Are Deists and Atheists Really ANY Different?

[thegrassisgreenhere]

I understand what you mean. The reason I'm a deist, is because I believe that a being of some sort created the universe. I also believe that there is, what one would call, a "spiritual" side of the world. It's something I feel/believe but have absolutely no evidence for. I also accept the fact that I could be completely wrong and I'm just self releasing endorphins from my brain that make me feel funny. I think that atheists, deists,agnostics only differ at the most personal level.

[edgar669966]

I dont believe that I can pray to this creator or that he judges me for my good or bad deeds or that im going to heaven or hell because of my actions. So really im kind of a creationist atheist

[edgar669966]

As a deist i like to look at my self as an atheist who doesnt believe in evolution. Atheism and Deism are on the same side when it comes to how it views religion, yet the view on the creation of the world is different. I believe theres a creator but that religion is just a bunch of folk tales created to explain questions about life that cant be answered. Im also not sold on evolution. The complexity of life and how ecosystems work convince me that a creator designed it with a function. I dont b

[behemuth]

Hey... here's a conundrum...

Deists by definition do not believe in a theistic god.

Deists are Atheists.

All deists are atheists, but not all atheists are also deist.

My gawd...

[Shipuh]

I'm an agnostic Deist. -- When pushed about my "beliefs", I would rather admit "I really don't know..." if a God exists or not, yet I find spiritual sustenance in various religious practices. -- I don't believe in supplicative prayer...but that doesn't stop me from other forms of prayer. (Thanksgiving, Affirmation, etc.) I realize that it is much more beneficial to -DO- something about bad situations than to -PRAY- problems away. -- It really comes down as a benefit of comfort to my mind.

[mouthfullofpussy]

I don't pray openly, i don't think i fully grasp what god is, even if explained through the bible of a church. I do believe in god though, I may not view him the way a catholic or christian or any other religion does but i still do. I think i associate more with deism, cause of the freedom to think for ones self. I like to think of my Dreams as prayers. and if a dream comes true then i guess god has answered your prayers. i like to think that if you do good, good things will come in return.

[VegasSkateCulture]

Deism I respect. Atheism is just fucking stupid.

[Kloborgg]

@VegasSkateCulture

Yeah believing proven science is just fucking stupid.

[robsmerto]

difference:

athiest:no god

Deist: more than likely a god and he does science

derp?

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@robsmerto

First of all, did you even watch the video? I'm talking about similarities in function, not definition.

Second, that's not even what the terms mean. "More than likely?" Where did you hear that?

"and he does science?" What is he, a professor? How does one "DO" science?

Educate yourself. Seriously.

[MrHead1972]

one beleives that there is a divine creator and the other does not dumbass. now do i have 2 explain what 2+2 equates to? do you need 4 me 2 hold your hand and walk you through the answer 2 that equation as a child needs his hand held by an adult when walking through an intersection.only a woman is as complicated as you are with your lack of understanding about simple ass shit like this. so i wouldnt doubt that you have a little sugar in ya tank.

[MrHead1972]

if you dont understand the differences between an atheist and a deist get a dictionary and maybe it will help you. an atheist doesnt beleive in god at all and a deist beleives that there is a creator but doesnt go sofar as 2 define the nature of that creator. so its not 2 people on the same side. it sounds as if you want 2 create your own definition of things. bujt if you stop over thinking things you might get some understanding/exceptance of the differences.

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@MrHead1972

Dude, where do I even begin with this barely legible comment?

Seriously, is English your first language? This is atrocious stuff here, I mean really.

Maybe you should stop UNDER thinking things and realize that a literal difference does not equate to a functional difference, which is the point of my video. Picking up a dictionary isn't all there is to understanding language, but since you've offered that as your advice, here's mine. Learn some fucking grammar.

[MrHead1972]

@kippmcleodtheheretic this is youtube not a job interview neither is it grammer school genius. and as long as U understood my comment is good nuff 4 youtube. and yeah its obvious that u need more than a dictionary cause you dont understand the differences between an atheist an a deist.people like u have problem with scrambling an egg cause its 2 simple. and remember your the 1 you ask 4 an explaination 2 somethin thats so simple 2 understand. and ya music sucks major ass! like i said U overthink

[MrHead1972]

@kippmcleodtheheretic it and really seems that you wanna define ya own words in making an atheist and a deist the same. well thats fine as long as you keep that bullshit in ya head rather than speak it out loud and be known as a fool. cause im sorry 2 inform you that the job 4 placing and defining words in the dictionary/english language has been filled and has been 4 a long. so keep ya itty bitty pea brain ass lack of understanding 2 yaself cause you removed all doubt when you spoke out.

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@MrHead1972

Sorry, but if you don't get this, you just don't. You can derogate me all you like, but when I say there is a functional similarity, you have nothing to say about it, because you don't understand what I'm saying. Insulting me (and women???) doesn't change this. Learn to spell, learn to type, get out of grade school and go make something out of yourself young man. Best of luck.

[Shipuh]

As a Deist, I've always highly disagreed with the dictionary definition of Deism. The Deism described in it never authentically represented the Deism that I practice. It doesn't help either that Webster was a Christian moralist who down-right hated Deism. His morals pervaded through all of his definitions, and he often quoted biased sources (The Federalist Papers, The Bible, etc.) Many definitions are still in there (even if they are archaic) and have become a part of our linguistic history.

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@Omnicron777

So we're at the ad hominem now. Well, you hung in there as long as you could I guess. You've made absolutely no attempt to justify your position, which is odd since you came here. Your answer to each question is either another question or the childish "yes I am/no I'm not" assertions you've shown here. Thanks for your time, but now you're wasting mine. Good day.

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@Omnicron777

I don't ASSERT anything. I just don't discount them out of hand.

Do you see, if I don't ASSERT something exists, then I don't believe it either, which is why I'm an atheist. I never said I believe in any of these things, yet you do believe in a god. If you believe in god, yet admit that there isn't enough evidence to support your belief (even just to yourself) then what good is the belief? To make you FEEL good? If that's it, fine, but don't be surprised if atheists find that silly.

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@Omnicron777

Actually, the universe has not been conclusively proven to have a beginning. Every model of the big bang theory points to a beginning of our KNOWN universe, but no information has been found as to WHAT existed before the singularity that everything started with or how long the process took, or how time may or may not have worked prior to this (since time as we know it presumably didn't exist prior to this. Who's to say our beginning was really THE only beginning?

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

Also, how can you assert at that we can't understand what god is, yet at the exact same time think you have enough information to think that he exists? I never said that their couldn't be a god, I just don't see a reason to think that there is one.

And at no point did I ask you to prove conclusively that god exists, but I did ask what your evidence was. And I ask this because I'd like to know why you believe it, and more importantly, why should anyone else? What good is an unproven belief?

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@Omnicron777 That isn't the view of the atheist. This is a common misconception. In fact, neither of these claims are true. "nothing else in the universe can be eternal" No, but if I am to believe in such a thing, I must ask what is the evidence? "but matter and energy can" No, but if I am to believe they cannot, I must ask what is the evidence? Do you see the pattern? Evidence IS the reason to believe. If there is none, then why believe? YOU seem to ask "Why not?" That to me is not rational.

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@Omnicron777

Not being able to imagine one possibility does NOT prove a different possibility.

"we cannot even comprehend something that is eternal." Then how can you assign conditions to it?

"it just doesn't make any sense that unconscious matter can do such a thing.

it makes more sense for this cause to be conscious rather the not"

This is answering a question with a question. In the end, your entire speech is one big argument from ignorance.

I still ask, what is the proof to your claim?

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@Omnicron777

"If something can exist 'eternally', it must transcend all laws of the universe and be rather power to be without begging and end"

Why must this be?

Seriously, you call this logic, yet all I see is a completely unfounded assertion of what "must be" and a conclusion based on that unfounded assertion.

Logic. There are multiple steps. You can't make this sort of end run around the process and then claim to be using logic.

Please explain the above statement. Thanks.

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@Omnicron777

First off, why can't unconscious matter self exist? This presumption seems to include the condition that all things were created and exclude the possibility that anything could have existed without a god intervening. So, how can conscious matter self exist? I mean, if everything needs a cause, where did god come from? And if god doesn't need a cause, then why can't unconscious matter self exist? Do you see the delightfully circular nature of this belief?

[fallofrise]

Well, I see it this way.

It is widely known that mass can not be created or destroyed. But mass is also equivalent to Einstein through the famous equation: e=mc^2.

So if mass can not be created, and we go back to time 0, (relatively speaking because time is created by man...), and the universe was a tiny very dense particle. Well something must of created that, and since it can not be anything in this world, such as a machine, or something spontaneous. It must have been a higher power.

[rightwhereitbelongs2]

Well, the obvious difference is that deists believe that there is a god and athiests don't believe in god. Simple as that. They are obviously aren't the same. Just because you reject religious dogma does not mean that you are an athiest.

[CerebralSimian]

I think that atheist, deists, agnostics, pantheist all fall under the umbrella of "Freethinker." I couldn't agree w/you more that my deism is 'functionally atheistic'

[ThePhantomBlacksmith]

I suppose as far as behavior goes you would be hard pressed to find a difference. But that's what really counts, doesn't it? Deist/Atheist teeter on a notion while the Theist is ready to skin you alive for saying otherwise. Deism does stand to get in the way of scientific inquiry though....in the sense that, when one is hard pressed for an explanation, Deism always leaves the convenient 'out' of "God did it"...that answer is enough". An Atheist isn't going to be satisfied with that.

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@ThePhantomBlacksmith

I agree, but the point of this video was never to throw deists under the bus, so with that in mind I think it depends on the individual. A deist who is serious about discovery - scientific, philosophical or whatever - will always be confronted with the question "HOW did God do it?" which doesn't really let them off the hook. At the same time, an intellectually lazy atheist could always answer a question with "who care?" So I don't see atheism as superior, just similar.

[ThePhantomBlacksmith]

@kippmcleodtheheretic I think more "comfortable with not having to watch their back around one another if you want to call that 'similar'. An Atheist feels comfortable indulging the Deist. One can't afford to do that with individuals who think they know who God is and what he wants from them.

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@ThePhantomBlacksmith

Word. The similarities I meant are the ones that end with our behaviors and conduct.

[Hippyslayer101]

I'm a Deist in my understanding of the formation the universe and the existence of life. I simply do not believe there is any solid evidence to support a self-forming universe or abiogenesis. So, while politically Deists and Atheists are synonymous, we basically have two different scientific stand points.

[kippmcleodtheheretic]

@Hippyslayer101

Atheism isn't a belief in a self-forming universe, merely the lack of belief in a specific conscious or intelligent being who did form the universe. However, I also have a hard time believing in a self-forming creator of the universe, so I'm still not sure if Deism is much different, since you don't have an explanation as to where this god came from. What is the scientific difference between, "I don't believe in a god" and "I BELIEVE in a god, but who knows where he came from?"

[letoffer1]

If amoral means not moral

and atypical means not typical.

Then a atheist means not a theist.

And a deist and an agnostic is not a theist.

Then deist and an agnostic are atheists.

[MoEnzyme]

"God does not play dice." - Einstien

Bullshit! He gambles more than any human you've ever encountered. -Mo

[MoEnzyme]

I'm a deist and for me its simply a recognition that in the absence of better information, humans tend to anthropomorphize things we can't understand. Informed by evolution, I think of the creator(demiurge) as a degenerate gambler rather than a designer. Over 90% of god's bets are bad based on the rate of extinction. If god were to take human form, he would be male (risktaking) and we would find him beaten-up and stuffed in a dumpster for welching on his gambling debts to organized crime.

[Sinuev1]

So... you partake in anthropomorphizing yourself, but with an evolutionary twist.

I believe in God(s), but beyond that basic precept - I really hold no preconceptions.Or at least, I try not to - because for all intents and purposes, it appears that the atheists are right. There is no clear evidence for god. I only have my gut feeling, my belief.

However, I understand where you're coming from. I really like the idea of reality as a simulation and god the fractal program designer/design team.

[Sinuev1]

This isn't to say they're in control or possess omnipotence/omniscience as many religious people ascribe to god. Perhaps they're only throwing similar rules to their own universe to test if certain interactions which create their universe repeat in the simulation. We, being a byproduct of that system.

I understand that it's just an idea though, a mental flavoring, and not necessarily indicative of whatever the reality of god might be.

[Sinuev1]

And the only evidence I have to support that favored idea is the fact that we're starting to do the same thing with our own computer systems... albeit, on a much more primitive scale. And even then... that's just evidence that it might be possible. Not that it's true.

To the video author, what is the difference between Atheists and Deists? Well, like John Armstrong said.... there really is no difference at all between an atheist and deist..... oh, except for that whole believing in god part.

[MoEnzyme]

I don't really "believe" in god myself. I just recognize that anthropomorphizing is one of the most basic kinds of metaphorizing humans do. So instead of fighting it, I simply allow my scientific understandings to better inform it.

[maxtopia]

The kind of God a deist believes in is not a mythological god. That means that this god doesn't do anything at all in this world. So the world a deist and an atheist see is exactly the same. I don't really see any difference since the word "god" (the way deists use it) doesn't refer to anything. So they could imho just as well say "the universe had a beginning but we don't know what this beginning was like".

[Weaselheadx]

Deists, Atheists, and Agnostics are all very similar, there are some subtle differences. I label myself 'Agnostic'(when I bother at all) but that is mainly because I believe in ghosts and stuff, and the term 'Atheist' is seen as more skeptical. All in all, it is very technical, and we are all in the same camp.

[wjkaiser65]

Excellent

[Kazumaster]

Good video as always. I've been thinking of much the same things. I don't mind deism, but I just see no reason for someone to believe in this supernatural being if they otherwise agree that the world is natural and is functioning without a god.

It's kind of like they're going the whole way and being skeptics and accepting only empirical evidence.. and then take a step backwards. Why assume there's a god when there is no evidence for it and you accept that the world doesn't need one?

[freethinker3161]

i think deist just leave the door open but they don't know, like an agnostic

[YetAnotherHeretic]

Atheists leave the door open too, every idea is open to scrutiny no matter how true it seems. For a rational person anyway.

[KasparHauser4]

The only thing is that agnostics do not really have a real case. See my video response

[windham666]

there is a good web page at deism d0t c0m

[ElusiveAnole]

Great commentary, man. I agree.

I've yet to meet a deist myself. I only know deists through YouTube videos/channels. I imagine it would make for interesting conversation when it comes to theology and the like.

[thorungal]

I'm a skeptic, truth really matters to me (I'm odd like that).

Practically, I don't mind Deists. I'm a Unitarian Universalist anyhow so Deists kind of need to be right with me.

Having said this I still think they are probably wrong and I like friendly debate anyhow.

[onlywhenprovoked]

a deist is just an agnostic who's going on a hunch or a hope that there's "something".

which really is the same thing as a theist, just without all the hokus pokus.

a strong atheist is just an agnostic going on a hunch or a hope that there's "nothing".

i am partial to thinking no one can prove there is and no one can prove there isn't - it's sort of over at that point.

but for the sake of conversations, i accept the atheist title.

[jussts]

Has deism been getting more popular lately? I've noticed more self-identified deists here too. Whatever, I like 'em... they've all been cool people so far.

[southparkgtaca]

Good point.

I can good along with a Deist just fine. No Dogma.