Deism vs. Atheism

November 6th, 2007

Mark Oppenheimer has written an interesting piece for the NY Times magazine this week called “The Turning of an Atheist”. The article is about the elderly philosopher Antony Flew, and his back-and-forth position on atheism or ‘deism’ - between belief that there is no God versus what he describes as the belief that there is an intelligent Supreme Being who does not intervene in human affairs.

Oppenheimer presents Flew as a sort of good-natured pawn in a political struggle between two opposing sides, one side which believes there is no credible scientific evidence for the existence of God, and the other which believes, well, perhaps there is, if not proof, at least some persuasive science-based ideas.

We do not wish to intervene in this debate, except to note that the kind of passion that motivates both sides is the heart, the home of all that is most sacred, most holy. Whether one worships God, science, reason, the Universe, Energy, empiricism, Christ, Buddha, or nothing that can be named, the feeling of worship resides in the heart. We want to be able to see in what you worship, the essence of what it is we worship, so that in the end, there can be no argument about belief. What is sacred to you is sacred to us, even if we call it something different.

Also, we’d like to invite you to consider whether your current beliefs are helping your heart or holding your heart back. Some beliefs change over a person’s life; others remain constant. As our understanding our ourselves, the nature of reality, and our relationship to each other and to the unity of being changes, our beliefs must also change to incorporate our new understanding. Yet we often cling to our old beliefs, like a snake that refuses to shed its skin.

Entry Filed under: The Heart