As I Think, So I Act
by Raymond Fontaine, Ph.D.
In retrospect, I divide my
88-year life into three phases: the first as a priest, the second as in
transit, and the third as a Deist. These stages differed greatly. Yet
during all three, my thinking directed my actions. Throughout my life, I
retained this vital basic principle.
Phase 1: As a Priest
Born and bred in a Catholic home and taught by priests in a seminary
during 12 years, I believed everything that the
Catholic Church teaches. I believed in God as revealed in the
Bible interpreted by priests. I believed that God guaranteed the truth
of the Bible. I believed that God granted infallibility to the Pope as
he instructed his priests. One of them told me that God called me to
become a priest.
Thinking that all this was true, I acted accordingly. I was ordained a
priest in 1945. Then I preached the Gospel mostly in
Ohio and
New York during 17 years. When the Pope requested missionaries
for Africa, I volunteered and went to
Uganda. There I built a church and a school and preached the
Gospel as interpreted by the Church. This was difficult work but as
always, I acted as I thought best.
Phase 2: In Transit
It was in Africa that I began to question the teachings of the Church.
The Church condemned all forms of contraceptives. The Church forbade the
divorce of Catholics dutifully married in Church. It never allowed
priests to marry, imposing absolute celibacy. These prohibitions caused
untold suffering. Thinking that the Church might be wrong, I was
compelled to act and check for myself the biblical basis for the
Church's dogmas and regulations.
In the Old Testament, God entrusted the rituals to married men. Jesus
chose married men for his disciples. In the early Church, popes, bishops
and priests were married. The Gospels never mentioned birth control
devices. And so it was with almost all the doctrines of the
Catholic Church - the Bible does not mention them. They were
human fabrications. I lost faith in the teaching authority of the
Church.
My fundamental principle of life "Act as you Think" directed me to
abandon the Church and all its doctrines - but not my belief in God. The
designs in nature and its structures and laws, all totally independent
of the Church, require and presuppose an intelligent Creator at the
origin of the universe. But nothing in nature indicates that God
intervenes in the course of nature. The Creator's policy evidently lets
creatures exploit their full potential while depending on their
environment which includes their fellow humans.
Phase 3: As a Deist
After leaving the church, I was busy earning a living while helping my
neighbor in many ways. During seven years, I provided assistance to a
million refugees in
Vietnam. Later I returned to Africa and directed a U.S.
government project to drill deep wells for people living on the fringe
of the Sahara Desert.
All the while, I never thought of sharing my Deist belief with others. I
kept it private. Back in America, I soon witnessed the suffering of
friends disenchanted with the Church - not knowing what to do. I decided
to help them by sharing my deist philosophy of life. My thinking
directed that course of action.
I wrote my biography entitled: My Life with God IN and OUT of the
Church. In the meantime, my wife suffered a stroke leaving her paralyzed
in need of constant care. I had no time to publicize my book.
What to do? I would publish it on the Internet. My Website got some
attention - about 200 visitors per month. But that was not enough.
Unfortunately I could not do more. I searched the Internet for others
who thought and acted like me.
I soon found the Website of "The World Union of Deists" headed by
Bob
Johnson - a confirmed Deist with a consuming desire to replace with
Deism all religions based on reputedly divine revelations to ancient
prophets. Like me, Bob Johnson believes that the only true and
authentic revelation of God are the wonders of Nature. The designs,
structures, and laws of Nature presuppose an intelligent Creator.
Bob Johnson created a wonderful Website at
www.deism.com.
It is loaded with articles ready to enlighten everyone searching for the
truth about God. To do this, however, it must first be found. That is
not easy among thousands of other Websites.
So it was with the North Star. The ancient mariners, especially those
lost at sea, looked for guidance in the heavens. Eventually, sailors
realized that one star remained stationary directly above the
North Pole. Seeing it, a sailor could know in what direction to
steer his ship. But first someone or something must point out the North
Star among myriads of stars.
One constellation is easily distinguishable - that of the Big Dipper. A
straight line between the two stars on the far end of the bowl of the
dipper points to the North Star. Thus for generations the Big Dipper
helped sailors find the North Star.
So it is for many people adrift in the world looking for the truth about
God. The World Union of Deists Website points to God steadfastly. But it must
first be visited. People must know about it. Someone must let the world
know about the Website of the World Union of Deists.
How to do this? Bob Johnson believes that one way is to post enticing
notices in places accessible to people looking for the truth about God.
That could be difficult and expensive. But if there's a chance of
success, it is worth a try.
Some may think that Bob Johnson is another Don Quixote who took on a
task that was noble but unrealistic. In history, however, there have
been a few Don Quixotes who overcame monstrous obstacles and changed the
world. Someday one or more Don Quixotes will surely come and set in
motion the eventual demise of all revealed Religions and the triumph of
Deism worldwide. That day will come sooner if all Deists act as they
think best.
You can
visit the site of Ray Fontaine where the above article was taken from
here.
You can order Ray’s outstanding book about his evolution from being a
Roman Catholic priest for over 20 years to being an active Deist,
My Life With God IN and OUT of the Church,
in eBook/PDF format
here.
The editor.
The survey shows a giant step forward for Deism in the fact that it actually uses the word "Deist" and for the very significant raw numbers it shows as representing the number of people who are Deists. In reality, the number of Deists is actually higher than the survey shows because the survey uses an outdated definition of Deist. For a more accurate definition please see our Deism Defined page.
Click here to read the actual survey. (It's in PDF)
One of the reasons the freethinker Giordano Bruno was tortured and murdered by being burned alive by the Catholic Church during the Inquisition was that he said the Universe is eternal and infinite which violates the superstitions in the Bible found in Genesis. This new study vindicates Bruno.
The Abraham Accord between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the US seems to be more of a war plan against Iran than any kind of legitimate peace agreement.