Every day I tell myself, don’t give up on Jesus, you can’t give up on Jesus. But reading threads like this makes me want to throw in the towel and go Deist. I’ve spent the last couple weeks reading http://www.deist.com/ and the writings of Paine, Jefferson, and Franklin and have come to the conclusion that these were very smart, rational fellows who make an awful lot of sense.
Do you currently worship God and/or Jesus but have a problem buying everything the Bible says? Does too much of it fly in the face of science? Does too much seem illogical? Do you feel your faith can’t stretch that far? Have you ever uttered the phrase, “I don’t mind God, it’s his followers I can’t stand”? The gon Deist! Believe in and worship God without having to swallow all the gobble-dee-gook. Deists believe that the Bible, which portrays God as wrathful, jealous, and murderous, does more to slander Him than honor him and have chucked it in favor of a belief that is simple and pure:
God created the universe. Explore it, study it, and enjoy it. What could be easier??
I’ve composed a letter to the editor of the local paper in response to an editorial they ran yesterday about prayer in school. Below is the long version, before I pared it down to fit the 500-word-or-fewer requirement. It probably does portray me as a Deist, even though I’m not sure I’m ready to commit (I’m pretty flighty). At this point, I prefer to be thought of as a Deist-sympathizer.
"There is a very good reason why teacher-led prayer is not permitted in public schools: the public pays teachers to educate, not preach or pray. The only morals they are required to enforce are those mandated by the school and the law: don’t steal, don’t hurt each other, respect each other’s person and property, etc. Anything more than that is the responsibility of the families.
"Of course students can pray all they want on their own. At least when I was in school, we had 4 minutes between classes, plus 8-minute morning and afternoon breaks, and about 45 minutes for lunch. Plenty of time for the students that are so inclined to pray to their contentment. Anyone who challenges that is obstructing their rights protected by the First Amendment.
"So what did the Founding Fathers intend with the First Amendment? What were they thinking? We’ll never be able to ask them, but we can develop an educated opinion by reading their essays and correspondence. Would the FF be opposed to prayer in school? We must examine their writings to draw a conclusion. However, in my opinion, it doesn’t look good for the prayer crowd.
"Many were avowed Deists, meaning they believed in the Creator, but that His word is found in nature and science, not in the Bible. Many denied the divinity of Christ, even his existence, and considered the Bible to be a collection of superstitions and fables. Thomas Jefferson “cut and pasted” the New Testament to create his own work, “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth,” also called “The Jefferson Bible.” Gone were the miracles and supernatural, left only was the story of a wise philosopher and teacher. In January 1802, Jefferson wrote in a letter to the Danbury Baptists, “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislative should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.” Does he sound like someone who would approve of tax-paid teachers leading students in prayer?
"Jefferson was not alone. Thomas Paine, author of “Common Sense,” also authored, “Age of Reason,” a Deist text railing against the Bible and revealed religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allen, and George Washington were also prominent Deists. Franklin wrote in his autobiography, “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.” They believed in Providence, but believed that God could not be “dictated” to and that one should only offer prayers of thanksgiving. Again, do they sound like they would appreciate school officials praying for blessings before a football game? Or that they would approve of a Jewish text which includes commandments on how to worship God being displayed in the classroom?
"BUT Deists demand tolerance for the beliefs of others. For example, many of the FF were against Catholicism, but George Washington forbade his men from observing “Pope’s Day,” a day celebrated by burning the Pope in effigy, because it was disrespectful. As the World Union of Deists says, “Hate the superstition, not the superstitious.”
"Finally, before I’m rode out of town on a rail for supporting the views of heretics and heathens, please allow me to quote Jesus Himself in Matthew 6:5-6, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Does it sound like Jesus wants to see teachers standing there for all to see leading children in prayer? Doesn’t it sound like He would rather it be done at home, in private, just between the individual and God? Just some food for thought.
“In conclusion, the First Amendment guarantees that all people have a right to worship or not worship the Creator however they see fit, and the government, no matter how subtly, has no place in that worship. Our schools’, government’s, and parents’ time and energy would be better spent educating students about the history of this country and lives of its founders than quibbling over whether or not schools should be used as places of worship.”
Guilty as charged. My degree is in anthropology with a minor in comparative religion. I’ve done some research into modern paganism and its history. What you’ve said about modern heathenism or the continuation of Antique pagan practices into modern times is pretty much right on.