Sometimes from following the diverse deistic blogs, it appears Deism could be accurately described as: “The only firing squad that stands in a circle.” Seems we spend considerable time taking potshots at fellow Deists when there are better things to do then draw targets on each other. In continuing along the axiom theme of my previous posts, does an axial axiom exist for our movement? Is there a self-evident central core hub around which we can unite? We are direly in need of some type of anchoring point, rallying cry, polar star, or compass setting for our movement. Is there a foundational way to activate our actions, motivate our members, and focus our efforts?
Thomas Merton once wrote: “There is always a temptation to diddle around in the contemplative life, making itsy-bitsy statues.” Most Deists, in terms of their beliefs, thrive in the intellectual private realm of contemplation, but then choke when it comes to action in the real sphere of public activity. Endless contemplative foreplay without the consummation of life by pragmatic activity is a waste. Further remarks on the subject from Thoreau nail it:
"There are nowadays professors of philosophy, but not philosophers. Yet it is admirable to profess because it was once admirable to live. To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically."
But before pointing any fingers, I like many Deists, resemble Thoreau’s remark in spending more than my fair share of time parked in the garage of existence revving my mental engine without putting my life into gear. Anyone have thoughts on propositions of an axial axiom for deism, or on which way we should steer from here?
By Danny Ray
Previously I wrote of axioms as being self-evident truths. As Deists, we don’t always agree on very much, yet our basic foundational axiom-“There is A God”- seems such an obviously in-your-face, just-open-your-eyes-type point. Yet many of my very reasonable friends look at the evidence and develop a different axiom. It’s interesting how words can get in our way, since they are actually poetic and allow much room for differences of interpretation.
When I say “God” my connotation maybe totally different from what pops into your mind. Many people are turned off and defensive when the word “God” hits their ears, because their mind’s eye has been trained to envision an anthropomorphic judgmental old man in the sky who is going to get you in the end unless you do exactly as he tells you. Speaking only for me, this God made in the image of man is not what I believe in as a Deist.
The phrase credited to Voltaire: “If you would converse with me, you must first define your terms”-describes the predicament to be solved in dialogue. Yet how does one define God? Here is a partial list of pseudonyms for God:
· The More
· The Ultimate
· The Original Dice-Thrower
· The Great Unknowable
· The Invisible Mover
· The Master Mechanic
· The Wholly Other
· The Absolute
· My Invisible Friend
· The Creative Power
· The Ultimate Mystery
In Christianity’s The Lord’s Prayer, the phrase is “…hallowed be thy name”. Yet in my book any vocalization we utter, or symbols we write are not only hallow, but actually just shallow attempts to capture that which cannot be captured, or to contain that which cannot be contained. Perhaps best is the advice from Chapter 1 of the Taoist’s Tao Te Ching- which suggests instead of wasting time invoking a name for the unnamable, it’s best if we just wonder. What do you mean when you say “God”?
By Dan Retzer (aka Danny Ray)
For Deists, a familiarity with the term axiom is very helpful. An axiom is defined as “a self-evident or universally recognized truth.”
Similar to Socrates’ statement “the unexamined life is not worth living”- the unexamined faith is also not worth having. Personally it’s been very emotionally painful, yet ultimately very fulfilling as I’ve looked at my own orchard of thought and chopped down many a cherished axiom which in retrospect I should not have even allowed to germinate. For years I have watered and cultivated many an unreasonable idea. A Mark Twain quote succinctly describes this lifelong self-examination process -“I must studiously and faithfully unlearn a great many things I have somehow absorbed.”
Unfortunately in drinking from the fountain of knowledge, almost everyone’s glass contains a twist of confirmational bias. The human tendency is to ignore evidence which refutes our beliefs and cling to those that do. We commonly build a foundation of seemingly self-evident axioms to support our belief structures which maybe personally satisfying, but in the end, become surprised to find our personal beliefs are actually not universally held axioms. For example, many a dialogue toward deism with Christian friends involving the axiom of the Bible as the inerrant “Word of God”, takes an interesting turn when informed Thomas Jefferson took his penknife to the scriptures.
The well-meaning Deist who envisions a better World, should be ruthless in terms of self-examination, but needs to be gentle and have sympathy in debunking others. Perhaps a more fitting approach to the axioms of others would involve nibbling or whittling? To avoid entrenchment in the battle of beliefs, allowing self-application of the final coup de grâce to an axiom is best. To emphasis the positive attributes of deism is better than pointing out the cracks in our fellow human’s foundations of hope. Be aware that religious apologetics is an emotionally laden process of biased rationalization for believing unbelievable axioms. Deists are not immune to bias. In reference to the Twain quote, unlearning is harder than learning. It’s apropos to not hesitate to apply the axe to our unfounded axioms. Stay sharp!
By Dan Retzer (aka Danny Ray)
Have you ever heard the joke—“Why did the ball roll down the hill? ---well because it wanted to get the bottom of it!” Most of us are like the ball, yet getting down the hill and to the bottom of it is difficult. None of us ever really make it. Since I am a new guest blogger, please allow me to introduce myself. As a family doctor who has signed birth certificates and way too many death certificates, I am someone who on a daily basis knows what it means to “fight the good fight.”
Every morning involves not just fighting the battle between hope and doubt in life, but to frequently waffle between the two emotions as the day goes on. My emotional life parallels the physical realm in terms of the second law of thermodynamics concerning entropy: an orderly system tends to go to disorder unless energy is applied. An ordered life of true hope requires the expenditure of energy.
I suspect I will never ultimately get to the philosophical bottom of life alluded to in the previous joke, but I find the journey fulfilling. Please realize anything I write is from the standpoint of a continuum of evolving concepts in an ever-changing worldview which is currently that of a deist. Have I found the ultimate truth? No, but by being allowed to raise balloons of opinion on this blog for others to shoot holes in will allow me to build a better worldview. Perhaps it can be filled with something besides just hot air? With that in mind, take everything I post with a high degree of suspicion.
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