Demi, thanks for taking the time to explain your thoughts here. Whether or not I personally agree with someone, I admire a well-thought-out belief system. You've considered some of the difficult points of religion, rather than sweeping them under the carpet and ignoring them.
I appreciate a civil discussion <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> There is too little of it, especially on the internet. Thanks for making me think, and hope I did so in return <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
]Kriminal, the view that "things just happen" belongs to atheism more than to deism i.e. the world "just happened" by accident. Deism believes in a creation of intelligence and order, reflected by the precise laws of science. The universe having always existed is at odds with current scientific thought, which is that the universe had a beginning i.e. big bang, but certainly it could always have existed - modern science is no less subjective than the arts (i.e. relies on interpretation of individual scientists as literature does the scholar), in my experience, and is no doubt wrong on many matters.
