Philosophical musings on Quanta & Qualia;  Materialism & Spiritualism; Science & Religion; Pragmatism & Idealism, etc.

God’s not up here
G*D’s everywhere

Post 10. 01/22/2017

Evolution of God

God 1.0

Eventually, after centuries of blind obedience to Jehovah’s official representative in Rome, Europe was opened-up to other worldviews by a revival of the ancient Greek system of skeptical doubt & rational inquiry. After that Age of Enlightenment, a few self-labeled Deists got tired of the fraternal spats & divisive dogmas of scripture-based Theisms. So they decided to go back to an older simpler god-model that is open to reason and eschews blind faith, in hopes that it would be less subject to the fragmenting forces of religious entropy. Their loosely-defined deity was at first imagined as simply a return to the pure mono-theism of the Torah. But in the  high-tech 21st century, the search for “G*D 1.0” may be looking for something like a transcendent Architect of the on-going creative system we call the Cosmos, with no anthro-morphic attributes. Since it now appears that the natural system was designed (programmed) to operate on auto-pilot (evolution), no angels or storm-gods are needed to administer the day-to-day operations of Nature.

This simplified unified god-model doesn't require any faith in dogmatic scriptures or any rote repetition of ancient rituals. And you are free to imagine the First Cause as a magician or a multiverse. You can make up your own religious practices if you like, or join in some of the time-honored traditions of riotous dances or solemn processions. If it makes you happy, you can even live in anticipation of a second chance to get your life right. With no divine revelation, other than the Creation itself, everything is open to interpretation. Whatever you believe about the details, just don't try to force other people to bow to your opinions – and we'll all get along like one big happy family5.

The modern Deist worldview, however, does require a basic understanding of the evolutionary process, since that is assumed to be the deity's method of creation6. Back when the Old Testament was written, it was apparent to most reasonable people that the world was flat, and that change was limited to the cycles of the sun going around the Earth. But now we can see with our own eyes that our home planet is round, and our current scientific model has it circling the sun, which in turn spirals around the center of a galaxy. Still, the average person may have difficulty grasping some of the counter-intuitive principles of the Quantum physics underlying their own smartphones.

Even for some highly-educated people, the established fact of physical evolution may be difficult to grasp, since the evidence is limited to bits-&-pieces scattered here-&-there. But the amazingly successful paradigm of Science is grounded on the principles of evolution in both physics and biology. So, if you enjoy modern technology and medicine, you will really like the Great Programmer, who created a progressive storyline that never gets old, because it constantly renews itself7.

If the amorphous deity of Deism is too remote & abstract for you, just imagine your god any way you like. But don't be surprised if nature and culture simply continue to develop according to the parameters & odds established in the beginning, with ups & downs, two steps forward & one step back. That's just the way of the world, and no faith or revelation or political movement will change the divinely ordained rules of the reality game.

End of Post 10

5. Ecumenism :
Promoting religious unity

The God of Deism doesn't have a favorite religion, or a chosen people. Religions are cultural constructs, and they come in many flavors to suit various tastes. So if your religion makes you a better person, and doesn't cause you to persecute other people, then more power to you!

This is not Moral Relativism, where all religions are equally true, but Scientific Relativity, where all truths are opinions, some better informed than others. All myths are just-so stories, that may seem ridiculous to outsiders, who take their own talking snake stories seriously.

6. See Evolutionary Programming in the glossary.
Note : Was human culture is a “hack” of the natural code of creation? Perhaps, a “back door” in the basic program of evolution has been exploited to allow creatures with freewill to emerge, and to take over the reins of evolution. Or were Life & Mind just double-lucky glitches?

7. Some may be overwhelmed by the modern pace of change though, and wish to go back to simpler, slower times, with a more romantic god model. For them, Deism will not be believable, but it will also not cast shade on their nostalgia.

Superhero God for game-playing adolescents

Note :
Early Deists apparently got faith-fatigue from all the religious sniping across shifting battle lines in post-Enlightenment Europe. So they were motivated to purge their natural religion of the need for dogmatic Faith. They couldn’t doubt the necessary existence of a cosmic creator, but all attempts to define that transcendent principle in worldly terms were found to be moot opinions, too often passed-off as revealed truths.

Deism is not Theism :
Apart from the assumption of a transcendent creator to explain the non-random logic & organization of the universe, Deism is more like Buddhism than most Theisms. It advises us not to worry about pleasing capricious deities, but merely to align ourselves with “cosmic law & order” (Dharma).

Quora quote :
<< That is why I transitioned from a Christian to a Deist. I believe in God, but my belief does not have anything to do with any religion. Deism is a philosophy about the origin of the universe, nothing more.>>
Christopher Finch