Are you a deist?

Posted 23Aug17.

This is the closest thing to a belief system that I am comfortable with. I used to jokingly identify as a “Recovering Catholic,” but over the years my ideas – and humor – have evolved.

I was amazed when I learned about the ingredients which go into the process of the manufacture of modern fireworks. We have gone from the simple black-powder bang into a realm of colors, shapes, and effects. Magnesium white to strontium/copper indigo – the black powder is still there, but additives have made it more… interesting. The chemists and pyrotechnicians understand the method of designing on theory alone, but their contributions end when the packaged product leaves the ground trailing fire. At that point, they have become just another awed spectator to the results of their creation.

For me, the belief in a logic beyond my comprehension is limited to my own theory that such a presence or entity followed a similar path. The basic components necessary for the Universe as we see and understand it at the moment may, at some point, been assembled in a similar fashion. Once the fuse was lit, there was no ability, need, or desire to interfere – just to observe in awe. Creation for the sake of beauty, really. No need for churches, tithings, conflict, or structure to offer praise or apology – just a love and need to create the most interesting bang possible.

One of the most profound statements I have come across has accompanied the following picture from the series Battlestar Galactica:

“How do you know that God is on your side, Doctor?”

“I don’t. God’s not on anyone side. God is a force of nature, beyond good and evil. Good and evil, we created those. You wanna break the cycle? Break the cycle of birth? Death? Rebirth? Destruction? Escape? Death? Well, that’s in our hands, in our hands only. It requires that we live in hope, not fear.”

Yes, I am a nerd… but I like it that way.