Let me first say that I have developed a great deal of respect for the Deist posters I have identified on this site. I frequent the General Apologetics section, the Creation & Evolution section, and lastly this section.
Over on GA and C&E, the sparks fly as atheists and Christians duke it out for intellectual bragging rights. In the midst of it all I see scattered Desists chiming in with their points of view.
I would best describe Deists posts as thoughtful, educated, and generally enlightened. I have seen Deists intelligently debate on matters of science, philosophy, and even Biblical scripture. I have yet to see Deists engage in scathing attacks on atheists, which I personally appreciate and respect. In fact, I have never seen Deists attack anybody. (Are there Fundy Deists?)
As I look through www.deism.com, I read about political, intellectual, and religious perspectives that I can hardly disagree with. Deism is a philosophy that rejects organized, revealed religions, superstition, and dogma; much the same way your average atheist does. While the gap between Christianity and atheism often seems like a chasm, the difference between Deism and atheism, insofar as one proposes a God and one does not, seems almost negligible.
My heart then sank as I clicked on this link that lead to an essay on the Deist outlook toward atheism. While I first thought I should go through it and point out what I feel is wrong with it, then ask Deists to defend the article, I later thought of a better avenue; simply ask Deists here what they think of atheism. After all, I feel it is not our critiques of arguments that build understanding, but questioning and learning.
I will start off by clarifying some points about my personal position as an atheist. I feel that atheism vs. Deism is an entirely different matter than atheism vs. Christianity. I think most atheists will agree that the propositions of the Deist idea of God are far less unreasonable and much harder to dismiss. In fact, since Deists are not threatening to burn us at the stake, we atheists dont seem to be in much of a rush to prove Deism wrong.
However, I will say that I think the above article commits a burden of proof fallacy, misrepresenting the atheists position. I would not personally claim that the Deist God could be proven to not exist. It would be more appropriate to say that I do not believe in the Deist God because I do not yet see how Deism meets a burden of proof that might satisfy me. The article also misrepresents atheists as dogmatic and closed-minded. I dont think this is accurate, as I am well aware of the fact that I do not yet know everything about Deism and pro-Deist-God claims. I dont think most people do. So ignorance is a factor I do not deny nor do most atheists. Perhaps I am not a Deist because I simply haven't looked into it enough.
So tell me, what do Deists think of atheism? You gotta problem?
Over on GA and C&E, the sparks fly as atheists and Christians duke it out for intellectual bragging rights. In the midst of it all I see scattered Desists chiming in with their points of view.
I would best describe Deists posts as thoughtful, educated, and generally enlightened. I have seen Deists intelligently debate on matters of science, philosophy, and even Biblical scripture. I have yet to see Deists engage in scathing attacks on atheists, which I personally appreciate and respect. In fact, I have never seen Deists attack anybody. (Are there Fundy Deists?)
As I look through www.deism.com, I read about political, intellectual, and religious perspectives that I can hardly disagree with. Deism is a philosophy that rejects organized, revealed religions, superstition, and dogma; much the same way your average atheist does. While the gap between Christianity and atheism often seems like a chasm, the difference between Deism and atheism, insofar as one proposes a God and one does not, seems almost negligible.
My heart then sank as I clicked on this link that lead to an essay on the Deist outlook toward atheism. While I first thought I should go through it and point out what I feel is wrong with it, then ask Deists to defend the article, I later thought of a better avenue; simply ask Deists here what they think of atheism. After all, I feel it is not our critiques of arguments that build understanding, but questioning and learning.
I will start off by clarifying some points about my personal position as an atheist. I feel that atheism vs. Deism is an entirely different matter than atheism vs. Christianity. I think most atheists will agree that the propositions of the Deist idea of God are far less unreasonable and much harder to dismiss. In fact, since Deists are not threatening to burn us at the stake, we atheists dont seem to be in much of a rush to prove Deism wrong.
However, I will say that I think the above article commits a burden of proof fallacy, misrepresenting the atheists position. I would not personally claim that the Deist God could be proven to not exist. It would be more appropriate to say that I do not believe in the Deist God because I do not yet see how Deism meets a burden of proof that might satisfy me. The article also misrepresents atheists as dogmatic and closed-minded. I dont think this is accurate, as I am well aware of the fact that I do not yet know everything about Deism and pro-Deist-God claims. I dont think most people do. So ignorance is a factor I do not deny nor do most atheists. Perhaps I am not a Deist because I simply haven't looked into it enough.
So tell me, what do Deists think of atheism? You gotta problem?
