Classical Deism holds that reason and observation of nature, rather than religious authority, are humanity’s best means of understanding the Creator and creation. The new Roman telescope that launched today on a three month journey to be positioned one million miles from earth, and the other two space telescopes already in operation, are all technological embodiments of that principle.

Deists regard the universe as operating according to consistent natural laws established by a Creator. The new Roman telescope will study those laws on an extraordinary scale—particularly gravity, cosmic expansion, dark matter and dark energy. Deism embraces such efforts, bringing us to a closer understanding of the universe we are privileged to live in.

“Existence is a reality, God is a fiction.”

— Osho

If an all-powerful and loving God truly existed, a world filled with cruelty, wars, and endless suffering would not exist in the first place. Perhaps humans created the idea of God because they needed something to worship, blame, or find meaning in the unknown. God may not have created humanity; humanity may have created God in its own image.

As I understand it, most deists agree that there is only one god, a demiurge responsible for the creation of the universe.

Is there any possibility that there isn't just one god, that there is another entity that could be equated with him, or perhaps, even if not on his equal footing, is still an entity above any other living and conscious being on Earth?

I've been thinking about the idea of ​​a "Satan" in relation to the deistic God, not because he is the "evil" opposite of God's "good"—for me, there is no such thing as a morality that we can understand in God. But I call him "Satan" because he would be the adversary of the order of creation. The laws of physics and chemistry, the very fabric of reality. That order where planets revolve around larger celestial bodies, and these celestial bodies revolve around other, even larger bodies. Where water extinguishes fire, oxygen fuels fire, earth turns to mud when it touches water, etc., etc., etc.

My idea of ​​the deistic god is that of a creator of a universe that functions like a clockwork mechanism in perfect synchronicity, a perfect order that can be calculated with exact mathematics without any margin of error. (We still can't predict all scenarios because our tools aren't yet that sophisticated, but we're getting close.)

In contrast, my Satan would be an entity or force that contradicts God's meticulous perfection. The problem is that I can't decide if life itself is a byproduct of God or a creation of Satan. The mathematical calculations of biology are not exact sciences; 2+2 always equals 4 in physics, but not in biology. Therefore, it's still unclear whether life is simply an even more complex extension with a place in God's mathematical order, or a contradiction that managed to find refuge among the gears of the clock, independent of the hands but having learned to follow them in order to survive.

But even though life isn't clear to me, symbols and ideas remain. These are indeed part of a completely unpredictable realm, beyond the rules and mathematics of the demiurge. Art, literature, music—but more importantly, the meaning behind each work, the reason why one group of people sees a cross and thinks of Jesus, while another opposing group thinks of just two intersecting lines. Since thoughts and ideas have no real imprint on the world, they compel people to leave traces on paper or stone, but in the eyes of God, these writings and symbols mean nothing; they are merely stains or cracks. Only human eyes see something behind them. Satan is art and symbolism. And perhaps life itself as well.

What do you think? Is everything the work of a single god in the end, or are there bubbles within his creation that are separate from his work but manage to remain intact in an attempt to survive?

If you wish to join you are welcome!

https://discord.gg/SyjKYpc7K

So for a few months now, I’ve been wanting to be a deist because I feel like it’s the belief that makes the most sense. I absolutely do believe in God and honestly I think I might keep going to church for the community, but still I think deism makes more sense and would definitely bring me more comfort and less anxiety than my actual religion.
I believe in Deism, but I feel SO GUILTY when I don’t pray, when I don’t thank the lord or stuff like that. And I am still very scared of eternal damnation, even if I don’t even WANT to believe in that (I hope that there is literally nothing after death).
What can I do ?? I feel like if I don’t protect myself with prayers bad things will happen to me.
Did anyone else have a lot of guilt when becoming deist ?? 😅

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this!!

I just want to take a moment to appreciate this sub. I arrived at my beliefs entirely on my own and it took me around 15 years before I discovered deism was the name for what I already believed. For all those years I had frustrating conversations with my Christian and Muslim family and friends trying to explain a position they could not place.
I was not an atheist, not agnostic, not religious. Just a free thinker with an acceptance of a creator through creation itself. Finding this sub was like finding out I was never alone in that thinking. Having a space where free thinkers question, challenge and explore without dogma or judgement is genuinely rare. People here disagree with respect, push back with reason and nobody is trying to convert anyone.
That is exactly what deism is about and this community lives it. To everyone who posts, replies and challenges ideas here, thank you.

I would like an answer more aligned with classical deism, if possible.

A different opinion?

“A few years ago the Deists denied the inspiration of the Bible on account of its cruelty. At the same time they worshiped what they were pleased to call the God of Nature. Now we are convinced that Nature is as cruel as the Bible; so that, if the God of Nature did not write the Bible, this God at least has caused earthquakes and pestilence and famine, and this God has allowed millions of his children to destroy one another. So that now we have arrived at the question -- not as to whether the Bible is inspired and not as to whether Jehovah is the real God, but whether there is a God or not.”

- Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899)

Robert Ingersoll, sometimes called “The Great Agnostic”, was one of the great orators of the Golden Age of Freethought in America, and was one of men responsible for reviving Thomas Paine’s reputation after it had fallen into decline.

If there is a God, then they seemingly don’t care much about humanity or living beings in general, in contrast to the optimism the deists of the 18th century, who attributed morality on their conception of God and viewed God as a benevolent fatherly figure to mankind. I know many modern deists on the contrary view God as indifferent to humans.

Ok this is kinda my rant. Personally I’m more agnostic, but if the uncertainty frustrates me when I think about it, especially when it comes to debates and arguments. Do any of you feel that way?

So I heard from a mathematician turned molecular biologist. He said that accumulation of random mutations until it produces a novel gain-of-function adaptive change WITHOUT DELETERIOUS EFFECTS in the meantime is probabilistically impossible. Maybe point mutations here and there affecting the color tone of hair, but not the coming-into-existence of even a new functional gene, let alone complex structures such as eyes.
(No offense to atheists, since this is just an anecdote & his observation)

For those who may be interested. This is a free public meeting opportunity: Join members of the international Editorial Board behind the newly released six-volume Thomas Paine Collected Writings (Princeton University Press) for a discussion of groundbreaking new discoveries about Paine's life and work.
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Deists are a relatively small bunch compared to major world religions. There is no necessary relationship between Deism becoming popular and the philosophical quality of Deists decreasing. However, we should appreciate the opportunity to reason freely, independent of the constraints that plague adherents of religion or other contentious stances.

It is natural to lament obscurity, but it has occasional benefits.

A commonly seen motto for Deism is God•Nature•Reason. It echoes a central Deist idea that God is revealed through Nature and understood through Reason.

Is this the most representative motto you’ve heard for Deism? If not, are there others you like? Perhaps you have one of your own to share?

Consider an upvote if you think this motto best represents Deism. If not, maybe suggest an alternative. This is simply an exploratory question to generate discussion.

Since a deist already acknowledges some kind of source/creator/necessary deity, does that make the Wager more reasonable? Or does deism not really make any difference to the meaning of the Wager, since it doesn’t accept any revelation or particular concept of deity?

Thanks for any comments.

In life, I just want to know the ultimate truth about life. Why were we (humans) born? What is the purpose of human life?

What is God? Is there a God up there?

How is it possible that every religion is true? In my theory, there is no way that every religion is real or that all their gods are real. Either only one religion is real, or all religions are false and made by humans.

I don't think that there is any God, but now the question is: who created life, this Earth, and the universe? These things can't exist by themselves.

There is a possibility that there is a creator who created life, but why did he create life, and who created the creator?

The creator can't exist by itself.

Assume there is a creator. Is he good or evil? Why did the creator create life? Was it like, "Oh, I'm bored, let's create something"—create a thing called life in the form of humans and animals, create the universe, the solar system, and planet Earth?

We never said yes to being born, nor were we ever asked if we wanted to be conscious. So if a creator gave us this life, then why do we have to die in the end? If we were dead before we were born and after death we remain dead forever, then what's the point?

What's the point of spending 80 years on Earth with consciousness?

I know that during this lifespan humans enjoy experiences, both good and bad. We grow up through different stages of life. We play, earn, and develop personalities.

Anyone can say it's worth it.

Still, if the end is death, why was I even born?

If the creator theory is true, why has the creator never shown up? Why does the creator never visit us after creating us? I don't see any problem with visiting.

What's the reason the creator never shows up?

Now, what is death like? Is there anything after it? If not, then what is death? Is it the end of our consciousness? Non-existence? What is non-existence? Nothing?

The best part is that in the entire history of human existence, no one has actually understood life, the purpose of life, or the existence of God. There have been multiple humans who were born as ordinary people but ended up becoming gods, or their followers created religions around them.

I have an issue with that.

If they taught us what life is, who God is, and why God created us—with some relevant evidence—that would be good.

Is there really a God, or did humans create the idea of God because they can't accept that there is no God?

And if there is no God, it is the most horrifying feeling for me—that we just exist on our own, that there is no one who created us, and there is no God.

I would like to share with everyone a new educational website on Deism that contains a lot of useful information for a Deist or anyone considering Deism as their belief system. It could identify some good topics for discussion on this subreddit. The URL is www.deism4me.com The URL is also listed in the "Suggested Reading & Resources" section of the Community Guide on the PC version of the [r/deism](r/deism) subreddit and the "See Community info" section at the top of the [r/deism](r/deism) subreddit page in the iOS app. As of 8/25, the website is available in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian. English is the default and the other languages are selected in the top left corner of the homepage.