Many people wonder why anyone would want to be a Deist. There are no promises of rewards from God. There is little to no fellowship for Deists to fall back on. No authorities to guide you on your way though life. So why in the world would someone choose to be a Deist?

   People become Deists because they believe that they must search for the truth no matter where it leads them. They see the inconsistencies in the holy books and the consistency in nature and have decided that nature and their own reasoning makes more sense to them.

   Of course, there are other benefits to becoming a Deist too. There is freedom from guilt about things which are not of our doing. There is the freedom to question authority. There is the knowledge that we are as worthy as anyone else, despite our lack of accomplishments. There is the freedom to revere God in our own ways. We are free to be who we are, with all of our imperfections that others may not like. 

   For me, the most important part about being a Deist is that I can decide for myself what God wants of me. I believe that God wants me to just be the best me that I can be. I can help people without the desire of reward or recognition and not feel bad about it. I can think my own thoughts without fear of reprisal from God. I don’t have to fear hell or some other unjust punishment from God, ever. God didn’t make me to be perfect, so I don’t have to be. In God’s eyes, or as far as I’m concerned in the eyes of others, imperfect is just fine. As long as I do my best at what I’m doing, I’m doing right. 

   For many people, they live their lives searching for acceptance from some authority figure or figures. Rather it is their parents or a priest; they waste their lives doing what they think others want them to do. Life is too short to be other than what you want to be. As long as you are honest with yourself and others, then there is no reason to feel any guilt about not meeting others’ unrealistic expectations. As a Deist, I am free to be me without guilt.

   Luckily, we live in an age where Deists don’t have to keep their thoughts to themselves. Maybe others don’t want to hear about how Deistic philosophy helps us to lead better more fulfilling lives, but we have the internet. On the internet we can find the fellowship of other Deists with whom we can share our ideas. We no longer have to feel like we are the only ones that think of God as we do. There are others that are out there and with the internet we can write to each other and feel in touch with others that think as we do. Sure we don’t see everything the same way, but we feel free to disagree and have our thoughts heard. 

   Since finding out that I was a Deist, I have seen the Deist movement on the internet grow.  With more and more people finding out that there is a name for their beliefs about God. Someday, Deists might have local meetings all over the world. The time has not come yet, but we do have the internet with which to make friends and share our feelings with.