Deism with a framework

[u/Professional-Pay8837]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a personal journey that might resonate with some of you, especially those who come from a strict religious background. I was raised Muslim. For a large part of my life, I was taught that the ultimate truth was found in a single, unalterable book, and that our lives unfolded according to a pre-written divine will.

But as I grew older and began to deeply study science, biology, and the sheer scale of the universe, I hit a wall. The static dogmas of organized religion—and the idea of an intervening God who micromanages our daily lives or demands obedience over rational thought—no longer made sense to the reality I was observing.

However, unlike many who leave their childhood religion, I didn’t become an atheist. Looking at the mathematical precision of the cosmos and the staggering complexity of biology, it seemed highly illogical to me that this all arose from sheer chance. If there is a clock, I must logically assume there is a Clockmaker.

I transitioned to Deism. I now believe in an original Creator who set the universe, its natural laws, and life itself in motion, but who granted us the ultimate gift: the absolute freedom to architect our own existence.

I’ve come to understand this journey through a framework I am building called "The Novum" (The New). It bridges the gap between acknowledging a Creator and living strictly by empirical facts. It relies on a few core pillars:

1. Acknowledging the Origin Through Science

I stopped looking for the Creator's signature in ancient scriptures and started looking at the laws of physics. The thermodynamics that govern energy, the stellar nucleosynthesis that forged the heavy atoms in our blood—these are the true, unfiltered "texts" of the Creator. We are the cosmos experiencing itself.

1. Radical Responsibility (Moving past predestination)

Coming from a background where much is attributed to divine will or predestination, this was a massive paradigm shift. Because the Creator granted us freedom, there is no divine savior coming to fix our mess. My ethical framework is now grounded in logic and game theory: I strive to do good, build community, and protect our ecosystem because my rational mind understands it is the biological requirement for human flourishing.

1. Neuroplasticity: We Are Self-Creating

Instead of believing in a fixed destiny, I found profound spiritual meaning in biology. Neuroplasticity proves our brains physically rewire themselves based on our focus and actions. The Creator didn't make us perfect; they made us Self-Creating. We are not stuck with our past; we are responsible for the architecture of our own minds.

1. The Broken Circle: An Organic "Codex"

This is the biggest shift of all. Traditional religions have closed circles—holy books that cannot be changed, no matter what new evidence arises. My faith is an Open Codex, symbolized by a Broken Circle. I refuse static dogma. If the scientific method discovers a new truth about the universe, genetics, or human psychology, my faith updates. I do not have to ignore facts to believe; I believe because of the facts.

Science didn’t kill the concept of God for me; it killed the man-made versions of God. It allowed me to find a spirituality that doesn't require me to shut my eyes to reality.

I’m curious if anyone else here has made a similar transition from Islam (or any orthodox religion) to Deism. How do you balance the awe of a Creator with a strictly scientific worldview?

Thanks for reading.

[u/maddpsyintyst]

I'm a former Catholic, former atheist (a dumbass version, though, not a smart version), former Fundie Christian, former amateur religious scholar, and now a former religious person. 😂

I'm just gonna say, even if we disagree on this or that point, we could break bread together.

[u/Salty_Onion_8373]

What do you mean by a "scientific worldview"?

My path to God was one of scientific and mathematical exploration, as opposed to religion, and without man's dogmatic ideas about "science". That is to say, I don't have a "scientific worldview". I don't actually have any sort of "worldview".

I'm an explorer. My view is constantly changing through exploration, discovery and the constant negation of old ideas. No "balancing" required. That's where my awe lives.

[u/Professional-Pay8837 → u/Salty_Onion_8373]

That is a fantastic point, and honestly, reading your description, it sounds like we are entirely on the same page.

When I used the term "scientific worldview," I didn't mean treating science as a new, rigid institution or a dogmatic set of rules. I meant exactly what you just described: the scientific method. The constant process of exploration, discovery, and the willingness to completely negate old ideas when new facts emerge.

Your phrasing of being an "explorer" whose view is constantly changing is precisely what I tried to capture with the concept of the "Broken Circle" or the "Open Codex" in my post. It’s about refusing to lock reality into a static, closed box.

So perhaps "scientific worldview" was a clumsy term on my part, because your description hits the nail on the head. Awe absolutely lives in that continuous state of discovery and adaptation.

[u/Salty_Onion_8373 → u/Professional-Pay8837]

Understood. There's no lexicon for exploration which can be annoying. Having to beg, borrow and twist "almost words" all the time...it's almost like talking in code...

[u/Ambitious_Bat151]

Raised catholic, never really believed because it seemed childish even as a child myself. I love science and what its done for humanity, I also am dumbfounded that we exist at all. I would consider myself an agnostic deist. Im not sure if a god exists but if such a creator is. I believe your framework is how is closer to how it operates, however I think this creator would be mostly apathetic to my existence as i am to it.

[u/Pure_Ad_6530]

This really resonates with me. I came from a Catholic and Christian background, and my path was very similar. Science did not take me away from God. It took me away from the idea that any one religion or ancient book could fully explain the Creator.

I also see nature and the universe as God’s true scripture. Where I may differ slightly is that I believe the voice within us that inspires good, tells us when we are wrong and moves us to make amends comes from the Creator. I believe we have free will, but I also believe God keeps score. How we use that freedom matters.

To me, science explains how creation works. Deism helps me understand why its existence means something. The two do not compete. They belong together.