Defining Life: the Relationship between God and Man - Essay Example

?Throughout the of human history there have been many different attempts by individuals to define life and explain what, if any, relationship exists between the temporal and the divine. For centuries, even millennia, humanity strove to define the relationship between God and man as something of a miraculous, mysterious, and complex relationship; mixed with varying levels of divine interference within human matters. The common thread of this level of mystery/miraculous incidents and the way in which the natural world exists can be traced from the earliest representations of Hinduism, to Judaism, to Christianity, to Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism, and almost each and every single one of the world’s major religions. Moreover, belief in a miraculous and/or mysterious representation of the divine cannot and should not be viewed as something unique to monotheism. As can readily be understood from a cursory examination of the Hindu or Greek pantheon, a direct level of interference on the part of the gods is evidenced throughout the traditions and scriptures that these individual religious interpretations have developed. From such a long and historical/traditional understanding of what defines God/gods, it comes as something of a surprise that the belief system of deism ever came to any prominence whatsoever. As a means of understanding, explaining, defining, and drawing a level of inference with regards to how deism affected, and continues to affect the world in which we live, this brief analysis will seek to engage the reader with a more well-rounded and complete understanding of this belief system; as well as the key factors that contributed to it and the impacts that this particular belief system continues to engender. As with many historical theories and definitions of the world, deism was born out of a particular historical movement and time. In such a manner, within 17th and 18th century Europe, as well as the United States, the Age of Enlightenment was taking place. Within this particular time, the means by which the Catholic and Protestant churches of Europe could control and manage the means by which individuals thought and integrated with new and developing knowledge was severely and indefinitely curtailed. Nearly each and every movement of human history up until this point in time had moved humanity closer and closer to technological development, scientific discovery, industrial change, and a litany of other factors. Within such an understanding, the reader can come to the clear and definitive understanding of the fact that deism was ultimately borne out of the zeitgeist that was experienced during this unique era in human history. From a definitive standpoint, deism is ultimately the belief that reason and observation alone are in and of themselves sufficient to determine whether or not God/gods exist (s). Furthermore, deism sought to reject prior norms that have long been accepted within Europe and the remainder of the world; namely the belief that revelation in and of itself could be utilized as a type of authority for knowledge, the belief and understanding that the divine regularly integrated with the human, the belief that Scripture was ultimately flawless, the belief in miracles, and many other standbys that had traditionally been understood by Christianity of various denominations to define the way in which God interacted with his creation. As is so prone to occur with religious interpretations and ideologies, deism soon came to be a way in which sociological factors of interpersonal and governmental relationships were determined. What is meant by this is that the Age of Enlightenment was a tumultuous period in world history in which the constraints of both government and church were shocked in favor of reason and the human accrual of knowledge. It should not be understood by any means that this level of scientific and exploratory knowledge seeking is in and of itself bad. Ultimately, the spirit that gave rise to deism is the same one that helps to develop modern science, dispel the myth of spontaneous generation, present the world with an understanding that it was not the center of the universe, and a great variety of other scientific and socio-/cultural developments. However, the most salient of any of these is with regards to the understanding that reason and rationality were the ultimate “good” whereby human society should be governed (Ross 225). Although democratic movements, to some degree or another, had been evidenced throughout Europe and the rest of the world for a period of many centuries, it was the Age of Enlightenment, and it’s religion of deism, that prompted a paradigm shift from what had previously existed for so long. Ultimately, with regards to what it existed within Europe, the reader should understand that even though a degree of technological and industrial/scientific knowledge was being embarked upon, the same ineffective constraints of church/state control over nearly each and every aspect of society constrained the way in which further development could be made possible. In such a manner, it is the understanding and belief of this particular author that deism provided an extraordinarily important drive in impetus towards the development of modern democracy and the idea of republicanism. In short, the evidence of the impacts of Deism upon the development of modern democracy, and by extension the Age of Enlightenment, can be seen with regards to the way in which both the Republic of France and the United States of America plotted their course and defined their future at the turn of the 18th century. Just as the strength of other religious movements can oftentimes be defined within a particular calendar period, the strength and influence that deism provided was concentric upon the 40 or 50 years following the Age of Enlightenment within Europe and United States (Mohammed 286). Within such an understanding, the reader would do well to consider the fact that the use of primarily influenced and motivated many of the founding fathers of the United States. One can hardly listen to a contemporary debate concerning American society and the means by which the founding fathers wished it to take shape without hearing references to the fact that the United States is a “Christian nation”. Although this was effectively true at the time in which the founding fathers created the documents that defined and instituted the United States as a governmental system, it is also a gross and broad over simplification of fact. In effect, the individuals within the current system that oftentimes evoke such an understanding are either ill-informed or purposely obfuscating the fact that deism and traditional Christianity, as practiced within the United States today, is fundamentally different. In short, rather than subjecting oneself to what can be seen as the fickle whim and fancy of a higher power, deism promotes the belief that rationality in reason were the primary gifts by which this entity bestowed on all humankind. Within such a definition, it is therefore incumbent upon each and every individual to seek to leverage these “gifts” as a means of bettering themselves, the region which they lived, and humanity as a whole. As a direct result of this method of interpretation, the reader can note that the following lines within the Declaration of Independence clearly evoke an understanding of how reason, rationality, and the means by which a deistic God imbued humanity are evidenced. Says Thomas Jefferson, among others who were ultimately responsible for the creation of this document, “We hold these truths to be self evidence that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights that among these include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Jefferson 1) (emphasis provided). Within such an italicized reading of this particular passage of one of the most famous texts in all human history, the reader can come to a more appreciable level of understanding with respect to what degree the divine was thought to play in gifting and endowing his creation with key rights and abilities. These were so fundamental to the Declaration of Independence, and indeed the egalitarian movements that were spawned by the deists in Europe and the United States, that they have been included practically verbatim within our own Declaration of Independence. Although it has been briefly discussed, it is important to note that the impact of deism upon governmental structure was profound to say the least. Whereas the previous dynamic and has perpetually been defined with regards to the close marriage between church and state, the new dynamic that deism promoted was never before witnessed until such a time that either the United States or the Republic of France instituted within the governmental structure. This should not be men’s to denote that deism was somehow incorporated into the governmental process; rather, it was heavily influenced by a dynamic interpretation of the matter by which humanity should integrate with the divine. Whereas the idea of representative democracy is oftentimes discussed alongside the separation of church and state, and the innate belief that humanity can and should express a degree of engagement with their particular government, the core and root of such a belief system/religion (if indeed one can call Deism a religion) is the belief that no human convention should seek to undermine or destroy the innate rationality and reason which were gifted to humanity as a result of whatever form of creation took place. In effect, the extent and degree to which deism prized and value rationality/reason is oftentimes caricatured by those who do not integrate with deism’s interpretation of the world. In such a way, such individuals oftentimes ridicule the way in which the goddess of reason, as was commonly referred to during the age of Enlightenment, is the ultimate guide by which deism constrains and defines itself. An interesting reality with regards to what has become of Deism within the modern world must be noted. Few religions in the history of the world have been able to lay claim to being able to define, encourage, and start a system of governance that lasted the test of time, this is indeed a claim to fame that deism holds. Surprisingly, even though this is the case and even though the nation of France as well as the United States continues to reference their deistic origin as a function of their development, deism in and of itself, as a religious interpretation and movement, is effectively dead. In order to understand the ultimate reason behind this, one must seek to trace a level of human philosophical development; starting with the first attempt at government, health, philosophy, and science – religion, and analyzing this all the way to the creation and development of Darwinism, modernism, postmodernism, and a litany of other scientific/philosophical interpretations of how the world is governed. What is meant by this is the fact that deism is ultimately a progression in the stage of human thought. In such a way, it becomes somewhat absurd to attempt to understand deism and in the same way that a transitional fossil of evolution might be understood. Although this transitional fossil (deism) is no longer evidenced within the current world, it nonetheless impacts upon the way in which the extent environment has developed and continues to develop. Moreover, due to the fact that deism was such an aberration and deviation from the traditional interpretations and understandings of the divine and the means by which impacted upon the human world, it only stands to reason that a further progression from deism would necessarily be a renewed level of agnosticism to be followed by the introduction of a broad-based understanding and belief that the divine did not exist whatsoever; also known as atheism. Although it is not the purpose of this paper to analyze whether or not deism is an effective definition and means by which humanity can understand the relation to an Almighty, if one exists at all, it must be understood that this particular belief, born of the Age of Enlightenment, can first and foremost be seen as a transitional stage of human thought and development. Whereas deism may be long gone and not actively practiced on a large scale, one of the primary reasons for this is the fact that worship is not required to integrate with a deistic interpretation of the world. Within such an interpretation, if worship is not required, the means by which such a “faith” could prosthletize and continue to attract new adherents, raise money, and engage in almost all of the functions that traditional and surviving religions have done for centuries is fundamentally nonexistent. This understanding is of vital importance to see and realize why deism, as compared to other belief systems, has eventually faded into a degree of obscurity; except for the readily defined representation that it continues to show with reference to governmental structure and norms of the representative republic. However, one might proffer the understanding that deism is ultimately no different from atheism due to the fact that neither of these has an aggressive proselytizing program. Although seemingly rational at first glance, atheism, just as with so many modern interpretations of the world in which we live, was based upon development from the other belief systems; agnosticism and deism. Within such an understanding, atheism was able to modify itself and come to a level of appreciative understanding with regards to how long such a belief system would be evidenced within the world should no level of active integration take place with other human beings. Within such a dynamic, atheism has grown and morphed to incorporate many of the proselytizing actions that traditional Christianity, or any other religion for that matter, has engaged in to guarantee future relevance. From the analysis that has thus far been conduced he reader can come to the clear and definitive understanding that deism, although not currently evidenced in the form of active practice, has and continues to have a defining influence upon human development. Moreover, whereas a great many products of human philosophical and religious thought have defined the means by which society of the past several hundred years has developed, it would be the suggestion of this particular author that none have done so more than deism. This is a bold statement; however, when one looks over the global situation and notices that the vast majority of governmental institutions are based upon the reason and rationality models first put forward by the Age of Enlightenment, and deism in particular, it becomes easily noticeable that deism has served to be a primal motivator with regards to how humans integrate with one another; both within the past and with the current era. Finally, for a belief system that is partially no longer practiced or relevant, deism defies the norms in that it is continued and furthered by the chartering documents of representative republicanism within the world. Within such an understanding, although deism is effectively unpracticed and does not represent an established religion such as so many other forms of religions within the global system, it is still able to generate a degree of impact that is far beyond what would normally be considered within its capabilities. Works Cited Jefferson, Thomas, and Sam Fink. The Declaration of Independence. New York: Scholastic Reference, 2002. Print. MUHAMMAD ALI, ABDULLAHU. "Antony Flew's Deism: Critical Remarks On 'My Pilgrimage From Atheism To Theism'." Journal Of Shi'a Islamic Studies 4.3 (2011): 283-294. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 June 2013. Ross, Craig. "Dennett's Deism." International Journal For Philosophy Of Religion 71.3 (2012): 221-238. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 June 2013. Read More