A Critique of Deism (original) (raw)
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A Critique of Bassam Zawadis Arguments Against Deism Regarding Divine Wisdom
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This work aims to refute the argument of Bassam Zawadi that divine wisdom necessitates God's continuous intervention in the universe, particularly within a deistic framework. Deism posits a non-interventionist God who, in wisdom, created a self-sustaining, orderly universe governed by natural laws. The critique that wisdom requires intervention is anthropocentric, projecting human concepts onto the divine, which deism rejects. By creating an autonomous universe, deism upholds human freedom and moral responsibility. The argument also misinterprets non-intervention as indifference, whereas deism views it as trust in creation's self-sufficiency. Addressing suffering and injustice, deism asserts that human reason and compassion are the means to improve the world, rejecting reliance on divine interference. Ultimately, deism offers a coherent worldview grounded in natural law, human autonomy, and rational order.
Propositional Revelation and the Deist Controversy: A Note
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One of the most passionate debates in Early Modern British and Irish thought concerned divine revelation. The debate, also known as the Deist controversy, lasted from 1690s to 1730s and focused on the issue of whether Christian religion is a revelation from God and contains supernatural truths that transcend the human intellect. 1 The truths in question include the Christian mysteries such as the doctrines of the Trinity, the Incarnation and the resurrection of the dead. A number of unorthodox thinkers who came to be known as deists or freethinkers claimed that natural or rational religion is in fact the only true religion and Christianity-the purported revealed religion-does not add anything substantial to our rational knowledge of God and his relation to us. The deists held that all genuine religious doctrines are clear, comprehensible and accessible to the human intellect. They often regarded religious rituals and institutions as redundant and effectually reduced worship to the observation of moral duties. Far from forming a homogeneous group, they all expressed views that many proponents of the established church regarded as hostile towards religion in general and dangerous for the whole society. Accordingly, defenders of the established church and religion published apologetic responses to those unorthodox views
The Age of Enlightenment (1650 CE – 1800 CE) introduced original modes of thinking about God, religion, and humanity’s spiritual relationship with nature. These illuminating ideas culminated in an ideology known as Deism which was primarily influenced by John Locke (1632 CE – 1704 CE). This paper focuses on events leading up to the formation of Deism and its five fundamental principles. Locke's philosophy advanced theological discourse as a rational form of spiritual expression.
Deism: A Rational Journey from Disbelief to the Existence of God, 2022
DEISM AND JUDICIUM DIVINUM Many religious traditions believe in the idea of a judicium divinum or final judgment in the afterlife. But I do not believe that God, a supreme being, punishes anyone. By punishment here I intend the sort contrapasso or retributive punishment that Dante describes in the Divine Comedy's Inferno. The world is no doubt replete with injustice. Many good people suffer, and many don't get what they deserve, while others who are evil prosper and get some reward they don't deserve. As a result, many theists find solace in the idea of a final judgment that will take place in the afterlife. Since God is perfectly just, it is believed, He can restore justice and somehow make the wrong we experience in our lifetimes right. Many deists reject the notion of judicium divinum because God is not a "God of fear and trembling, of punishment and damnation" (Manuel, 1983: 34). Since divine judgment is such an important doctrine of theism, and according to common definitions of deism deists don't believe in a final judgment, most theists deem deism as a false belief. The obvious response is that God is an omnibenevolent
Two Arguments for the Incoherence of Non-Teleological Deism
Manuscrito, 2022
I argue that one form of deism, what I shall call 'moderate non-teleological deism', seems prima facie incoherent (at least on the assumption of the intuitive Anselmian conception of God). I offer two arguments in support of the prima facie incoherence view: the moral irresponsibility argument and the practical irrationality argument. On the one
Theism & Deism: Non-exhaustively
Theism & Deism: Non-exhaustively, 2022
Importantly for this particular entry: My conclusion differs, for example, from many in ex-Christian movements that conclude that once Christianity and the Scripture is debunked in his/her mind, that therefore, atheism is the most reasonable worldview to embrace. My church bible study leader actually assumed that atheism was the default, most likely worldview for many, if not most, within the Western world, if Christianity was untrue. But, whether that deduction in regards to the opinions of many is true or not, that is not my view.