The Fourth of July, the celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the official break of the 13 North American British colonies from the British government, is often hijacked by Christians. Here is just one example out of too many. The Christian author of the article makes leaps of faith in his tragically funny, false and misleading assumptions. As the Deist Ben Franklin pointed out, "The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason."
According to the Christian Bible, at Romans 13:1-7, Christians are taught to give fear-based and blind obedience to their government and rulers. It claims "...the powers that be are ordained of God" and equates disobedience and rebellion against the powers that be with disobedience and rebellion against God. These verses warn that people who do not give obedience to the government will receive damnation. Based on this, all of America's Founders, as well as everyone who took part in our supported the American Revolution, are right now burning in hell. This ridiculous claim reminds me of Mark Twain's statement, "Heaven for the climate, hell for the company."
As Deists, we have a direct and real connection with America's Founders and American revolutionaries who were Deists. People such as Thomas Paine, Ethan Allen, George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, etc. None of these promoters of revolution and human progress would be welcomed in a Christian Bible-based church today. In their own day they were considered, and would still be considered, particularly the very open Deists such as Paine and Allen, heretics and blasphemers. (Here's an article comparing the Deist Thomas Jefferson with the now deceased Christian televangelist Pat Robertson. The article lists the reasons Jefferson would be rejected by Christians today.)
In addition to our historic connection with the Fourth of July and the essential Deists who made it possible, all Deists who today take action to promote Deism are strengthening their connection to Thomas Paine. Paine wrote in The Age of Reason:
"Soon after I had published the pamphlet "Common Sense," in America, I saw the exceeding probability that a revolution in the system of government would be followed by a revolution in the system of religion. The adulterous connection of church and state, wherever it had taken place, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, had so effectually prohibited by pains and penalties, every discussion upon established creeds, and upon first principles of religion, that until the system of government should be changed, those subjects could not be brought fairly and openly before the world; but that whenever this should be done, a revolution in the system of religion would follow. Human inventions and priestcraft would be detected; and man would return to the pure, unmixed and unadulterated belief of one God, and no more."
The success of the American Revolution finally allowed free speech for everyone. The Deist George Washington knew the profound importance of complete freedom of speech as is evident from this statement:
"...reason is of no use to us if the freedom of Speech may be taken away -- and, dumb & silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter."
When Deists take action to promote Deism, we are doing what the American rebels made possible for us to do - to speak and write freely about Deism and to shine the light of reason on the harmful and irrational teachings of the "revealed" religions, without "pains and penalties" for doing so. By doing this, Deists are helping humanity to climb out of the pit of fear and superstition that is "revealed" religion. (Our fellow Deists in Islamic nations still live under regimes that can, and do, inflict "pains and penalties" for those who speak and write for Deism and against Islam.)
Deism is the beautiful and meaningful "revolution in the system of religion" Paine wrote of because Deism is rational. God-given reason cannot be separated from Deism. Our innate God-given reason is the cornerstone of Deism. Deists are not people of faith; we are people of reason. This protects Deists from the sad fate of Christians and other people who are under the influence of a "revealed" religion as expressed by Thomas Jefferson when he wrote:
"...man, once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the sport of every wind. With such person, gullibility which they call faith, takes the helm from the hand of reason, and the mind becomes a wreck."
Reason-based Deism can go a long way in countering America's slide into theocracy, a slide which finds energy from the religious right lie that the American Republic was founded by Christians as a Christian nation.
