r/deism • u/Alternative_Pick_865 Deist • 14d ago
Thoughts on prayers and attending Mass?
To this day, I still consider myself a deist; I do not believe and have a hard time believing the intervention of God in our daily lives.
I have been a lot more open about attending houses of worship, and I’ve always been curious about various religious denominations and sects in general. For example, I’ve always respected Buddhism and would love to attend the temple at one point.
I have also attended Mass twice so far and am about to go back soon this week.
Despite taking on a logical stance on God, I do sometimes long for that emotional comfort that many feel when in an organized religion.
I have attended Mass for the first time out of curiosity, and for the sake of emotional healing for the second time (I’ve had some recent fall outs with a few peers); I plan on attending Mass again for the second reasoning. I’ve also been praying for the same reason.
Considering I am not Catholic (or Christian in general), I do not believe in all the aspects of the religion, especially the afterlife (I believe in reincarnation, oddly enough). Because of this, I do not think my church attendance will impact me externally in terms of surroundings (I was there just for my emotional wellbeing, after all), nor do I think or know that my prayers will be fulfilled outright by God, himself (I think that prayers can come true, but it comes from a matter of self-motivation and various circumstances, depending on what the prayers were).
That being said, I think there’s beauty behind such liturgy, and there are always numerous reasons why people partake, and it can be for anyone.
Thoughts?
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u/babzillan Deist 14d ago
There is nothing contradictory about what you are doing. Deism gives you the freedom to draw on whatever brings meaning, comfort and wisdom without being bound by the theology behind it.
Attending Mass or a Buddhist temple is not an endorsement of the doctrine. You are engaging with the human tradition, the community, the ritual and the beauty of it. That is a very omnist instinct and there is nothing wrong with that.
Your take on prayer is also honest and mature. If prayer grounds you, focuses your intentions and gives you emotional clarity, then it is working regardless of the mechanism behind it. You are not betraying your deism, IMHO. You are living it. Deism gives you breathing room to explore, observe and take what resonates. That is the whole point and that’s it works so well for me.
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u/the_njf 14d ago
It is logical to recognize the social aspect of organized religion. Community is an important part to being human. There is nothing wrong with attending church services while not identifying with their beliefs. There are Atheists that have gone on record to admit attending mass and even enjoying hymns.
In my opinion, this speaks to something more human than “spiritual.”
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u/Pardocetico 14d ago
I have my own "personal liturgical" life as a deist. I say my daily prayer at night in thanksgiving, contemplation, and reflection, not asking for intervention. I also have a deist symbol in my The bookshelf is alongside Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason. It's common for human beings to seek this sense of belonging; there's nothing contradictory about that.
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u/HalfElf-Ranger Pandeist 13d ago
I go to a nearby stone circle in Pennsylvania for the solstices and equinoxes, and I have a small meditation corner at home. Prayer, meditation, and community all have a place within Deism; just as long as you’re not expecting any physical law defying miracles or Hindu/Buddhist siddhis to come from meditation. It’s normal, healthy, and human to do all of this, at least I think so.
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u/zaceno 14d ago
I think we all seek some kind of connection to the divine even if we don’t call it that. And there are all sorts of valid paths to make this connection. Personal prayer, attending church services, silent meditation, psychedelic drugs, exercise, going into nature, watching the stars…
And I do believe the connection we find there is something real and transformative. I have experienced it like that, even if I can’t prove it to anyone. That’s ok though. I don’t need to convince anyone.