Hello...
Just wanted to introduce myself to the group... I'm a "born again" Deist,
or
perhaps, more correctly, a newly designated Deist, and wanted to say "hi"
to
everyone!
A bit of relevant background for comparative purposes: I've always been a
curious sort, interested in learning more about virtually everything. I've
always liked sciences, and found that, once I was old enough to
understand,
that I leaned toward the philosophic. Even as a kid, I asked myself the
questions: "Is everyone really here, or is all this just a dream?" (way
before The Matrix), "Are we all, collectively, God?", "What is OUTSIDE the
universe?", etc.
I grew up in a household without religion. We weren't Atheists, per se,
there was just an absence of religion. No church, no Bible, and no
discussion of matters of faith. It wasn't banned, it simply WASN'T. In
fact,
for a time I was anti-religious, feeling that it was a source of turmoil
and
violent disagreement in the world. I used to say, "Throughout history,
more
wars have been fought in the name of religion than any other subject."
As I grew up and got to know people, I discovered that most people of
faith
that I met considered themselves Christians (duh -- the most common faith
in
America). Many of them mentioned their beliefs from time to time - with
the
occasional pushy sort - , and I began to become curious. The details of
their faith were interesting -- even fascinating, but I just couldn't
embrace it myself. The whole concept of faith (i.e. blind belief with
little
or no proof) just didn't work for me, and I couldn't bring myself to live
by
what seemed to be restrictions, without just cause.
Some probably considered me an Atheist (no one actually said so), though,
I
didn't know WHAT I was. With a few more years and some pondering, I came
to
the conclusion that there MUST be a God -- what with the intricate
patterns
present in nature and all things around us, the harmonies of how one area
of
reality compliments, even REQUIRES, another (i.e. the food chain), and the
vastness of the universe around us (that Hubble "Deep Field" photo that
came
out was REALLY something -- THOUSANDS of GALAXIES in an area of sky the
size
of the head of a pin at arm's length... wow). It just seemed so far to
fathom that all of creation around us, with all of it's intricacies and
details, existed without intelligent design or thought. Thus, I became a
firm believer in God.
Meeting people of other faiths, and asking questions about their beliefs,
while fascinating, sometimes made me feel a bit isolated -- for once I
knew
that I believed in God, I had no idea what to call myself when it came to
such matters. "Agnostic" seemed the closest description, though
inaccurate,
because Agnostics question the existence of God, not merely his nature. It
was difficult, even slightly uncomfortable, to figure out how to respond
to
a query about which faith I subscribed to. My position on religion
changed,
however -- I no longer saw it as a negative, but, a definite positive
force.
Despite the wars that have been fought (and continue to be) over religious
disagreements, it seemed to be a source of comfort and guidance in the
lives
of its' followers, and answered philosophic questions and yearnings that
ALL
Humans have. Indeed, without it, it seems likely that the world would be a
far more violent and disorganized place then it is today. Faiths provide
the
foundation upon which virtually all civilizations have been built. For
this
reason, it became clear that Atheism was something I could absolutely not
embrace. "Who am I, " I thought, "to tell someone that their faith is
wrong
or in error, whether I choose to believe it or not? If it brings one
comfort, strength, purpose, and answers those questions that all need
answers to... how can it be wrong?"
Still... what was I? NOT an Atheist, but not quite able to embrace any
faith
I came upon.
Recently, I had cause to re-visit the issue when the matter of faith
became
a question with an organization I sought to join. Which organization is
unim****tant here, but, probably not difficult to figure out. In any event,
with the age of the Internet in full bloom, I began to search for answers,
and came upon... Deism. DEISM! The more I read, the more it became
apparent... THIS IS IT! It was if someone was reading my mind. Belief in
God, arrived at through the use of REASON. The piece of the puzzle had
finally found its' home.
It appears that we, as Deists, do have some varying points of view -- but,
this isn't unusual, as people of other faiths disagree on some of the
finer
points as well. Still, we're all united by the whole of our common
beliefs... and this forum seems a great (and quite appropriate) place to
discuss them. I look forward to many op****tunities to examine and discuss
alternate points of view. I hope this is an ACTIVE group, and not just a
repository for spam, as so many groups are these days.
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