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My name is Edward L. Daley, and I'm what's known as a deist. That is to say that I embrace no particular religious faith, yet I do believe in an eternal creator of all life and existence... as best we understand those terms. I simply do not claim to know the motives or methods of our creator.

As a deist, I'm generally regarded by most religious people as being a little weird, which suits me just fine, since I AM a little weird... and believe me, religion has absolutely nothing to do with that fact. Still, I've always been fascinated by religion, and that's why I'm writing this article today.

For you see, I've come to conclude over the course of my 48 years on Earth that there are good religious practices and bad ones. I shall not name the various memberships of either camp here, but I will outline, in the simplest terms available to me, the necessary elements of what I believe to be a 'good religion.'

In my view, a good religion is one in which its practitioners understand that a person cannot force another to honestly and wholeheartedly embrace any particular belief system. True faith can only be achieved of one's own free will, devoid of coercion, bribery or any other illicit act.

Secondly, no good religion systemically endeavors to punish people for not embracing it. If one truly believes that one's faith is the only means by which one may enter into the kingdom of God, such a person would necessarily pity a non-believer, and one does not punish those for whom one has sympathy.

Lastly, no practitioner of a good religion would seek to openly demean, degrade or defame the good religion embraced by another, even though one may strongly disagree with the latter's method of worship. One may attempt to convert a person of a different faith to their own, but only via positive means, lest one be essentially corruptive in nature.

After all, if the point of embracing a religious faith is to find oneness with God (and please tell me, what other point is there?) what Godly purpose would it serve a person to embrace a religion which causes harm to non-believers for simply failing to share in said faith? Are not all people created equal in God's eyes? And if one is judged wicked by God, isn't it God who determines one's ultimate fate?

I rest my case.

1 posted on 02/17/2011 2:33:30 PM PST by DARCPRYNCE

"In my view, a good religion is one in which its practitioners understand that a person cannot force another to honestly and wholeheartedly embrace any particular belief system. True faith can only be achieved of one's own free will, devoid of coercion, bribery or any other illicit act.

Secondly, no good religion systemically endeavors to punish people for not embracing it. If one truly believes that one's faith is the only means by which one may enter into the kingdom of God, such a person would necessarily pity a non-believer, and one does not punish those for whom one has sympathy.

Lastly, no practitioner of a good religion would seek to openly demean, degrade or defame the good religion embraced by another, even though one may strongly disagree with the latter's method of worship."

The first point is true according to biblical principles.

The rest is simply creating a god to suit yourself.

He openly claims to not "know the motives or methods of our creator", and yet proceeds to define the intents and purposes of that creator as a feelgood worldview that he chooses to ordain.

It's the oldest religion in the book. It's put-your-idol-on-the-shelf-&-call-it-god religion.

2 posted on 02/17/2011 2:43:07 PM PST by Christian Engineer Mass (25ish Cambridge, MA grad student. Any potential conservative Christian FReepmail-FRiends out there?)

...isn't it God who determines one's ultimate fate?

If that were true, what need is there for free will? What difference would it make in accepting or rejecting Christ?

3 posted on 02/17/2011 2:46:26 PM PST by loboinok (Gun control is hitting what you aim at!)

Yer doin’ alright Ed. Keep seeking—it took me about 48 years too. Here’s a hint—it’s not as complicated as we make it.

5 posted on 02/17/2011 2:47:59 PM PST by randog (Tap into America!)

Just a thought. There is only one Truth and it takes effort to unearth it.

Relativism is what is killing this country and all the “immutable” principles that made it work for hundreds of years. We are preventing a “God”-centered country now, instead of being one.....Our government is promoting Secular Humanism in schools and media (the Atheist religion) and chasing God out of our “democracy”. We are no longer a Republic...we are a socialist mess where we have had our freedoms stripped from us at an amazing speed.

We need to restore God as the Giver of all our rights and get rid of the Positivism and return to the fundamental intent of our
Constitution....no man-made laws allowed that go against Natural Law Theory which always presupposes a Supreme Being. Put the 10 Commandments back in the public square because that was the intent of our Founding Fathers and the basis of our legal system. Revelation with Natural Law Theory. We never were intended to be a country of man-made law based on whims and corruption to force ideas that go against God’s Laws and the Laws of Nature.

Think about it....Since Oliver Wendell Holmes...our judicial system has become an absolute JOKE! So corrupt and unjust. He removed Moral Law from our our Judicial system. It can never be Just and won’t!
Judicial system is an oxymoron now.

9 posted on 02/17/2011 3:15:16 PM PST by savagesusie

17 posted on 02/17/2011 3:40:25 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

20 posted on 02/17/2011 3:42:14 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Those arguments are among many I believe support my faith in Judaism.

21 posted on 02/17/2011 3:42:34 PM PST by Uncle Miltie ("And did you exchange a walk on part in a war, for a lead role in a cage?")

I like the one that says “believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved-and your house”. That’s it, now go be nice to each other. That’s the one I like.

41 posted on 02/17/2011 6:26:36 PM PST by CynicalBear

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