Deistic Reasoned Morality

  As a Deist, I trust myself enough to decide whether there is a God or not. Why would it be wrong of me to decide on daily moral questions, using my own reasoning? 

  As a human, I recognize that I have a very finite knowledge of things. So, I want to be able to examine my moral decisions with as much information as is possible. On a daily basis, I can't do a thorough study of every dilemma that confronts me. Usually, I just have to make a decision and run with it. That is why I try to consider realistic situations that I might encounter, and try to determine before hand how I should act.

  In my opinion what we should do is, try to consider different situations and think about how our actions will affect ourselves and others. We have to consider the effects on others, rather than just ourselves, because how they are affected can cause us problems later. Say for instance, that you are rude to someone at the movie theater. Then two days later you have a job interview, and guess what, the fellow you were rude to is the one doing the interview. Well, you can imagine how it would go from there. 

  Generally, it is a good idea to treat everyone with reasonable respect. No reason to get silly about it. But smiling at someone and saying, "Good Day," doesn't hurt anyone. Even if they don't return the greeting it hasn't hurt you. And a thank you can really make someone's day.

  Although many known Deists were not known for being moderate in their habits, most will agree that moderation in all things is usually a good idea. A good example of using moderation for your own good is driving in traffic. Too fast and you will get a ticket or end up being in or causing an accident. Going too slow will often have the same effects. Going with the flow is usually the best course of action.

  But, you may be thinking, what about the times when I can do something and nobody will notice? Say for instance, stealing fruit from a farmer. Well, this does get noticed eventually. The farmer realizes that his crops are smaller than they should be, so he hires security to patrol the orchards. Or maybe he just asks the Sheriff to make regular patrols around the orchards. This causes the price of fruit to go up for everyone. It may also cause our taxes to go up to have extra Deputies patrolling orchards. Not to mention, that when a crime is committed elsewhere, the Deputies are not there because they are at the orchards.  It is kind of a domino effect. An act of theft in one place causes all of society to end up paying for it one way or another.

  This is why when a Deist considers whether his or her actions will affect others, because they know that as it affects society, it will affect them. Just because there are no absolute rules or dogma for a Deist to live by, doesn't mean that they are without morals. Because they know that their actions will affect society, they know that they are affected too. 

  As Deists, don't have any absolute guide books for them to follow, they spend more time thinking about what is right and wrong more so then most others. By so doing, they are leading more honest lives then many that say they are following the teachings of others. Deists are also more likely to consider the overall effect on society when certain actions are taken, or not taken. 

  Deist morality is not an easy path for anyone to take. As they have to think of how all of their actions effect others. They also will tend to look for opposing views other then their own, so as to get a better idea of what the problem being considered is. Yes, it is hard to do all of this thinking, but most Deists enjoy it. They also feel that it is what God expects of us.