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9:49 pm
April 9, 2010
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RevJohn
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Post edited 1:16 am – May 17, 2010 by RevJohn
As a Deist, I thought that this Church could help bring Deism back into the mainstream, so to speak. During the Age of Enlightenment, Deism was pretty big, but has since fallen from favor. It is making a comeback, but a little too slowly for my satisfaction.
There are many folks who are Deists and don't realize it. A large number of people believe in a Creator God but don't believe all the ritual and faith-based dogma that comes with organized, or revealed religion. The Church of Deism exists to help these people learn that they are not alone, and that what they believe is legitimate.
The Church believes that they are legitimate enough, in fact, to ordain those who want it. What makes the beliefs of a Catholic priest or a Jewish Rabbi better than a Deist's? What gives them the right to perform marriages, but a Deist is relegated to a marriage ceremony officiated by someone of another faith or a government employee? The Church of Deism is changing the paradigm. Now those of us who wish to be married as Deists can finally have the same religious rights as everyone else.
Since Deism is by its nature unorganized, The Church of Deism has a forum. Deists wishing to share in fellowship with other Deists can meet online whenever and as often as they choose to discuss and learn about their religion and their Creator. 
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6:19 pm
May 15, 2010
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philflaherty
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| Congregant | posts 7 | |
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It appears that one month into this exercise (mid May, 2010), RevJohn and Phil are the only ones in here, and there are a hand full of viewers who have read the posts. If you are reading this, you are probably a searcher for truth, or the answer to "life, the universe and everything" (Douglas Adams). Why not join and mix it up with divergent commentary? As free thinkers, we can not, or should not, all agree with everything. That's what adds flavor to the human stew.
–Phil
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7:09 pm
May 16, 2010
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RevJohn
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I'll be implementing some advertising after the Certificates of Ordination and Letters of Good Standing are available, which I am working on now. Hopefully it won't seem so lonely in here shortly. I'm currently having a disagreement with my printer, and the printer is winning at the moment… 
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3:51 pm
May 18, 2010
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RevJohn
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Post edited 9:29 pm – May 25, 2010 by RevJohn
My printer decided to cooperate, and I have an embosser and seals on the way. I should be able to start advertising early next week, so we should start getting more congregants soon. Yay!
Update: I started advertising today, (May 25) so hopefully we'll start seeing some new faces around here…
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7:26 pm
June 2, 2010
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onocleasp
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| Congregant | posts 4 | |
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RevJohn said:
My printer decided to cooperate, and I have an embosser and seals on the way. I should be able to start advertising early next week, so we should start getting more congregants soon. Yay!
Update: I started advertising today, (May 25) so hopefully we'll start seeing some new faces around here…
Howdy,
I have been a life long Catholic. As I've been a student of science ( systematics and evoltuion) for the last several years, I have grown more and more skeptical about the church (and any church that claims to have the word of God, uncorrupted by human authors etc.). I've bordered on agnostic, but I feel that there is a lot out there that we'll never understand and there is more than enough room for a creator out there. I am very much an individualist and believe in natural law, individual rights and I appreciate your creating this form for us to discuss Deism.
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1:10 pm
June 3, 2010
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RevJohn
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Thanks for the kind words ono, and welcome! I'm a former Catholic myself and have flirted with the idea of agnosticism as well. After much soul searching I decided that God must exist, just not in any of the fashions described in the Bible, Koran, etc. Hopefully we can find some like-minded individuals on here and get some stimulating debate going.
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4:30 pm
June 3, 2010
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philflaherty
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| Congregant | posts 7 | |
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onocleasp said:
RevJohn said:
My printer decided to cooperate, and I have an embosser and seals on the way. I should be able to start advertising early next week, so we should start getting more congregants soon. Yay!
Update: I started advertising today, (May 25) so hopefully we'll start seeing some new faces around here…
Howdy,
I have been a life long Catholic. As I've been a student of science ( systematics and evoltuion) for the last several years, I have grown more and more skeptical about the church (and any church that claims to have the word of God, uncorrupted by human authors etc.). I've bordered on agnostic, but I feel that there is a lot out there that we'll never understand and there is more than enough room for a creator out there. I am very much an individualist and believe in natural law, individual rights and I appreciate your creating this form for us to discuss Deism.
I have found over the years that many people need structure, need rules, and are not comfortable unless being told what to do. If it brings comfort and stability to their lives, good for them. I was raised a Catholic as well. My father was an intelligent man and a staunch by-the-rules Catholic, and I owe alot to him. His comfort zone came from his law degree, and career in the U.S. Army as an officer in the Military Police. If he ever asked "why" about any laws, he did not voice them out loud. His comfort zone was in following rules and laws. My coming of age occurred just as the hippy revolution and stop the war generation came on the scene, and I was greatly influenced by the "question authority" bumper stickers. Conflicted by the constructs of religion and my need to question, finally, Samuel Clemens' famous quote "faith is believin' what you know ain't so" became my mantra. For many years I considered myself a social humanist, but the thought of a supreme being always nagged in the background. The structure of the universe leads me to believe there is a devine cause, and whether or not there is devine intervention we will never know. Folliowing the teachings of the Buddha, that right thought, right speach, right action, and right occupation, help me shape my life, and I can believe such wisdom is devinely inspired. By the way, not to dilute traffic from this site, but another deist community to visit is http://naturesgod.org where others ponder these same questions.
Happy traveling
-Bro. Phil
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6:30 pm
June 3, 2010
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onocleasp
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| Congregant | posts 4 | |
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Speaking of people enjoying the structure of religion, I was reading Ben Franklin's autobiography and I think Ben Franklin eventaully turned away from Diesm because it wasn't as controlling as the "revealed" religions. A often quioted line from his autobiography shows that he apparently turned from Diesm (even though he tought it may be true) since the people around him praticing it were often unkind to one another. This of course is not the fault of the religon of those people but of the individuals themselves.
"Some books against Deism fell into my hands; they were said to be the
substance of sermons preached at Boyle's lectures. It happened that they
wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them;
for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted,
appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon
became a thorough Deist. My arguments perverted some others,
particularly Collins and Ralph; but each of them having afterwards
wrong'd me greatly without the least compunction, and recollecting
Keith's conduct towards me (who was another freethinker) and my own
towards Vernon and Miss Read, which at times gave me great trouble, I
began to suspect that this doctrine, tho' it might be true, was not very
useful."
On another note, I have heard many say that the Diest founding fathers would have been atheist if they had known about evolution, any thoughts?
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9:52 pm
June 3, 2010
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RevJohn
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Post edited 4:16 pm – June 4, 2010 by RevJohn
Hey Bro. Phil, that's a good site and is a member of the Deist Alliance. I've applied for this site's membership in the alliance, but the Church has to be voted in, and some Deists have such a dislike for organized religion that the very name "church" makes them uncomfortable. I guess we'll see…
Speaking of people enjoying the structure of religion, I was reading Ben Franklin's autobiography and I think Ben Franklin eventaully turned away from Diesm because it wasn't as controlling as the "revealed" religions. A often quioted line from his autobiography shows that he apparently turned from Diesm (even though he tought it may be true) since the people around him praticing it were often unkind to one another. This of course is not the fault of the religon of those people but of the individuals themselves.
I have Franklin's quote in the rotation on the sidebar, but not the part about him becoming disenchanted with the theology. It was found on another site without the second half where I got it, so I hope I don't get accused of intentionally taking his words out of context, even though I apparently did. Perhaps I should remove it… I liked that one too.
Maybe getting away from the structure of organized religion requires more self-discipline in areas of morality, but I know plenty of hypocritical "holy" people who are pretty unkind. I can't see myself going back to believing something I know to be untrue, but you guys are right, some folks just need to be told what to do. I never thought of Ben Franklin as one of those people, but what we know about the man we don't know first hand. There's been plenty of time for revisionist history to have changed the picture of who he was.
I couldn't really say if the founding fathers would be atheists had they heard of evolution, except to say that in my own life my knowledge of evolution hasn't made me one. It makes the biblical creation story and the story of Noah look like the fables they are, but personally my belief in a Creator God is stronger because I know that I don't have to match up the Creator with the God of the Bible. If my only option was to do so, I might be an atheist too.
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2:40 pm
June 6, 2010
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cclendenen
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Freethinkers question everything, and that includes authority. Deism, like everything else, has to stand up to reason, and it has for a long time in my case. For others, Deism appears to be a stop along the way on their journey to their final destination. For some, Franklin and Jefferson come to mind, Deism made a lot of sense, but it wasn't very useful. We are examining Deism's usefulness at the Unified Deism community, and we are still discussing it at Nature's God as well.
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How can we expect others to respect our beliefs when we do not respect theirs?
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9:27 am
June 15, 2010
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danhan
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| Acolyte | posts 1 | |
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I like the idea of a Church of Deism. I have to admit I am turned off with any rituals whatsoever, especially a handshake which seems a little like Free Masons to me. I was a protestant minister (Assemblies of God) for many years and I don't see how Deism can grow very well without some kind of ordained ministry to perform weddings and funerals. I am glad to see you establish a Deist ministry.
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9:17 pm
June 15, 2010
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RevJohn
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Thanks for the kind words, and welcome! You aren't the only one who doesn't like the rituals, so they are now gone. I'd appreciate some input on the vows, and there is a discussion of them going on here -
http://churchofdeism.org/main/?page_id=63/suggestion-box/vows-and-rituals-not-written-in-stone-unless-we-decide-they-are/
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12:49 pm
June 17, 2010
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Tumbleweed41
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| Congregant | posts 8 | |
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Hi there. This seemed like as good a place as any to introduce myself. I am a former Southern Baptist Youth Leader and Deacon and have been a Deist for over 8 years. I am currently looking at starting a Deist Fellowship here in Colorado Springs.
I consider my self a "Modern Deist" and spend quite a bit of my time studying Evolutionary Theory and Physics. It is my firm belief that God is reveled in the Natural Laws of the Universe and that it is in only by understanding how our Universe works that we will come to any (however minimal that may be) understanding of God.
Anyway, here is to hoping this site and forum grow and continue to serve the needs of Deists.
Thanks,
Gary S Hudgens
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The Nature of God is manifested in the Natural Laws of the Universe
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1:13 pm
June 18, 2010
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RevJohn
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Thanks for joining, Gary, and welcome!
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2:54 am
August 4, 2010
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ReverendSteve
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Hello,
I have just been ordained with the Church of Deism and am looking forward to reading more postings and learning more from you all. I was brought up as a Buddhist through my pre teen years and learned about other religions. Deism makes sense to me, and I look forward to seeing this church grow. Thank you for having me.
Sincerely,
ReverendSteve
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3:49 pm
November 1, 2010
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ecfgirl
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| Acolyte | posts 1 | |
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yolla,
I'm Rebecca and for my early years I was an athist but always thought there had to be some kind of creater. About the age of 12 I became a southern baptist and always thought that some of the things I got tough were not right nesicarly. Then in my World Civ 2 (age 15) class we talked about diesm and it sounded like me, a week of reseach later I figured out that I am a diest.  So….yea thats me. I'm happy to know I'm not the only diest in this time and age.
By the way, I'm sorry i can't really spell…
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11:08 am
November 15, 2010
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MikeR
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| Acolyte | posts 1 | |
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Hi all,
I've been looking for a place to fellowship with people who have compatible beliefs. I am a person who is a strong believer in a Creator, but found certain issues with other faiths that I could not reconcile. I am really thankful for this opportunity, and really excited about finding this place.
Thanks!
Mike R
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2:54 pm
January 21, 2011
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ADECatonsville
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| Acolyte | posts 1 | |
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Post edited 2:55 pm – January 21, 2011 by ADECatonsville
From reading the prior posts, this seemed to be the most appropriate for relating how I came to this site. I found this site because I was looking for a place to be ordained; my 29 year-old-daughter would like me to conduct her marriage in July of this year.
I was raised as a Methodist in Baltimore and stopped attending church and "practicing" a religion by 1966 (surprise; my first year of college). Talking to a really engaging Episcopal minister on the day my Mom died this past March, I realized that "secular humanist" was not an accurate description of my beliefs. Instead, I believe in a creative power and, more importantly, a moral force, that we are unable to understand, but that was and is necessary for our existence. I adopted the term "Deist".
I was pleased to find that I could be ordained in a "church" that has signifigance for me. The goal, of course, was to be "legal" in Maryland to conduct my daughter's wedding, not to "minister" in any conventional way the word is used. Thanks for the opportunity you've provided.
Alan
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11:07 am
February 6, 2011
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keithZworld
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I personally don't see the point of their being a deist church, no more that one would see the point of an atheist church. At least don't call it a church, call it a support group or community group if you wish. I don't see deism as a religion at all, for me it is believing in God without religion and a church is a very religious ideal.
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12:21 pm
February 6, 2011
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RevJohn
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That point has been made before, is valid, and I can understand where you're coming from. "The church", in a historical context, has a bloody history, i.e., the Inquisition, the Crusades, witch burning, etc. However, a church should simply be a place where folks come together to discuss the mystery of the Creator, and that's exactly what this place is. Just because churches haven't aways been a pillar of theological discussion and personal development in the past doesn't mean that we can't bring the meaning of the word to its rightful place.
With all due respect, I think arguing over the use of the word "church" is a study in semantics, and that's fine, many Deists seem to enjoy discussing semantics. But, churches are not exclusive to Christianity, like the term mosque is exclusive to Islam. Ask any member of the Church of Satan.
The Church of Deism is not just about theological discussion. It exists to give Deists a place to legally perform marriages among their own and according to their own beliefs, as should be their right. Why should we subject ourselves to the proclivities of a pastor, priest or judge who shares little or none of our theological philosophy? A marriage ought to be between two people who love each other without interference from government bureaucrats, but that isn't a reality in our world. In order for credibility in the eyes of the government when it comes to marriage, we would do well to call ourselves a church.
We can discuss the validity of the government when it comes to interference with spiritual belief, but that probably belongs under another topic, such as "Why does the government stick their noses in our spiritual beliefs?" (Feel free to start it if you wish) Personally, I think if the government got out of the marriage business then the Church of Deism likely would as well.
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