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February 07, 2006

Deism: the gift that keeps on giving

In the almost two years that we've been writing this blog, I've had a handful of people remark to me via email or comments about my bio, which includes a link to an area of my personal beliefs: Deism.

But in the last two weeks, I've had no less than 3 women mention coming to Deism via my bio.

For those unaware, Deism has only one strict tenet: God is...and there it lies.

Deism touches a cord in me that is meaningful down to my spiritual core. The fact that those who've responded to me on this are much more likely to be women is curious to me. What is it about Deism that gets under the skin of the fairer sex?

One of the women who found Deism via my bio is Catharine who writes the blog The Catharine Chronicles:

Thanks to Carla of Preemptive Karma, I landed on a fabulous little website that explained in detail what Deism actually is. And, lo and behold, I discovered that this crisis that I've been going through since November, 2004, was really my awakening to the fact that -- hey, guess what? -- I'm an ex-Christian. I mean, completely. Like, don't believe that Jesus was the son of anybody but Joseph and Mary. Like, don't believe that the bible was written by God or by men being dictated to by God. A belief in God, but a respect for reason. That's who I was raised. I'm a Deist, damn it. Again. A born-again Deist, if you will. It's a wonderful feeling to know that, and to know that I'm not alone. Especially these days.

Catharine's epiphany to Deism seems much like my own.

In my studies of the founding fathers, I came across the fact many of them were Deists, which inspired me to dig further. If so many brilliant and learned men found their spiritual center in Deism....perhaps a searching soul like myself could as well..?

The founders cited are obviously all men. But quite clearly Deism is attractive to modern day women. Part of it for me is most assuredly my politics. My strong belief in separation of church and state is definitely a main piece for most Deists.

I've also had an aversion to the anti-woman, anti-civil rights parts that I see in the Bible. I've seen Christians time and again use these Biblical ideas as a battering ram to ensure that women,gays and other minorities are denied the same rights as white males. While many Christians will rightly say that this is an abuse of scriptures, I have been offended by it way too often to return to a belief system whose most important book is so easily manipulated to harm others.

I think the nurturing side of women is what attracts so many to this type of spirituality. Religion tends to be divisive...us against them. Deism embraces even those who don't believe in God. In other words..each person must come to their own beliefs in their own time. It's not for us to figure it out for them. Their rights and privileges are just as meaningful as my own.

I feel honored that my little bio has in a small way helped others find some meaning that they've been looking for.

Posted by Carla at February 7, 2006 11:53 AM