Maxim of Transtheism

Work in progress:

I cannot say with certainty that I am the originator of this group of maxims as a practical guideline for acceptable belief but I am certain that I have not read them anywhere on the Internet or in a book, as a group.  However, I would hasten to add that I have perceived them through my studies of various Transtheistic religions and miscellaneous philosophies of religion or otherwise.  This seems to express to me the prevailing attitude of those who practice Transtheism.  I will at this point claim to be the person who has first stated these maxims as a group and claim them as my own maxims for Transtheism. The maxims of my Transtheism are as follows.

     1.  A belief is any accepted mode of thought whatsoever that influences the mind and its actions.

                2.  Allow any belief whatsoever as long as it is believable with and without belief in deities existence.  

                3.  Allow any belief whatsoever as long as it works weather there is belief in deities existence or otherwise.  

The first maxim identifies what a belief is, so that it can be distinguished it from thoughts and ideas which may be potential beliefs.  I do want to acknowledge that C.S.  Peirce the founder of pragmatism is the source for this maxim and it is very close to his definition of belief.

The second maxim is a test before any idea or thought that may be considered for acceptance, it must pass this test.  The test is, is this belief compatible with a belief in deities existence and is this belief compatible with non-belief in deities existence?  If it passes this test than it needs to pass the other test but if it fails either test, it must be denied.  

The third maxim is a test before any idea or thought may be considered for acceptance, it must pass this test. The test is, if you believed deity existed would you act according to this belief even if deities do not exist or if you believed deity did not exist would you act according to this belief even if deities do exist? If it passes this test than it needs to pass the other test but if it fails either test, it must be denied.  

After an idea or thought has passed these tests it must then face whatever further tests an individual may have for it before acceptance.

Let’s look at some beliefs in the light of the second maxim.  “Allow any belief whatsoever as long as it is believable with and without belief in deities existence.”  

Transtheism is a belief in the possibilities of gods.  This belief is compatible with a belief in deities existence and is compatible with non-belief in deities existence, it passes the tests because possibilities does not directly contradict the idea of deities existence or otherwise.  

Transtheism is a belief in a third reality other than existence or non-existence for gods. This belief is compatible with a belief in deities existence and is compatible with non-belief in deities existence, it passes the tests because a third reality other than existence or non-existence does not directly contradict the idea of deities possible otherwise existence or not.  

Theism is a belief in the existence of at least one God.  This belief is compatible with a belief in deities existence but it is not compatible with non-belief in deities existence, so it fails.

Atheism is no belief in the existence of gods.  This belief is not compatible with a belief in deities existence but it is compatible with non-belief in deities existence, so it fails.

Gnosticism is a belief that knowledge of god existence is attainable.  This belief is compatible with a belief in deities existence but it is not compatible with non-belief in deities existence, so it fails.

Agnosticism is a belief that knowledge of god existence is unattainable.  This belief is not compatible with a belief in deities existence but it is compatible with non-belief in deities existence, so it fails. 

A Prophet that is defined as one who is believed to speak for God.  This belief is compatible with a belief in deities existence but is not compatible with non-belief in deities existence, so it fails

A Prophet that is defined as one who is believed to be a spiritual authority.  This belief is compatible with a belief in deities existence and it is compatible with non-belief in deities existence, so it passes.

The Christian Bible if believed literally to be God’s words to us.  This belief is compatible with a belief in deities existence but it is not compatible with non-belief in deities existence, so it fails.

The Christian Bible if believed to be a spiritually authoritative book.  This belief is compatible with belief in deities existence and it is compatible with non-belief in deities existence, so it passes.

I believe I am a god. This belief is compatible with a belief in deities existence but it is not compatible with non-belief in deities existence, so it fails.

I’m a god.  Sense this is a statement of possible fact and not belief it is not subject to these tests.

Beyond theism, atheism, gnosticism and agnosticism:

work in progress

 Transtheism ignosticism vs.   theism, atheism, Gnosticism and agnosticism: 

God, what does this word means to a Transtheist, The word god or deity is meaningful as a vague word but it is meaningless as a precise word.

It is a vague word, name or interjection about something such as a concept, perception, feeling and or intuition, which may educe awe, inspiration, reverence and or divinity and is signified by the uttered or written word, deity or god. 

From Transtheist perspective, theism, atheism, gnosticism and agnosticism are specific meaningless inferences drawn from the essential vague meaning of this non-specific or interjectory word.  That is, some Transtheists are ignostic about theism, atheism, Gnosticism and agnosticism but not about the vague meaning of god or deity. Theism, atheism, Gnosticism and agnosticism, by pursuing precise meanings of this word have moved into meaningless, in support of their respective positions.   

From a ignostic transtheist point of view, theist and gnostics do not affirm anything precisely and atheist and agnostics do not deny anything precisely about what god or deity is with a precise meaning or knowledge.  The precise meaning of term “god or deity” is beyond their present paradigm of precise understanding and therefore is not applicable as a precise term. 

It is better to move beyond these positions by  neither precisely affirm or deny what god or deity is,  but acknowledging its meaning as a vague unspecifiable or interjectory word about something called deity or god, which is something that transcends the “precise” meanings assigned to it by their positions.  The fundamental error of their positions is that they assume or infer too much about something that is beyond their ability to prove or disprove precisely, which renders their positions and arguments as meaningless.

Moving beyond the question of the existence or non-existence of a deity or god:

The vague meaning of god or deity is what it is as an apprehension; it is merely a concept, perception, feeling and or intuition, which may educe awe, inspiration, reverence or divinity. It is the reaction or interpretation of this apprehension that determines the position one has.  Let’s look at our three groups by first assuming that they have a similar concept, perception, feeling and or intuition, which may educe awe, inspiration, reverence or divinity by its apprehension.  The first group (theist/gnostic) interprets the apprehension as evidence a god or deity and as something they can or do belong to.  For them, it validates the existence of a deity or gods and it is a discovery of supreme importance to them.  The second group (atheist/agnostic) interprets the apprehension as something physical but not evidence of a deity or god and as something they can observe.  It does not validate for them the existence of any god or deities and is of no more importance than other things observable in physical reality.  And the third group (transtheist/ignostic) interprets the apprehension as something physical and as the potential for deity or god but as something they can or do relate to.  The act of their apprehension validates their own divinity; they discovery through the apprehension that divinity can make a being more or less into a god or deity.  

To a Transtheist the question of whether gods or deities exist has neither a completely true nor false answer, because God’s “super-existence” is considered a third reality and not the same as the two reality of existence or nonexistence as we typically understand.  But for this section I’m going to deal with a deity or gods as limited to the conditions of existence or nonexistence.   The condition of deity or god is something that happens to a being by acting divinely; it is not a fixed property of a being’s essential nature that is uncover but is a consequence of activity.  “Deity happens to beings”, asking if gods exist is like asking if blissful beings exist.  Potentiality, bliss may not happen for some beings but bliss may happen for other beings, potentiality, deity may not occur for some beings but deity may occur for other beings, that is god’s or deities more or less can exist.  By acting divinely, deity occurs to some degree and by not acting divinely, deity does not occur to some degree. 

Do gods exist in the theistic/gnostic or atheistic/agnostic meaning of the word?  I will assume the meaning to be, something whose essential being is deity or god, according to my statement “Deity happens to beings”, its agreeable that it may exist, only in the sense that its actions can cause deity to happen to its essential being and that deity is reversible by contrary actions. Therefore a being may or may not be a god or deity according to its actions, but any being with the potential to act divinely can be a deity or god more or less.  Deity or godliness is something that occurs or happens to beings, it is not generally the property of their essential nature.  

We can move beyond the question of god’s existence by simply acting divinely and more or less becoming a deity or god ourselves.  Then the question of other divine beings becomes redundant and an unimportant speculation.  There are billions of human beings on the planet earth with the similar potential for acting divinely as I or you have.  There are then, potentially billions of more or less deities or gods on earth, that I or you do not know personally to exist but they can exist.  The question of divine existence is answerable by one’s own personal divine actions far more satisfactorily then by speculating on how genuine another beings godliness or deity might be, even if it is certified by the authority of theological or mythical origins.
So then, a Deity or god is a being who by its divine activity happens to become more or less a god or deity, that is the answer to that question.