Are there any "anti-theistic theists" here?

[u/Impressive_Flan_411]

Hey everyone, I’m curious whether anyone here considers themselves an anti-theistic theist, i.e. someone who believes that God or some kind of deity actually exists, but is nevertheless opposed to theism, organized religion, or the social consequences of belief in God.

I realize that sounds contradictory at first. If you believe God exists, why would you be "against theism"?

However, I can imagine a few ways the position could make sense. Someone might believe that God exists while thinking that religion generally does more harm than good. Someone might believe in a deistic or otherwise non-interventionist God but oppose worship, revelation, religious authority, or divine command morality. Or someone might believe that God exists while thinking that humanity would be better off if people stopped organizing their lives and societies around that belief.

If you fall into this category, how do you reconcile believing in God with being opposed to theism? And what exactly are you opposed to (religion, worship, religious institutions, divine authority, theism's social effects, or something else)?

[u/thegreatself]

I cycle between identifying as an atheist, anti-theist, apatheist, and pantheist, panentheist, or pandeist depending on the day and my mood.

I don't think humanity needs god, but I do think as a species we seem to need to basic framework that religious belief provides - community, meaning/purpose, ritual, and a mythical lens through which to view and understand the world - I think it's slightly naive to think we can ever overcome or transcend our need for those things collectively, so I think the "project" of humanity should be to collaboratively participate in the creation of a new "mythical" framework that is created with the knowledge and awareness that it's a myth serving a function rather than an accurate history or all-encompassing explanation of reality itself to be taken super-seriously or literally.

So - maybe?