"The Creed" of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

In Soul Searching, Christian Smith compiles the following "creed" for what he calls "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism," a widespread cultural form of belief held in common by American youth (note: in which was taught and modeled to them by their parents) from a great variety of Christian and non-Christian religious affiliations.  

• A God exists who created and order the world and watches over human life on earth.
• God wants people to be good, nice, fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
• The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
• God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
• Good people go to heaven when they die.

How do these tenets differ from the historic creeds and the Lutheran Confessions?  Where is Christ in the above beliefs?  Is there even a need for a suffering servant in the creed above?    


Source: Modern Reformation (Nov-Dec, 2010)


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What Is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism?