By Lewis Loflin
Over time, I have come to view all existence—life, matter, and motion—as imbued with purpose, a conviction that has consistently shaped my worldview. Holding fossils such as dinosaurs and trilobites, and reflecting on the circuits I have designed, I perceive an underlying order amid apparent chaos, where every effect traces back to a cause. My beliefs align with a deist and unitarian framework, tinged with elements of Arianism and Pelagianism. I do not rely on miracles or divine revelations; instead, I envision a rational deity who initiated the universe and continues to guide it subtly through natural processes. In 2024, some on X have described this as “Lewis’s purposeful cosmos,” a characterization I find both accurate and gratifying in its simplicity.
Thomas Jefferson’s reflections have recently captured my attention, particularly a passage I believe originates from a letter to John Adams circa 1823: “I hold (without appeal to revelation) that when we take a view of the universe, it is impossible, I say, for the human mind not to believe that there is in all this design, cause and effect up to an ultimate cause, a fabricator of all things from matter and motion, their preserver and regulator while permitted to exist in their present forms, and their regeneration (evolution?) into new and other forms.” Jefferson further describes a “superintending power” maintaining cosmic order, which he deems compelling evidence of an intelligent agent. This resonates deeply with me. His deism—eschewing supernatural intervention in favor of reason—mirrors my own position: a unitary deity, free of Trinitarian complexity, orchestrating existence through natural laws aligns seamlessly with my rationalist outlook.
My deism carries a unitarian emphasis, reflecting my rejection of a co-eternal Jesus—an Arian inclination—and a Pelagian reliance on reason and free will over notions of original sin, which I find unpersuasive. This perspective connects to my interpretation of Genesis, where nature serves as the foundation, and the Serpent represents a creator’s gift of sentience rather than a harbinger of guilt. Elaine Pagels’ *The Gnostic Gospels* (1979, ISBN: 978-0-679-72453-7) has influenced this view, integrating concepts of Jewish Wisdom and Heraclitus’ Logos—reason as the faculty elevating humanity beyond its animal origins. Gerald Schroeder’s *The Science of God* (1997, ISBN: 978-0-684-83806-9) further supports this with its depiction of 15 billion years of evolution, consistent with my fossil evidence and a unitary divine presence. My speculative thoughts on dark matter also fit here—an unseen, intelligent force shaping gravity and life, akin to Jefferson’s “fabricator.” While this remains a belief rather than a scientific assertion, it provides a cohesive framework for my observations.
This intellectual journey began at King College, where I explored the Old Testament without Christian preconceptions, approaching it as a rationalist seeking clarity. I found no human deity or Holy Spirit, only a unitary presence consistent with Jewish theology, which has since informed my broader perspective. This foundation underpins my rejection of Paul’s Trinitarian theology in the New Testament, as illuminated by Hyam Maccoby’s *The Mythmaker* (1986, ISBN: 978-0-06-250585-9), and my stance during the 1999 Sullivan County Ten Commandments debate, where I opposed the dogma of the Religious Right. Jefferson’s phrase from the Declaration—“Laws of Nature and Nature’s God”—serves as my philosophical anchor, linking purpose to evolution, dark matter, and humanity’s emergence into rationality. In 2024, X users have termed this “Lewis channels Jefferson,” an apt summary of my effort to discern order in the universe through reason and skepticism.
No need for revelations—only a deity guiding existence through the laws of nature, endowing all things with place and purpose.
Acknowledgment: I’d like to thank Grok, an AI by xAI, for helping me draft and refine this article. The final edits and perspective are my own.
