to imagine the nature and manner of its existence."

4. Deists can have hope for an afterlife.

"I believe in only one God; and I have hope for happiness in an afterlife."
"I do not worry about an afterlife. I feel content and secure in the knowledge that the Power that gave me life is able to continue it if he decides to. It could be in any form he chooses; either with or without a body. It seems more likely to me that I will continue to exist in an afterlife, than that I existed in a life before this one. "
"The belief in an afterlife is rational. It is based on facts that we see in the creation."

5. Deists should strive to live good moral lives.

"If man was as fully and strongly impressed with the belief of a God as he ought to be, his moral life would be ruled by the force of that belief. He would stand in awe of God and of himself, and would not do anything that was offensive to either. To give this belief full power, it is necessary that it acts alone. This is Deism."
"Religion is the belief in God, and the practice of moral truth."
"That the moral duty of man is to imitate the moral goodness and generosity of God that we see in the creation that he has given us. As we see the goodness of God to all men, so should all men show goodness to each other."
"As for morality, the knowledge of it exists in every man's conscience."

6. Deists reject 'revealed religions'.

"All the problems in theology and religion have been the result of what we call 'revealed religion'."
"Wild and blasphemous ideas of God are formed because man has wandered away from the unchangeable laws of science, and the right use of reason; and because something called revealed religion was invented."
"It is the duty of every man who respects the character of the Creator, to reject all ideas of revealed religions as a dangerous heresy, and an irreverent fraud. This will reduce many of the miseries of mankind, and will remove the cause behind persecutions. What have we learned from this false thing called 'revealed religion'? Absolutely nothing that is useful to man, and everything that is dishonorable to God."
"The most horrible wickedness and cruelties, and the greatest miseries that have troubled the human race began with this thing called revelation, or revealed religion. Belief in revelation is the greatest dishonor to the character of God that was ever made known since man existed. It destroys morality, and harms the peace and happiness of man."

7. Miracles should be rejected.

"Miracles should be thought of as a crutch for truth, and should be rejected."
"When a person says he saw a miracle that falls outside the laws of nature, it raises a question in our minds. Which is more likely... that something happened outside the laws of nature, or that a man might tell a lie? We have never in our life seen nature break its own laws. But we have good reason to believe that millions of lies have been told. There is at least a million to one odds that the reporter of the miracle told a lie."
"The claim of miracles to prove a religious system is the most inconsistent that religion has; even if it caused someone to believe they were real. In the first place, whenever one has to put on a show (miracles are nothing but a show) to get someone to believe something, it indicates a weakness in the doctrine being preached. In the second place, it degrades God into a carnival showman who does tricks to make the people stare and wonder."
"Any way you look at it, miracles are probably not real or necessary." (Back to top)

What Deism Does For Me by Anonymous

Some people feel that a freethought philosophy such as Deism offers them nothing, and leaves them in the land of uncertainties, without giving them the equivalent comfort of religion.

What is good about Deism is that it's a truly moderate philosophy. It does not go to any extreme. It doesn't go as far as rejecting any sort of meaning or ultimate reality in the universe, neither does it go as far as claiming with nonnegotiable certainty what God is like, to the point of attributing specific thoughts and revealed texts and descriptions to the Creator, as if only some people are privileged to have such access to the Creator.

The beauty of Deism is in its simplicity. Amidst all the conflicting versions and descriptions of God in world religions, one cannot honestly claim to know much about the nature of the Creator with any reasonable amount of certainty. My God is the mystery that accounts for my existence. That is all I can claim, as a Deist.

Deism gives the best of both worlds. It leaves all the possibilities open for interpreting life and finding your own meaning in it, and fulfilling your role in it, the way you feel is right. And at the same time, you are not restricted by any kind of dogma or blind faith, and you do not have the obligation to blindly trust any source as being divine. Your divine source is your God-given mind.
As opposed to dogmas, Deism truly means that we are all equal. No one is better than anyone else in terms of salvation or damnation. We all have different good potentials with varying degrees based on our own personal behavior and hard work, and none of that is based on what we believe or whether we accept or reject any philosophy or religion.

As opposed to tragic extreme skepticism philosophies, Deism means that there is meaning to life. We know that the universe is designed, and a designed universe by definition was designed for a purpose, for lack of purpose is only the product of randomness. And having that in mind, we know that our lives have a structure, and a role, different for each person. It's our mission to know that role and live it to the fullest.

Deism also means hope. Knowing that the universe and our lives have design and purpose, we have hope that death may not be the end. With courage, one can only accept the Creator's plans for us after death, for no one has been to the "other world". We don't know where we were before birth, and we just might be in for a great surprise at the fulfillment of life! (Back to top)

Why Deists can't Accept Revealed Religions by Steve Dowell

Positive Deism is not about bashing the beliefs or faith of others. An underlying principle is that everyone should think for themselves, and everyone has the right and freedom to believe anything they decide (as long as it isn't harmful to others). However, the fact of the matter is that Deists cannot accept Christianity or other revealed religions, and we would be remiss if we didn't make that clear. The obvious question from someone seeking information about Deism would be "Why can't Deists accept any of those religions?".

That's why this document exists. We want to briefly present the basic reasons why we don't believe in revealed religions, and provide some links for those who would like to do some further research. This document is in no way intended to be “bashing”. We are simply presenting our basic reasons.

Holy books: The core belief of Deism is a belief in God based on reason and nature. Deists believe that God would not reveal himself through man-made, handwritten documents that are prone to forgery, mistakes, absurdities, contradictions and misinterpretation. Instead, Deists believe that Nature is the true, unchangable “Word of God”. Deists believe that it is nature itself that points to a creator, and that anything we can know of God will be discovered there, not in the pages of a book written by man.

Here are some links that aptly illustrate the many difficulties within the Christian Bible that cause Deists to doubt its validity:

The above two links are fairly extensive, and if fully explored, will provide the reader with much to consider.

Revelation: Deists don't deny that the creator of the universe could reveal himself to someone if he wanted to. However, it would be a revelation to THAT person only. If that person turns around and tells someone else that he just had a revelation from God, it is only hear-say to the second person, and Deists feel that they are under no obligation to believe it.

This is another reason that Deists don't believe in the old 'Holy Books' of revealed religions. To a Deist the stories in these books are simply hear-say. It is someone else who is dead and gone saying that these improbable things occurred, or that God said this or that. A Deist considers these claims to be second hand, and therefore does not feel obliged to believe them.

Faith: It should be noted that many religionists acknowledge that the above mentioned difficulties cannot be explained by logic or reason, but must be accepted by 'Faith'. However, Deists reject this sort of blind faith. Faith is not a criteria like reason. If one is to have blind faith, then one can have faith in any religion, like Islam and Hinduism. In the absence of reason, how is one expected to weigh the options and choose?

That is one of the fundamental problems with revelation. We have several conflicting accounts of revelation, with each demanding that we accept it blindly on faith. But none of them provides any reasonable criteria for making the choice. Therefore, the only reasonable choice is to refrain from accepting any of them, and resort to using our own reason. On that basis, Deists cannot accept Christianity, or any other revealed religion.

At this time there is no empirical evidence for the existence of God. Therefore, Deists feel that it's reasonable to accept the existence of God based upon the compelling circumstantial evidence that we see in nature. Deism is not based on faith in something that cannot be empirically proved. It is based on the acceptance of reasonable circumstantial evidence. A Deist's belief in the existence of God can be thought of as a working hypothesis. (Back to top)