Mariano Marcos State University COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION Laoag City CONCEPT OF GOD Report in Philo 1 (Introduction to Philosophy)

Rodel Bryan C. Valdez BSE IV-A English Major Reporter

PART ONE: DEISM I. OVERVIEW

The word "Deism" is derived from the Latin word for God: "Deus." Deism is a natural religion. Deists believe in the existence of God, on purely rational grounds, without any reliance on revealed religion or religious authority or holy text. Because of this, Deism is quite different from religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The latter are based on revelations from God to prophet(s) who then taught it to humans. We like to call natural religions by the title "bottom-up" faiths and revealed religions as "top-down." Deism is a belief in God based on Nature and Reason. Reason and Nature indicate to us that there is a God. But we cannot know the specific nature and purpose of God. "Reason can be used to determine that God exists, but it falls far short in discovering all of God's qualities." "It is evident that an Almighty Power exists, even though it is impossible for us to imagine the nature and manner of its existence." The opposite of Deism is Atheism -- the lack of a belief in god(s). II. BRIEF HISTORY

Deism originated in the Ages of Reason and Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries. During this time, many more people became interested in scientific explanations about the world and became more skeptical of magic and miracles. The term "Deism" originally referred to a belief in one deity, as contrasted with the belief in no God (Atheism) and belief in many Gods (Polytheism). Currently, Deism is generally no longer associated with Christianity or any other established religion. Then, as now, Deism is not a religious movement in the conventional sense of the world. There is no Deistic network of places of worship, a priesthood or hierarchy of authority. III. CHARACTERISTICS AND BELIEFS "God gave us reason, not religion," Slogan of the World Union of Deists.

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No Need for Worship: Because the deist god is entirely removed from involvement, he has neither need nor want of worship. Indeed, deists commonly hold that God does not even care if humanity believes in him. Rejection of Prophets: Because God has no desire for worship or other specific behavior, there is no reason for him to speak through prophets nor send representatives of himself among humanity. Rejection of Supernatural Events: God, in his wisdom, created all of the desired motions of the universe during creation. There is therefore no need for him to make mid-course corrections through the granting of visions, miracles and so forth. Methods of Understanding God: Because God does not manifest himself directly, he can only be understood through the application of reason and through the study of the universe he created. Deists have a fairly positive view of human existence, stressing the greatness of creation and the faculties granted to humanity such as the ability to reason. Deist Views of Organized Religions: Because deists accept that God in uninterested in praise and that he is unapproachable via prayer, there is little organized religion surrounding deist beliefs. Deists often feel that organized religion add layers of untruth to the reality of God. Some deists, particularly historical ones, however, saw a value in organized religion for the common folk, because religion could instill positive concepts of morality and sense of community. Beliefs about immortality of the soul Deists hold a variety of beliefs about the soul. Some, such as Lord Herbert of Cherbury and William Wollaston, held that souls exist, survive death, and in the afterlife are rewarded or punished by God for their behavior in life. Some, such as Benjamin Franklin, believed in reincarnation or resurrection. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

IV.

Why do Deists believe in God? Deists most frequently mention that they instinctively consider nature's order and complexity to be some evidence for God's existence, and/or it satisfies their reasoning that the universe has a creator. If a Deist thinks that God is inactive, why does he/she continue believing in God? A Deist might wish to be at peace and reverence the provider of life, to feel humble at the universe's vast size and powerfulness, to keep the search alive for life's ultimate meaning or source, to seek a higher spiritual power, to find a common bond between him/herself and other living things, or to hope for a final justice or afterlife. If a Deist believes in a Creator, why does he/she also believe in evolution? Evolution is accepted as the natural processes that drive nature's and life's changes after the creating or design input that went into the Big Bang.

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Thomas Huxley said, "Science sees the order which pervades the seeming disorder of the world; the great drama of evolution, with its full share of pity and terror, but also with abundant goodness and beauty." Where do Deists get their morals? Many Deists see in nature that positive actions have positive results and negative actions have negative results (cause and effect), or that their God-given reason and developed conscience helps them aspire to the best of human ethics. If you want something more specific, see a list of suggested values. How can a Deist establish a good model for living from a survival-of-the-fittest nature? A Deist can develop survival into a long-term human cooperation and interdependence ideal rather than a short-term conquer the weakest attitude. How can a Deist find comfort and fulfillment with a rational and limited view of God? A Deist can achieve these by having the freedom from authority to seek personal spirituality, by believing that we have been given everything we need to survive and no further supernatural controlling is necessary, and by allowing Deism to have room for a God that knows and loves its creation. Do Deists believe in fate or free will? They believe strongly in human free will, but for the events outside of human control including things like the time period of a particular life's existence, many believe that they are random ever since the original creation, while some believe God still maintains an orderly universe and determines these. Do Deists have any creeds or rituals? No, but there are at least a few definitive ideas on which most all Deists agree. Horace Greeley said, "I exchanged the severe creed of my orthodox neighbors for a kinder one of my own devising." John Shelby Spong said, "What the mind cannot believe, the heart can finally never adore." Do Deists pray or worship? It depends entirely on the individual. Some do express thanks or wishes that forces beyond their control will be favorable, but these practices indicate the Deist leans toward being a Theist. Thomas Jefferson said, "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." Soren Kierkegaard said, "Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays." What do Deists find inspiring? Going outdoors and enjoying nature's beauty, the search for truth, knowledge, science, philosophy, good books, music, art, and fellowship. What do Deists believe happens when one dies? Some think that it is the end of life with only one's children and productive works to live on, while others believe life's energy continues in another form, but disagree on whether or not it involves judgment and heaven.

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Famous Deists A large number of United States Founding Fathers were deists or had strong deist leanings. Some of them identified themselves as Unitarians, a non-Trinitarian form of Christianity that emphasized rationality and skepticism. These deists include Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, James Madison and John Adams.

PART TWO: FIDEISM I. OVERVIEW

Latin fides, faith A philosophical term meaning a system of philosophy or an attitude of mind, which, denying the power of unaided human reason to reach certitude, affirms that the fundamental act of human knowledge consists in an act of faith, and the supreme criterion of certitude is authority. "I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing." -Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The strongest exponent of this view was Sren Kierkegaard who rejected objective reasoning outright as a basis for faith. For Kierkegaard, faith is a fundamentally different process from objective reasoning, a matter of passion rather than reflection. He opposed the notion of proof to that of faith, arguing that faith is only possible when faced with uncertainty: Without risk, no faith... If I am able to apprehend God objectively, I do not have faith; but because I cannot do this, I must have faith. - Concluding Unscientific Postscript, p.204 Faith is therefore a commitment in the face of uncertainty: and the greater that uncertainty, the greater the faith that is demanded. The greatest faith of all is belief in the impossible and that is exactly how Kierkegaard saw the Christian faith. Christianity, he argued, is a paradox and absurd in its claims of God becoming Man. To believe therefore in this absurd God requires a monumental act of will, a passionate commitment, a leap of faith. II. TYPES OF FIDEISM

Romantic fideism denies, in its most radical version, that faith has a belief component; faith is a kind of feeling or emotion informed by imagination, not reason. Existentialist fideism stresses the absurdity of the universe, finding paradox at every turn. Faith is a blind leap, a criterion-less choice of God or another life commitment. Mystical fideism is the view that faith or trust in God (etc.) opens mystical doors, preparing one for mystical experience.

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Voluntarist fideism, which is similar to existentialist fideism though not as extremely anti-rational, insists on assent to religious propositions as an act of will or choice, undetermined or uninformed by evidence, but also not ruled out by other things we know. Wittgensteinian fideism is the view that religious faith is a whole way of life that can be understood only from the inside, only by actively participating in that life. Anti-evidentialism Fideists have in common a view of faith as guiding, or constituting, an entire way of life. Most fideists also agree that faith is, in part, an emotion or passion, though few go so far as to claim that neither does it shape nor is it shaped by the way one looks intellectually at the world. With regard to philosophy of religion, fideism is defined by its rejection of the relevance of evidence, philosophic canons of evidence, or philosophic scrutiny. William Jamess preliminaries for voluntarist fideism A hypothesis that is suitable for voluntarist faith must be: 1. living 2. forced 3. momentous (not trivial)
Sources: http://altreligion.about.com/od/alternativereligionsaz/p/Deism.htm http://www.religioustolerance.org/deism1.htm http://www.religioustolerance.org/deism.htm http://www.positivedeism.com/deistdoc2.html#2 https://webspace.utexas.edu/shp9/www/pages/305/fideism.pdf http://www.sevenoaksphilosophy.org/religion/faith-and-reason.html http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06068b.htm

Submitted to: Mr. Sonny Rae Fernando Instructor, Philo1

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