THINKonline! - World Union of Deists

THINKonline!
The Free Monthly Deist Ezine from the World Union of Deists - July 2006
To be removed from this list send an email to thinkonline@deism.com with the word remove in the subject field.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Bible Says America's Founding Fathers Are Burning In Hell
An Ex-atheist and an Ex-priest Convert to Deism
New WUD Direct Mail Outreach Program!
Help Spread the Word - Order Your Deist REASON Bracelet NOW!
Critical Deism
30.3 Cents Program and the Deist Ezine THINK & ACT!
Religion in the News
Deist Bumper Sticker: God Gave Us Reason - Not Religion
Thought Provoking and Inspiring Quotes
Are America's Founders Burning In Hell?
by Robert L. Johnson
I drove past a Christian church today with a sign up that said "Patriotic Sunday". It made me wonder if the
preacher of the church and the members ever read their Bibles.
The Bible openly states that governments and their rulers are ordained by God. This makes me
wonder how the Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals can say that America is a Christian
nation. If America was based on Christianity, we would never have been born through a violent
revolution against the existing government!
Romans 13:1 states, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but
of God; the powers that be are ordained by God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power,
resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.” Does
this mean that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the rest of America’s founders are
suffering by eternal damnation for resisting the English government and starting and winning the
Revolution??? This should really put a damper on the Fourth of July!
I've never heard Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell mention this Bible verse. Nor have I heard our Bible
believing and reading president (even though he doesn't read newspapers, he does say he reads his
Bible!) say anything about this "Holy Scripture"!
Not only does this Bible quote demonstrate how progress retarding the Bible is, it demonstrates that

America is not, and never was intended to be, a Christian nation. The very act of starting the nation went
against the Bible!
This is a good fact to use to make sincere Christians question their beliefs. It's a very good tool to use to
put them on the road to Deism!
We are soon going to have a new page up at www.deism.com regarding the ex-atheist in the below
article, Antony Flew. His conversion from atheism to Deism is an important evolutionary process that can
be used to reach other atheists with Deism. The editor.
An Ex-atheist and an Ex-priest Embrace Deism
by Raymond Fontaine, Ph.D.
On December 9, 2004, the Associated Press announced that the famous British atheist, Antony
Flew, is now a deist. The Press also provided a thumbnail sketch of Flew's life. Reading it, I
learned that, for an entire half century, Antony Flew and I were poles apart on the subject of God.
Now, both of us philosophers in our eighties have reached a common ground in Deism.
According to the Press, Antony Flew's father was a Methodist minister. >From him, Flew must
have heard about God, Jesus and the Bible. Yet, despite that early exposure to God, Flew became
an atheist at 15." So states the Press.
It adds that "over the years, Flew proclaimed the lack of evidence for God while teaching at
Oxford, Aberdeen, Keele and Reading universities in Britain, in visits to numerous U.S. and
Canadian campuses and in books, articles, lectures and debates." God held no place in Antony
Flew's mind and heart.
As for myself, I first learned about God from my father, a humble carpenter, then from nuns in
elementary school and finally from priests in the seminary. I became a Catholic priest in 1945. I
accepted whatever my teachers said about God. They got the truth from the Pope whom they
considered infallible.
Later in life, however, especially during five years of missionary work in Africa, I questioned
the teaching authority of the Church. I reviewed the crimes and hypocrisy of the medieval Popes.
I checked the Bible texts on which the Church based its dogmas and regulations. One by one, the
Church's dogmas collapsed. I was left with only one - God's existence. For this truth, however, I
relied not on the Church but on nature. Its designs and structures presuppose a supremely
intelligent Creator. So in 1967, I left Africa no longer a priest but a deist. I completed that
metamorphosis at fifty years old
Apparently Antony Flew accomplished his transformation from atheist to deist only this year.
During December, "Flew finished writing the first formal account of his new outlook for the
introduction to a new edition of his 'God and Philosophy' scheduled for release in 2005." So

states the Associated Press.
>From various sources, the Press garnered a few statements from Flew. In a new video entitled
"Has Science Discovered God?" Flew gives his answer. "The biologist's investigation of DNA
has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to
produce life, that intelligence must have been involved." And in a telephone interview from
England, Flew said that "a superior intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life
and the complexity of nature." That is the core of Deism. Flew believes that and so do I.
Again according to the Press, Flew said, "He's best labeled a deist like Jefferson, whose God
was not actively involved in people's lives." Therefore Jefferson, Flew and I agree that the
supreme intelligent Being responsible for the designs in nature does not intervene in its normal
course. Nothing in nature presupposes that He does. Just this week, when a tsunami killed
155,000 people, one third of them children, God of nature did not intervene to prevent this
disaster. If God ever intervenes in nature and in human affairs, this was one time when He should
and would have. But God did not stop the killer tsunami.
The Press also reports that "Flew still does not believe in an afterlife." Nor do I. Nature reveals
that all living beings die. Nothing in nature indicates that humans continue to exist without their
bodies somewhere else. From the designs in nature, our reason concludes with certainty that God
exists but not that humans exist after death. Afterlife for humans is simply a wish, a desire of
ours to prolong our existence forever.
The report of the Associated Press about Antony Flew's recent conversion from atheist to deist
brought me comfort and joy. My change from priest to deist occurred 37 years ago. Despite those
many years, I still feel a certain aloneness in my thoughts about Nature's God. I am surrounded
by Catholics and other Christians. Their recent Christmas cards depicting the Virgin Mary and
her Divine Son reminded me that, despite our family and friendly ties, we are poles apart in our
thoughts about God and his interventions in human affairs and in the afterlife.
Knowing that Antony Flew shares my concept of God, I feel less isolated. And my dream of a
world with billions of deists seems less hopeless. The odds against enlightening the world about
Nature's God are staggering. But Antony Flew's arrival in our midst enkindles the hope that
someday millions of children will be born and bred in families who believe that the designs in
nature presuppose an intelligent Creator who reveals nothing else about His Being, location and
actions.
You can visit the site of Ray Fontaine at http://www.to-natures-god.net When you a there, be sure to
order his thought provoking book, My Life With God In And Out of the Church, that explains his evolution
from a Roman Catholic Priest to a Deist! Or, you can order it through amazon.com by clicking here. This
will take you directly to Ray's outstanding book!
The editor.

Visit the New Deist Site of Ray Fontaine! And order his
outstanding book, My Life With God In and Out of the
Church. You can order it at:
http://www.to-natures-god.net
World Union of Deists Launches
New Outreach Program!
I'm very happy to announce our new WUD direct mail outreach program! On May 11th, we sent a mass
mailing out for the first time. We used postcards asking, "Do You Believe In God But Not In Religion?".
This question is followed by a short paragraph explaining what Deism is along with our contact
information.
It's very important that we reach new people with Deism. We don't need to be like the Jehovah Witnesses
bothering people on their day off. However, it's vital for people to know that if they don't believe in any of
the "revealed" religions they are not alone and that they are not atheists, that there is a reasonable
alternative to both "revealed" religion and atheism - Deism! Especially in America, Deism should be a
household word since Deism played such an important role in the founding of the American Republic.
(The Declaration of Independence is a Deistic document and many key founders like Jefferson,
Washington, and Paine were Deists.)
To date we have sent out over 2,000 Deist postcards that reached 2,000 new people with our Deist
message! We need your help to reach even more! It costs us 26 cents for postage for each postcard.
Please go to the bottom of any page at http://www.deism.com and click on the donate button to make a
donation for this most important project. Even if you only donate 26 cents, that's one more person we'll
reach! The minimum number of pieces is 100, but if 100 people who read this each donate 26 cents,
that's one complete mailing that will reach 100 new people with Deism!
Introducing the Deist Reason Bracelet!
With the seemingly endless bombardment of superstition from the "revealed" religions, it's important to
keep our God-given gift of reason in mind. These Deist Reason Bracelets are the perfect way of doing
just that, plus they're a great way to introduce new people to Deism! And, they're a great counter to the
protective yarn bracelets worn by Madonna and her fellow Kabbalah followers who fear "the evil-eye!"
All Deism Reason bracelets are adjustable 5/8" wide polyester lace that adjust to fit any wrist.
Click here to order your Deism Reason Bracelet!

The Truth Seeker
The Longest Running Freethought Publication in America!
The Truth Seeker has been battling superstition and fear since 1873! This outstanding journal pulls no
punches when it tackles important topics such as revealed religions and their "holy" books, pressing
social issues and little known historic facts. Visit their site at http://www.truthseeker.com/truth-seeker/
You will be very glad you did!
Reason Based Counseling
Reason, it can work wonders when used! Dr. Jones is refreshingly a reason based psychiatrist. He
doesn't buy into the crutch that problems such as addiction, etc. are based on genetics. What we
decide to do is our own choice. He has an outstanding website that offers the solid reasoning
behind his beliefs and methods. You can visit his site at http://www.mentalhealtheducation.net/
Religion in the News
Democratic Senator Barack Obama tells Democrats to woo Evangelicals. This makes the Democrats as
bad as the Republicans!
Andrea Yates, the mother who murdered her five innocent children because she believed in Bible
nonsense, is waiting to hear from the jury if they find she was mentally ill when she committed the
murders. What are the words to that song, "Give me that old time religion . . ."???
Here's a great article that ties the insanity of Yates and others who murdered their children to the insanity
of the Biblical myth of Abraham being told by God to kill his son.
The "revealed" religions aren't only bad for children who have parents who believe they're doing God's
will by killing them, children also suffer needlessly from insane rituals of the various "revealed" religions.
Case in point, the Orthodox Jewish practice of the rabbi/mohel literally sucking the bloody penis of the
recently mutilated/circumcised infant! This practice is called metzitzah b'peh. The State of New York
recently gave the green light to rabbis to continue this barbaric and insane practice even though it has
already resulted in the death of at least one child! The City of New York's Health Commissioner, Thomas
Friedan, is still resisting this unreasonable and deadly crime against children and nature.
Is Getting the Word Out About Deism Worth 30.3
Cents per Day to You?
If it is, you should subscribe to our

Deist Ezine
THINK & ACT!
Before the benefits of Deism can be realized on a large enough basis to make a real positive difference,
we need to take ACTION to make Deism known throughout the world. Our Deist ezine THINK & ACT! is
intended as a tool in this phase of the Deist struggle. THINK & ACT! will give us the opportunity to fund
the Deist outreach program. If everyone who receives the free THINKonline! subscribes to THINK & ACT!
for $10.00 a month, it will put us at the point where we can really build critical mass! To take action and
help get the word out about Deism, and to enjoy articles and features that are not offered in THINKonline!
(for example, a series of thought provoking emails between the Deist Ray Fontaine and the Pope),
subscribe to THINK & ACT! by going to http://www.deism.com/thinkact.htm and clicking on the subscribe
button! Action begets action!
Order your new Deist bumper sticker by clicking here:
http://www.deism.com/Deist%20Bumper%20Sticker.htm
Here's a great quote from someone who ordered our Deist bumper
sticker: "Thank You! - I will be looking forward to receiving my bumper
stickers, in order to promote the
only reasonable explanation of "What Is." Have a great day! (Al Green)"
Thought Provoking Quotes
"May it (the Fourth of July) be to the world, what I believe it will be, (to some parts sooner, to others later,
but finally to all,) the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish
ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and
security of self-government. That form which we have substituted, restores the free right to the
unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion."
Thomas Jefferson

"He that always gives way to others will end in having no principles of his own."
Aesop
"Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life."
Bertolt Brecht
"We must be the change we wish to see in the world."
Ghandi
"Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood."
Marie Curie
Bring Them Home NOW!
As Deists, we know the war in Iraq was started to help the political career of George Bush by winning
more Jewish support for his reelection based on Israel's security needs being satisfied in the removal of
Saddam. ( http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=23083 ,
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/8609339.htm , http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/8699824.htm )
And of course, the war is about oil, oil for Israel! (
http://www.janes.com/regional_news/africa_middle_east/news/fr/fr030416_1_n.shtml )
These reasons are not good enough to require young American men and women to give up their lives
and limbs! The organization Bring Them Home Now is a group of people who have family in this evil
unnecessary war, and who want their family members brought home now. You can visit their site at
http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/
Understand the War on Terror!
Read, Imperial Hubris and learn what can be done to
eliminate the reasons for the war! You can order this
important and well written book at
http://www.deism.com/books.htm
Help Get the Word Out About Deism!

We need your help in acquiring advertising resources to spread the word about Deism! We are already
making gains in the number of NEW people who've been made aware that there actually is such a thing
as Deism - that they are not trapped in the box and limited to either superstition or atheism! Any help you
can give is greatly appreciated! You can make a donation on any of our pages at http://www.deism.com
by clicking on the donate button at the bottom of each page. Or you can mail a donation to: WUD, Box
47026, St. Petersburg, FL 33743.
I'd like to thank everyone who's helping out with donations and with their time and work to make sure the
world is not stuck in superstition, but has the inspiring light of Deism to guide us past the unreasonable
dogma of the "revealed" religions and on to true progress and evolution!
Please forward this issue of THINKonline! to someone you think would
be interested in it. This is a great inexpensive way to get the word out
about Deism!