THEO10001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Dei Verbum
Document Summary
Smith defines the moralistic aspect of moralistic therapeutic deism as the belief that living a moral life, such as being considerate and trying to be a better person, equates to happiness. Therapeutic as making others feel good and secure so that they are more likely to be outwardly good to others. Lastly, smith defines deism as the belief in a god that created all things and presides over earth yet maintains a safe distance until someone asks for his involvement. Smith"s overall claims in this excerpt are quite compelling and convincing. What he is detailing regarding popular culture and today"s teens are fairly accurate when it comes to what they believe in. One positive aspect of mtd is that it creates a belief system in which people will treat each other with kindness since that it the minimum to get into heaven. One negative aspect is that it has very few requirements and is therefore not entirely realistic.
