Deism: I don't get it

[emilynghiem]

I don't wish to attack deism, as I see deists as more on my side than theists, in general.

But I just don't get what the point of it is.

It always seems to start with the same sort of appeals used by theists about "how else could this happen" or it "looks designed". Or that there just must be a higher power. I'm not aware of any good logical argument that leads to any sort of creator.

And this is where I really have the problem; if there is some sort of intelligent creator who made our universe (I don't have a problem accepting it's possible) why call it a God? All you know about it is it can make at least one universe, as we perceive it. So it's another being, somewhere else, presumably. It sounds more like the simulation hypothesis.

I've heard it said that God is the placeholder for whatever made the universe, even so far as to say God could be nothing, if nothing made it. That's just defining God to be the answer to a question, and seems entirely pointless to me.

So does anyone have any insight on why a deist chooses to believe in a God, for better reasons than those I've stated, and why you label a creator a God? Is it just meant to be a synonym? It seems weird given the word God is so well known to mean something all powerful, rather than something more powerful than us.

I've posted several arguments which highlight problems with deism before and not been given an answer. Assuming intelligent design is necessary for all existence produces an infinite regress. If intelligent design isn't always necessary, then how can you know our universe needs it?

I guess I'm wondering why you would choose to identify as a deist rather than an atheist. I would think it must be fairly important to you to add such a bold belief. Is it a desire to hold on to something a bit mystical and magical without committing to anything particular?

Thanks for any replies! I'm not having a go, I just find it confusing.

Hi robvalue

In general I find that the more people forgive and let go of attachment to these differences, we can flow more freely between one system and the next, sort of like learning multiple languages.

Multiple languages are not necessarily "necessary."

They are convenient for addressing that audience which prefers that language. Different languages can see and say things in a certain perspective that another language can miss.

For each bias a different person has, that person will share things that another person can't see.

For example, my bf is like one of these deist types, and doesn't go all the way with a personalized God like Christians do he recognizes as different but compatible. when he talks to other atheists or agnostics he can communicate in simple secular terms more objectively than Christians do who get upset and keep trying to use their Bible.

So maybe that's just his job, to be there as an in-between goto person.

Because he doesn't get into all the Christian relationship stuff, he avoids that and focuses on general secular discussion and information/media just like other secular gentiles, but he aligns with the Christians and conservatives without getting all into their language and culture around it.
He sticks to relating to the same values, minus the religious dressings.