(August 6, 2014 at 3:50 pm)Blackout Wrote: They don't always think with their hearts, not according to them, they usually spit out lots of philosophical arguments to justify god's existence, the main ones being the cosmological first cause argument, the argument from complexity. Many of them say rationality is their tool to believe that a deity exists. I will agree deism has no dogmas (even their belief in god can be questioned, that's why some deists become atheists later), and many of these deists seem fairly intelligent people, they are just afraid to let go the other hand. And they get annoyed when I tell them deism is an unfalsifiable claim (it is).
I think the reason deists, from my experience similarly to theists, get so easily offended and hurt with critics is because they know deism, just like theism, is full of flaws and they are afraid to see their position refuted successfully. As an atheist, I gladly accept all critics, I usually say that to give atheism a better stance we ought to refute all critics, refusing them only shows fear.
I don't think they "always" think with their hearts; but it's been my experience that most people, both believer and atheist, don't practice rational thinking very well.
I haven't really seen the sensitivity you ascribe to deists, but I haven't interacted much with them.
