March 21, 2022
Deist versus Atheist
Excerpt from an Exchange between a Deist and an Atheist
IF I [the Deist] desired an “intellectual” argument for the assertion that “atheism is a religion”, then I might argue as follows:
Given the premise that 1) the existence of God can be neither proven nor disproven, and 2) “belief” is defined as “absolute certainty” with or without proof, then atheism – defined as the absolute certainty of the non-existence of God – can be viewed as a form or variation of “religion.”
On the “purely intellectual” level Agnosticism seems to me to be the most “reasonable” standpoint.
Note: I am neither advocating nor opposing either/any particular “religious view.” Not even atheism. Regardless of whether or not one chooses to view atheism as a “religion.”
Defense of (above) Premise
Man’s knowledge is limited.
Man’s ability to process data is imperfect.
Man’s “data collection” is further limited by limited and imperfect perception.
Therefore, man’s ability to understand even just the “known universe” is quite limited.
Furthermore, given the premise that “the more we know, the more we know how little we know”, it would seem unlikely that this will ever change.
Therefore, man can prove neither the existence nor the non-existence of “God.” [For our purposes here “God” may be viewed as the “creator” of the “universe.” Regardless of his current relationship to the universe, whether or not he interacts with it, and, if he does, then how.]
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