Deism The Religion Of Those Believing In A God Who Rules The World B ✓ Solved
DEISM: The religion of those believing in a God who rules the world by established laws but not believing in the divinity of Christ or the inspiration of the Bible; "natural" religion, based on reason and a study of nature, as opposed to "revealed" religion. The scientific movement which grew out of the new knowledge of the world and the universe following upon the discoveries and theories of Columbus, Copernicus, Galileo, Francis Bacon, and later the members of the Royal Society, furthered the development of a rationalistic point of view which more and more tended to rely upon reason instead of upon revelation in the consideration of humanity's relation to God and the Universe. The fact that the conceptions of the physical world found in the Old Testament seemed inconsistent with the newer knowledge shook the faith of many in the doctrine of the special inspiration of the Bible.
DEISM was a product of this general point of view. 1. The Bible is not the inspired word of God; it is good so far as it reflects "natural" religion and bad so far as it contains "additions" made by superstitious or designing persons. 2. Certain Christian theological doctrines are the product of superstition or the invention of priests and must be rejected; e.g., the deity of Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity, and theory of the atonement for sins.
3. God is perfect, is the creator and governor of the Universe, and works not capriciously but through unchangeable laws (hence "miracles" are to be rejected as impossible). 4. Human beings are free agents, whose minds work as they themselves choose; even God cannot control human thought. 5.
Since human beings are rational creatures, like God, they are capable of understanding the laws of the universe; and as God is perfect, so can humanity become perfect through a study of nature, which shows design and must therefore be an expression of God. 6. Practical religion for the individual consists in achieving virtue through the rational guidance of conduct (as exemplified in the scheme for developing the moral virtues recorded by Franklin in his Autobiography). (Thrall, Hibbard, Holman. A Handbook to Literature.) PROCESS IMPROVEMENT PLAN 4 Process Improvement Plan Name: University Affiliation: Date: Process Improvement Plan What company are you planning to use for your process improvement plan?
The company that I plan to utilize is the McDonald’s Company. McDonald’s Company is a firm that operates in the fast-food restaurant industry suggesting that it has so many projects and processes that it conducts during its production activities. The process improvement plan is a process and function that aims at ensuring that firms have full control of their activities. In other words, the process improvement plan is a process that aims at assisting companies to develop their value over time. Why do you plan to develop a process improvement plan for this company?
The reasons that motivate me in creating the process improvement plan for the McDonald’s Company is to help the firm in doing its processes in the required manner (Loon, 2004). In other words, with the creation of the process improvement plan, McDonald’s Company will understand how it is supposed to produce its foods and drinks. Also, I am motivated in creating this plan to assist the company in enjoying improved value that will be acquired through things such as better foods and drinks. Moreover, the plan will help the firm to realize the best way of protecting its resources from wastage. Therefore, McDonald’s Company will ensure that all the employees are doing their part and everyone in the company is doing what seems to be advantageous to the firm (Pastinen, 2010).
Describe the problem with the current processes and why are they ineffective The major problem at McDonalds restaurant is the employee accountability and motivation. There lacks these qualities at McDonalds restaurant and not just in one or two restaurants but all the restaurants. The employees do not stick to their roles effectively and this discourages the clients a lot. For example, when you make an order in some of the restaurants, they take too long to be processed. The cashiers do not process the payment faster and do not confirm the receipt of the payment.
This delays the cooks form working on your order if it is a special order that you have to pay fast. When you make a custom order, the servicemen or women delay serving you or when your order is displayed on the screen nobody brings it to you even when you make a follow-up. The managers do not respond to clients' requests either, or when he is receiving a complaint about a certain serviceman or woman, the servicemen and women do not bother to apologize but instead argue to prove how right they are. The managers do not take a hard stance on the service men and women’s poor service. Identify the organizational policies and procedures directly related to this process McDonalds puts emphasis on the customer as per their policies and procedures.
In their policies, they state that they are in the business because of the customer. Thus, it is their priority to ensure that their customers are well attended to the fullest. In their employee relations, they state that each and every employee is subject to a disciplinary action whenever claims of disrespect and work neglect are laid against him or her. The problems that there is poor customer service at most McDonalds restaurants directly fall under this policies. The service crew does not attend to the customers effectively and apparently, they do not have proper respect for their leaders since they can argue and disapprove any alleges of poor service delivery against them.
Provide specific evidence-based examples that clearly show the process is the cause of the deficiencies in management According to the Systems Theory, all the components of an organization are all related and whenever one variable is changed, it will affect all the other variables. It adds that organizations are seen as systems that are open and they interact with their environment continuously and may adapt to the changes in the environment. Putting this in mind, the McDonalds has sections that depend on each other, for example, the cooks depend on confirmation of the payment of on the special orders whereas they also depend on the service crew on other orders made. If there happens that one person does not do his or her part, the rest will be stuck and will not do.
Hence, the management has to ensure that the accountability of all the workers is kept to high standards. If the problems continue like this, the workers will be used o this and this will be the start of the fall of the McDonalds. A serious step in making the employees accountable and responsible should start right away by informing them of their roles, procedures and dire disciplinary actions that may befall those who do not adhere to the work ethics. Determine what ethical, legal, and social issues exist within the current process and whether or not these will be a concern when changing the process. There exist a number of ethical issues that are likely to bring further disagreements.
The first ethical issue is offensive communication, here when addressing each employee’s shortcomings; they may not receive them well and end up exchanging bitterly. Thus, proper guidance is required for the employees to make them much considerate and understanding. The second ethical issue may be remunerations; it could be that they are not committed to their work because the remunerations are not matching with the workload or responsibilities bestowed on them. Thus to address this, the company has to add a token to the promises they make to the staff members for great change. References Loon, H. (2004).
Process assessment and improvement : a practical guide for managers, quality professionals, and assessors . New York: Springer. Pastinen, M. (2010). High-performance process improvement . Heidelberg Germany London New York: Springer.
Walonick, D. (1993). Organizational Theory and Behavior. Statpac.org. Retrieved 14 January 2018, from 1 PROCESS IMPROVEMENT PLAN 4 Process improvement plan Student’s name University affiliation Process improvement plan What company are you planning to use for your process improvement plan? The company that I plan to utilize is the McDonald’s Company.
McDonald’s Company is a firm that operates in the fast-food restaurant industry suggesting that it has so many projects and processes that it conducts during its production activities. The process improvement plan is a process and function that aims at ensuring that firms have full control of their activities. In other words, the process improvement plan is a process that aims at assisting companies to develop their value over time. Why do you plan to develop a process improvement plan for this company? The reasons that motivate me in creating the process improvement plan for the McDonald’s Company is to help the firm in doing its processes in the required manner (Loon, 2004).
In other words, with the creation of the process improvement plan, McDonald’s Company will understand how it is supposed to produce its foods and drinks. Also, I am motivated in creating this plan to assist the company in enjoying improved value that will be acquired through things such as better foods and drinks. Moreover, the plan will help the firm to realize the best way of protecting its resources from wastage. Therefore, McDonald’s Company will ensure that all the employees are doing their part and everyone in the company is doing what seems to be advantageous to the firm (Pastinen, 2010). What are some examples of known deficient processes?
Different processes are deficient including the way foods are produced. For instance, there is no adequate maintenance of cleanliness that assists in ensuring that the food that is made is healthy for the customers. The other deficiency is the allocation of resources to most of the significant activities that are related to the production of food. However, with the process improvement plan, it is evident that all the deficiencies will be eradicated by the corporation. References Loon, H. (2004).
Process assessment and improvement : a practical guide for managers, quality professionals, and assessors . New York: Springer. Pastinen, M. (2010). High-performance process improvement . Heidelberg Germany London New York: Springer.
Benjamin Franklin Be sure to read the introduction in the textbook. Access the notes on the Age of Reason (Eighteenth Century) posted on the Background Study Notes. Your textbook has an essay “Reason and Revolution .†The page numbers are in the Table of Contents and also on your syllabus of Works to Read. Franklin is a major representative of the Age of Reason, which is also called the Enlightenment. This era dates roughly from , the 18 th century.
Franklin was born in Boston and died in Philadelphia. He lived for the majority of the 18 th century through exciting times in American history. He was a crucial influence on the development of this country. Franklin was apprenticed as a printer when he was 12 years old. He was basically self- educated.
As a teenager he became the editor of a newspaper. He moved to Philadelphia when he was 17 and began to make his fortune in that city. He retired when he was 42. He made wise investments, worked hard, and saved his money. You can see some of the achievements in the introduction.
He was a scientist, a diplomat, a businessman, a writer, a politician, an inventor. He had many interests and talents. Franklin spent many years in France and England, working on the American cause. He worked on the Declaration of Independence and served the Constitutional Convention. Look at the footnote to the beginning of “The Autobiography.†The work was written when he was 65 years old and his son was an adult.
I have asked you to look at only a small section. Look at the list of Works to Read for the pages. He first listed 12 virtues but was told by a Quaker friend that he needed another one, so he added #13. He tells the reader that he wants to arrive at moral perfection. He develops a list of moral virtues, which he wants to possess.
They are listed in the pages you are to read. He stresses that he intends to acquire the habit of these virtues and that trying to do them all at once would be difficult. He decides to try them one at a time. He also organizes his schedule so that nothing is wasted. You can see that schedule.
Notice especially the questions he asks himself each morning and each evening. He says that he did not acquire the reality of humility but did work on the appearance of virtue. In “The Way to Wealth,†Franklin uses a pen name to write. Richard Saunders is the author, but it is actually Franklin. Almanacs were popular reading material.
The sayings were used for filler in the almanac and have been the part that is important. The sayings were not original for the most part, but Franklin gave them new emphasis for the American experience. The most famous collection of these sayings was “The Way to Wealth.†You can read this section to get the idea of the sayings. You will recognize many of them. They are common sense approaches to life.
They deal with subjects like laziness, time management, money management. The advice is practical. Franklin spent many years in France as a diplomat. He had married Deborah Read when he arrived in Philadelphia. She was not educated, but the two seemed to have a respectful marriage.
He was often away from home on diplomatic missions. In the “Letter to Ezra Stiles,†Franklin responds to questions regarding his personal beliefs. In a time when there was no instant communication, letters were crucial in sharing with others. Letters were used for more than factual news—they also contained philosophical, religious, political, and other insights. Stiles had asked Franklin about his religion in a previous letter.
In paragraph 3 Franklin addresses this. Be sure you access the posted notes in Background Study Notes that discuss Deism. Deism is a philosophical attitude that was prominent in the 18 th Century Age of Reason. The notes give you a definition and discussion. You need to have that information.
Franklin, like most of the founders of the nation (including Jefferson and Paine), was Deist. Paragraph 4 of the letter begins Franklin’s account of his own beliefs. He also responds to the question about the nature of Jesus. Franklin says that Jesus left the best system of morals if people would only follow it. However, corrupting changes have occurred.
Franklin says the issue of divinity is not something he will have to expend much energy on because at his elderly state, he will have the opportunity of knowing firsthand the truth of the situation. Since he has prospered in this life, he has no reason to doubt its continuation in the next. Franklin died five weeks after he wrote this letter as you see in the footnote. The “Speech in the Constitutional Convention†was delivered on September 17, 1787, when the Constitution was signed. It is important to notice that he says he does not entirely approve of the document, but that does not mean he will never approve.
He does agree to the Constitution even with its faults because government is necessary. It is powerful that Franklin says he has found with his long life that he has been wrong about things he once thought were true. ENG 251 THE AGE OF REASON Eighteenth Century MAJOR LITERARY FORMS essays, autobiography, satire, pamphlets, documents, poetry, sketches THEMATIC CHARACTERISTICS 1. Influenced by European philosophers: Sir Isaac Newton Isaac Newton was the greatest English mathematician of his generation. He laid the foundation for differential and integral calculus.
His work on optics and gravitation make him one of the greatest scientists the world has known. John Locke Much of John Locke's work is characterized by opposition to authoritarianism. This opposition is both on the level of the individual person and on the level of institutions such as government and church. For the individual, Locke wants each of us to use reason to search after truth rather than simply accept the opinion of authorities or be subject to superstition. On the level of institutions, it becomes important to distinguish the legitimate from the illegitimate functions of institutions and to make the corresponding distinction for the uses of force by these institutions.
The positive side of Locke's anti-authoritarianism is that he believes that using reason to try to grasp the truth and determining the legitimate functions of institutions will optimize human flourishing for the individual and society both in respect to its material and spiritual welfare. Rene Descartes After an expanded statement of the method of doubt, he argued that even the most dire skepticism is overcome by the certainty of one's own existence as a thinking thing. From this beginning, he believed it possible to use our clear and distinct ideas to demonstrate the existence of god, to establish the reliability of our reason generally despite the possibility of error, to deduce the essence of body, and to prove that material things do exist.
On these grounds, Descartes defended a strict dualism, according to which the mind and body are wholly distinct, even though it seems evident that they interact. 2. Interest in Deism—God governing through natural laws (see handout on Deism) 3. God humanity and nature existing in harmony 4. Reason , reflection, investigation, prudence, common sense as guides to understanding divine design 5.
Emphasis on the present world and conditions here 6. The natural rights of human beings 7. Political rights of the colonies, arguments for separation from England 8. Defining an "American" 9. Contrast and comparisons of Europeans and Americans STYLISTIC CHARACTERISTICS English form and style—American sensibility Many pamphlets and manifestos, highly rhetorical rather than lyrical Practical, political, and persuasive Clarity and precision in prose Poetry emphasizing form and meter Importance of wit Propaganda for the American Revolution Evocation of a national sense Topical subject matter GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF NEOCLASSIC WRITING Used heroic couplet (two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter expressing a thought) Cultivated poetic diction Generalized about the situation and abstract in philosophy Strove for perfection of form—regularity, clarity, standard Conformed to law and order—Pope's "Whatever is, is right." Stressed intellect, reason, common sense Emphasized satire and criticism Emphasized society and its institutions Interested in city life Interested in the contemporary world but also interested in the Greek and Roman classical works Examples of classical architecture from Rome and Greece: The Colesseum in Rome The Parthenon in Athens Examples of neoclassical architecture in the United States: The Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.
C. Mount Vernon, home of George Washington The White House in Washington, D. C. The Capitol in Washington, D. C. Example of neoclassical gardens:
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Deism: The Religion of Reason and Natural LawDeism refers to the philosophical belief in a creator or supreme deity who established the universe according to natural laws, emphasizing the use of reason to understand this creation rather than relying on revealed religion, such as the Bible. This reflection of reason and natural law was a prominent feature of the Enlightenment or Age of Reason, which flourished in the 18th century, influencing figures like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine (Franklin, 1916; Paine, 1776).
Historical Context of Deism
The roots of Deism can be traced back to the Scientific Revolution, which introduced a new way of understanding the universe. Thinkers like Galileo, Newton, and Copernicus challenged conventional beliefs about the cosmos, leading to a profound shift in humanity's relationship to the divine (Hasting, 2003). The age marked a move away from dogmatic religious tenets toward a reliance on speculative reasoning and empirical evidence. The collision between ancient scriptural doctrines and emerging scientific insights prompted the questioning of traditional religious beliefs, with many people beginning to see God as a distant watchmaker who established the laws of nature rather than an active participant in human affairs (Burt, 1994).
Core Beliefs of Deism
Deistic beliefs are characterized by several key tenets:
1. Rejection of Divine Revelation: Deists argue that religious texts, including the Bible, are not divinely inspired. They hold that only those elements reflecting "natural" religion—moral principles discernible through reason—are of value (Locke, 1690).
2. God as Creator and Lawgiver: Deists believe in a perfect God who created the universe and governs it through immutable natural laws, making miracles implausible (Hasting, 2003).
3. Human Rationality and Free Will: Deism posits that humans, endowed with reason, are capable of understanding divine design and achieving moral perfection (Franklin, 1916). This reflects a belief in free will where individuals can choose their paths based on reason (Holmes, 2006).
4. Ethical Living through Reason: Deism emphasizes morality derived from natural laws rather than divine commandments. Ethical guidelines are established through rational deliberation and a study of nature, reflecting the idea that a well-lived life is attainable through virtue (Burt, 1994).
5. Importance of Nature: The Deist perspective is deeply rooted in an appreciation of nature, viewing it as the ultimate revelation of divine order (Hasting, 2003).
Deism in Context: Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin exemplified the Deistic perspective throughout his life. His "Autobiography" represents a self-exploration of virtues he wished to embody as part of his character improvement. Franklin selected 13 virtues, including temperance, silence, order, and humility, indicating his belief in moral self-cultivation through reasoned effort (Franklin, 1916).
In his correspondence with Ezra Stiles, Franklin articulated his views on religion. He acknowledged, for example, that while he admired Jesus's moral teachings, he viewed claims of divine status and the role of miracles skeptically (Franklin, 1790). This illustrates the Deist worldview: valuing the ethical implications of religious teachings without adhering to their supernatural claims.
Further, Franklin's work as a diplomat and public figure intertwined with his Deistic beliefs. He emphasized the necessity of government for societal order while still being critical of its failings (Franklin, 1787). His sentiments reflect the Deistic principles that advocated the importance of rational governance and ethical societal structures grounded in reason.
The Legacy of Deism
Deism made significant contributions to American thought, particularly during the founding of the United States. Core democratic principles, such as the separation of church and state and the emphasis on individual rights, owe much to Deist philosophers like Jefferson and Paine (Burt, 1994; Hasting, 2003). Their advocacy for a rational approach to governance stemmed from a belief in human autonomy that resonated with Enlightenment ideals.
The Deist perspective indirectly influenced examinations of morality and ethics in contemporary philosophy. Thinkers such as John Stuart Mill carried these ideas of ethical rationalism into the modern era, forging a connection between Deism and later movements advocating for morality based on reason rather than divine command (Mill, 1863).
Challenges to Deism Today
Despite its historical significance, modern critiques often position Deism as overly rationalistic, lacking the emotional resonance of traditional religions. The challenges posed by postmodernist thought, which questions the very foundations of rationalism and objective knowledge, place Deism under scrutiny (Fukuyama, 1992). Critics assert that the individualistic emphasis in Deism neglects communal and experiential aspects of religion that many seek.
Moreover, contemporary issues surrounding environmental ethics have rekindled interest in the Deistic appreciation of nature as divinely ordered. As concerns over ecological degradation rise, the Deistic emphasis on understanding and respecting natural laws offers valuable insights into sustainable living (Leopold, 1949).
Conclusion
Deism is a foundational philosophy that articulated a vision of the divine as rooted in reason and natural law. Its core principles continue to resonate in contemporary discussions surrounding ethics, autonomy, and governance. By promoting rational inquiry over blind faith, Deism has left an indelible mark on both religious and secular spheres. Figures like Benjamin Franklin played invaluable roles in the development of Deistic thought, exemplifying the belief in moral self-improvement and rational governance rooted in a recognition of divine order within the natural world.
References
1. Burt, S. (1994). The Deist Movement in America, 1780-1810. Northwestern University Press.
2. Franklin, B. (1916). The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
3. Franklin, B. (1787). Speech in the Constitutional Convention.
4. Fukuyama, F. (1992). The End of History and the Last Man. Free Press.
5. Hastings, J. (2003). Encyclopedia of Religion. Macmillan.
6. Leopold, A. (1949). A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press.
7. Locke, J. (1690). An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Thomas Basset.
8. Holmes, R. (2006). The Age of Wonder: How Chemistry Changed the World. Harper.
9. Mill, J. S. (1863). Utilitarianism. Parker, Son, and Bourn.
10. Paine, T. (1776). Common Sense. Robert Bell.