(August 26, 2010 at 5:26 am)The Omnissiunt One Wrote: Just out of interest, why are you a deist? Are you convinced by the Cosmological/Teleological arguments?
First I would say that I see the natural universe as a grand machine, a view that implies an engineer. However, this isn't proof since atheists could counter that it's not a machine but something that explains itself.
Second, I would say that the human mind is incredible in its potential and that much came together in our evolution to make that happen. However, this isn't proof since atheists could cite "climbing mount improbable" and say the highly evolved brain is a fortunate bi-product.
Looking for signs of benevolent design that don't fit into natural selection is difficult, almost by definition. See "the sentient puddle". I offered one such feature in my "Nature's God and Homosexuality" video, that homosexuality is natural and a way that nature provides alternate families to adopt children (both in the animal kingdom and in human civilization where it's allowed). However, atheists can still dismiss this as fortunate.
Finally, I would just say that I'm not an atheist because ...well, I'm just not. For whatever reason, delusion or my instincts are on to something, every fiber of my being is convinced that the universe isn't an accident and there's some kind of mind out there somewhere behind it all (at the same time, I've never felt God should be "feared" or demands worship). I even went through a phase for about two weeks where I wondered what was wrong with me, why I couldn't be a "normal atheist" like all of my friends and colleges in the freethought community. I've come to terms with it since. I have the heart of a believer and the mind of a skeptic. Deism is an accord between the two, allowing me a spirituality that's kept real and grounded in the natural universe.
As you've pointed out in another post, the differences are only ones of abstract philosophy. We agree that we live in a natural universe and nothing's coming out of the clouds to save us if we destroy our planet.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
