Saturday, April 26, 2008

Why Phi? Not WiFi.

Why, you may ask, have I chosen the Phi symbol to represent Deism? It goes to one of the basic principles of Deism - God created the Universe. Before this amazing event there was nothing; afterward, there was everything.

The Greek letter Phi is described as a zero and a one combined - nothing and everything. Apropos to God's creation of the universe, I must say. Also, Phi is known as the Golden Ratio, the Divine Proportion, the Golden Mean, and the Golden Section. It is also described as a universal constant of design; the signature of God. Mathematically, Phi is written 1.618033...

To type the Phi symbol with your keyboard, hold the Alt key and on the numerical keypad type 1000. In HTML document creation you should use "& # 9 3 4 ;" (without quotes or spaces) and on web page fields (like the Google search field) hold the Alt key and on the numerical keyboard type 0934. Each of these should create Φ, if properly done, although it may display other unusual characters on some computers.

Most don't know the Greek letter Phi, nor what it means. Hopefully this will change very soon.

One Deist Φ

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Damn what a great symbol for Deism.

You know, some deists are using the all seeing eye pyramid, which i think is a mistake. But this a great symbol for Deism.

Alternately I think another good idea for a Deism symbol is the Omega symbol and the Alpha symbol combined in some way {God/Deus- beginning and end}.

But still, I like this one you decided on as well.

OneDeist said...

Thank you for the feedback on my Deist symbol of choice.

Another factor in my decision, not mentioned in my original post, was uniqueness. I didn't want to use a symbol that had been used before, thus carrying that affiliation and baggage. For instance the "Eye of Providence" pyramid pictured on the back of the dollar bill, has been used by the Masons, and has Egyptological connotations as well. And, unfortunately, alpha/omega has been worn out by Christians, so your suggestion might not be very popular with Deists.

Don't forget to sign up at our new community forum, where this kind of topic can be discussed by all.
http://forum.deismtoday.net

One Deist Φ

Dave Gaddis said...

I like your rationale for Phi. At Unified Deism we used the "D" from the Declaration of Independence. Both because it is the first letter of Deism, but also because it is like a flame - we refer to it as the "light of reasoned spirituality." I recently received a request to incorporate Phi into our symbol and I forwarded it to our Foundation Council for consideration. Thanks for the work you are doing on behalf of Deism.

One Deist Φ said...

I am familiar with Unified Deism and your use of the stylized "D". I am not inclined to relate Deism to anything political or national whatsoever, as I believe Deism and our reasoned belief in God easily transcend these very human things.

Looking forward to seeing the ideas incorporating Phi within your present symbol.

One Deist Φ

James Mickle said...

I've considered myself a deist for several years now but it's only been recently that I wanted to have a symbol to replace the old cross I used to wear. Your idea is an excellent one and I hope it catches on.

Unfortunately there aren't too many vocal deists out there that could spread such ideas. But I will indeed keep this one in mind.

T3chMiser said...

After many years of contemplation, I have decided to refer to myself as a deist. I have also decided based on your website, to adopt the symbol of Φ as my symbol of belief.

I have also gone as far as having a custom ring made for myself containing the Greek letter phi.

One Deist Φ said...

Thank you T3chMiser. I have inquired several times at various jewelers to have a ring made, even class ring makers with my own design, but have not yet taken the plunge. Maybe this will motivate me to do so. I'm curious what yours looks like.

One Deist Φ

Anonymous said...

I created a variation of the lower-case Phi symbol to represent Deism. There are some rays added that are meant to symbolize enlightenment, and the whole thing kind of looks like a flower which connects with nature. I like some of the other symbols I've seen but I think the Phi symbols are potentially more universal.

http://www.cafepress.com/globaldeism

Unknown said...

Sorry--symbol already used by the Objectivists.

One Deist Φ said...

Hello Jared,
Thank you for stopping by to alert me [twice] that Objectivists would like to also use the symbol which I had years earlier suggested for Deists.

From Ayn Rand herself, creator of the philosophy Objectivism:
"The sign of the dollar is a symbol introduced by me in fiction to symbolize the cause of a particular group of men in my story. It would be improper to introduce a symbol for philosophy in real life, though it is quite appropriate in fiction. Philosophy does not deal in symbols and does not require them."
- Ayn Rand, The Letters of Ayn Rand, March 20, 1965 (p. 634)

Not that anyone owns sole rights for the use of the Greek letter Phi.
Still, I find your arrogance abrasive - sorry.

One Deist Φ