Ietsism
Encyclopedia
Ietsism is an unspecified belief in some higher force. It is a Dutch term for a range of beliefs held by people who, on the one hand, inwardly suspect - or indeed believe - that there is “More between Heaven
and Earth
” than we know about, but on the other hand do not necessarily accept or subscribe to the established belief system
, dogma
or view of the nature of God
offered by any particular religion. The nearest English language equivalent terms are agnostic theism
and deism
.
In contrast to traditional agnostics who often hold a skeptical view about gods or other metaphysical entities (i.e. “We can't or don't know for sure that there is a God"), “Ietsists” take a viewpoint along the lines of, “And yet it feels like there is something out there...." It is a form of religious liberalism
or non-denominationalism. Ietsism may also be described as the minimal counterpart of nihilism
, since it accepts that there is something, but yet, assumes as little further as possible without any more substantial evidence.
Ietsism also shares many attributes with similar viewpoints such as Deism
and the so-called 'God of the Gaps
', whose origins lie more in questions about the nature and origin of the physical universe. It could be said that Ietsism is 'Deism for the spiritually-inclined'.
An opinion poll conducted by the Dutch daily newspaper “Trouw
” in October 2004 indicated that some 40% of its readership felt broadly this way.
As the Ietsist will not have found any of the 'pre-packaged' Gods offered by traditional religions satisfactory, each Ietsist's conception of God will be different. This can range from the Judeo/Christian
/Islamic concept of God as a force / intelligence that exists outside the world, to a position similar to the Buddhist "world view" with collective spiritual power existing within the world. Other ietsists will dare to take a truly agnostic viewpoint - that the actual nature of God is totally unknown.
' God
?", a typical 'Ietsist' answer being "No, but there must be something ("iets" in Dutch)!".
The term became known in the Netherlands
after the atheist political columnist Ronald Plasterk
(who later served as the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science) used it in a feature for the television programme “Buitenhof
” ("outer court"). But the term possibly existed already.
In October 2005, the word “Ietsisme” was included in the 14th edition of the Dutch Language Dictionary 'Dikke Van Dale', but has also recently begun to circulate among English-speakers as a loanword
. More recently; the word 'ietsers' ("somethingers") has emerged in the Netherlands to describe people of this viewpoint, but this has not yet been borrowed into English.
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
and Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
” than we know about, but on the other hand do not necessarily accept or subscribe to the established belief system
Belief system
A belief system is a set of mutually supportive beliefs. The beliefs may be religious, philosophical, ideological or a combination of these.The British philosopher Stephen Law has described some belief systems as "claptrap" and said that they "draw people in and hold them captive so they become...
, dogma
Dogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
or view of the nature of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
offered by any particular religion. The nearest English language equivalent terms are agnostic theism
Agnostic theism
Agnostic theism is the philosophical view that encompasses both theism and agnosticism. An agnostic theist believes the proposition at least one deity exists is true, but regards the truth or falsehood of this proposition as unknown or inherently unknowable...
and deism
Deism
Deism in religious philosophy is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator. According to deists, the creator does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the...
.
Beliefs
Ietsism may roughly be described as a belief in an end-in-itself or similar concept, without further assumption to exactly what object or objects have such a property, like intrinsic aliquidism without further specification. Other aliquidistic lifestances include the acceptance of "there is something - that is, some meaning of life, something that is an end-in-itself or something more to existence - and it is...", assuming various objects or "truths", while Ietsism, on the other hand simply accepts "there is something", without further assumption to it.In contrast to traditional agnostics who often hold a skeptical view about gods or other metaphysical entities (i.e. “We can't or don't know for sure that there is a God"), “Ietsists” take a viewpoint along the lines of, “And yet it feels like there is something out there...." It is a form of religious liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
or non-denominationalism. Ietsism may also be described as the minimal counterpart of nihilism
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
, since it accepts that there is something, but yet, assumes as little further as possible without any more substantial evidence.
Ietsism also shares many attributes with similar viewpoints such as Deism
Deism
Deism in religious philosophy is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator. According to deists, the creator does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the...
and the so-called 'God of the Gaps
God of the gaps
God of the gaps is a type of theological fallacy in which gaps in scientific knowledge are taken to be evidence or proof of God's existence. The term was invented by Christian theologians not to discredit theism but rather to discourage reliance on teleological arguments for God's existence.-...
', whose origins lie more in questions about the nature and origin of the physical universe. It could be said that Ietsism is 'Deism for the spiritually-inclined'.
An opinion poll conducted by the Dutch daily newspaper “Trouw
Trouw
Trouw is a Dutch daily newspaper. "Trouw" is a Dutch word meaning "fidelity", "loyalty", or "allegiance", and is cognate with the English adjective "true"...
” in October 2004 indicated that some 40% of its readership felt broadly this way.
As the Ietsist will not have found any of the 'pre-packaged' Gods offered by traditional religions satisfactory, each Ietsist's conception of God will be different. This can range from the Judeo/Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
/Islamic concept of God as a force / intelligence that exists outside the world, to a position similar to the Buddhist "world view" with collective spiritual power existing within the world. Other ietsists will dare to take a truly agnostic viewpoint - that the actual nature of God is totally unknown.
Etymology
The name derives from the Dutch equivalent of the question: "Do you believe in the conventional 'ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
' God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
?", a typical 'Ietsist' answer being "No, but there must be something ("iets" in Dutch)!".
The term became known in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
after the atheist political columnist Ronald Plasterk
Ronald Plasterk
Ronald Hans Anton Plasterk is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He was Minister of Education, Culture and Science from February 22, 2007 until February 23, 2010 in the Cabinet Balkenende IV. He has been a Member of the House of Representatives since June 17, 2010. He focuses on matters of...
(who later served as the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science) used it in a feature for the television programme “Buitenhof
Buitenhof (television program)
Buitenhof is a Dutch political interview programme produced by the NPS, VARA and VPRO Netherlands Public Broadcasting and broadcast on Nederland 1 on Sunday mornings. The first edition of Buitenhof aired on 7 September 1997, when it succeeded the interview programme Het Capitool. The programme...
” ("outer court"). But the term possibly existed already.
In October 2005, the word “Ietsisme” was included in the 14th edition of the Dutch Language Dictionary 'Dikke Van Dale', but has also recently begun to circulate among English-speakers as a loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
. More recently; the word 'ietsers' ("somethingers") has emerged in the Netherlands to describe people of this viewpoint, but this has not yet been borrowed into English.
See also
- Agnostic theismAgnostic theismAgnostic theism is the philosophical view that encompasses both theism and agnosticism. An agnostic theist believes the proposition at least one deity exists is true, but regards the truth or falsehood of this proposition as unknown or inherently unknowable...
- DeismDeismDeism in religious philosophy is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator. According to deists, the creator does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the...
- Unknown godUnknown GodThe Unknown God or Agnostos Theos is a theory by Eduard Norden first published in 1913 that proposes, based on Paul's Areopagus speech in Acts 17:23, that in addition to the twelve main gods and the innumerable lesser deities, ancient Greeks worshipped a deity they called "Agnostos Theos", that...
- List of English words of Dutch origin