Deism

So my quick rant on religion in the Erykah Badu post got me thinking that I should post quickly on my own "religious" beliefs. I was born, and half-ass-raised (not complaining) Catholic. I've been baptized, and confirmed in the Catholic church. I went to brief stints in Sunday schools when I lived in places with active churches. I went to a Jesuit university (Georgetown). There I was a philosophy major, which brought me a clearer vision of "God" than I have ever gotten which sitting through a sermon. While I whole-heartedly respect the faith and beliefs of everyone, and understand the great values of a community centered around the church, mosque, synagogue, temple, etc., my own ontological view can most closely be categorized as Deism. I discovered the specific name for this philosophical understanding of "God" after I had already shaped my own ideas, which are loosely based on the writings of Thomas Paine amongst other philosophers. I'll write more on it later, but here is a quick definition from Deism.com:

Deism is belief in God based on the application of our reason on the designs/laws found throughout Nature. The designs presuppose a Designer. Deism is therefore a natural religion and is not a "revealed" religion. The natural religion/philosophy of Deism frees those who embrace it from the inconsistencies of superstition and the negativity of fear that are so strongly represented in all of the "revealed" religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (These religions are called revealed religions because they all make claim to having received a special revelation from God which they pretend, and many of their sincere followers actually believe, their various and conflicting holy books are based on.) When enough people become Deists, reason will be elevated over fear and myth and its positive qualities will become a part of society as a whole. Then, instead of having billions of people chasing after the nonsensical violence promoting myths of the "revealed" religions, people will be centered on their God-given reason which will lead to limitless personal and societal progress!

This is not a utopian pipedream. Deism has the potential to connect with every human being because every human being possesses God-given reason. Because of this fact, Deism clicks with the vast majority of people who are made aware of it. This God-given reason, which is so dear and key to Deism, is the natural state of humanity. The superstitions of the man-made "revealed" religions are NOT the natural state of humanity. The cause of our God-given reason being overrun with these man-made myths and superstitions is very simple. ACTIVE people promoted these falsehoods. Some of these active people were motivated by self gain while others were acting on ignorance. Since the problem was brought about by ACTIVE people, it can be corrected by ACTIVE people. As the number of ACTIVE Deists grows, our actions and energies will cause Deism to eclipse the "revealed" religions of the world and Deism will eventually, through lots of hard teamwork and altruism, replace the "revealed" religions. Humanity and the individuals who make up humanity will then be able to reach their full progressive potential!

Not sure if that caught the gist of it. Basically, I think that there has to have been a Designer or Prime-mover to begin everything from nothingness (lite ontologic existentialism), but in order for that to have happened, the entity or force or whatever would have to be by definition perfect and omnipotent. Based on this omnipotence, it is completely illogical for it to give a shit what we do, so religion is just a man-made societal effort to provide easier explanations for existence, and a system of controls and authority which reach beyond corporeal authority. This is not an argument for lawlessness, however, as I think we as intelligent creatures have natural ethics based on logic and societal evolution. While it may not be morally wrong to drive without a seatbelt on, we have as a society come to understand the merits of such laws, and I therefore associate that understanding with guilt each time I jump in the car.

More nonsensical rambling later.....