upon one's definition of "God."

and gave him all the attributes of a spoiled 10 year old child. - Heinlein and others.

At the pool, like sea monkeys and is now busy with other projects

- George Carlin.

And that is a comment about the grifters and con artists who claim to speak for God.

a very profitable invention

Does actually exist anywhere but in some peoples imagination

There is no "god". Religion is a myth created by overly testosteroned men who want to make a cult that will empower them throughout thousands and thousands of years. Religions destroy. Religions subjugate. Religions create hatred. Religions make women servants. Religions are cults who deceive and destroy to gain wealth and power. Religions and the men who follow them have a single agenda...destruction of everything and everyone who does not support their murderous drive of complete and supreme wealth and control of the planet.

Religion and the men who promote religion have always destroyed our planet and always will continue to destroy our planet. It is a fact.

She's a working Mom. So, it's up to us to clean up our own mess.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

"The universe is neither hostile nor benign; it's just infinitely indifferent." - someone wiser than me

He’s bipolar

Which god are you referring to?

Imagine any of us witnessing a horrible event and doing nothing. God, if there is a god, has witnessed them throughout history

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" - Epicurus, 341-270 BC

If you are a nice person, you envision a nice god. If you’re a mean person, you envision a mean god.

is the organizing force of the universe. "God" is like a tapestry of light with an infinitely complex design. When actions veer from that pattern there's a correction - that's all. Not evil, not impotent, not mean - just IS. Those are human attributes. Men created myth to explain the world and the universe - it's a way of coping - to assume that one has some sort of control over one's destiny. Ha!

As a person of faith, I question that every day. I applaud all of the answers here, because the answer is that no one really knows. Each person should be free to believe as they see fit, including having no belief system at all.

I think the vast majority of people on the planet believe in some type of creator. A lot of Democrats have a deep faith, including Kamala Harris, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, so I'm always a little sad when people make negative comments about those of us who choose to believe (not necessary saying that is happening here), but it's for each of us, individually, to figure out and explore.

The one thing that I DO know is that when religion - ANY religion is forced on someone - the basic, human response is to resist. So no one should ever be forced to participate in religion or religious activities unless they choose to do so freely. That's why we have and we will always need separation of church and state. There's no gray area in that as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks for an interesting thread.

A dramatic death with lots of suffering is a pretty good topic.

Nobody in heaven wants to hear your story about how you had a perfectly happy life and a pleasant painless death surrounded by family.

Best fucking thing that ever happened to humanity was when Eve ate that apple and God kicked the humans out of His garden. ( It wasn't just Adam and Eve, however. That would be creepy. )

Sigh.

My point is not to mock religion but those who would interpret religious texts literally as a justification for oppressing others and destroying what's left of the natural world as we know it.

I don't respect religious people who worship cruel and capricious gods and behave accordingly. I don't respect religious anti-intellectualism. I can respect anyone who is kind and get's along well with their neighbors regardless of anyone's religious beliefs or lack of them.

Some religions, especially as practiced by certain communities, really are toxic. I don't think they should automatically be respected or even tolerated. I don't have any trouble telling people that the god they worship is an asshole. But it doesn't make any sense to say "God is either impotent or evil" if you don't believe any god exists. You can't have it both ways. There's no point in being an atheist if you still carry the baggage of the god you reject.

OPs about religion are restricted in this forum. I recommend the Religion forum for this contribution.