I copied this from a previous thread that was closed because of a troll. It's a great question from WG, so I posted it again here.
There are many parts to this question. I'll take just one to start.Quote:
I'd love it if this thread had honest and interesting discussions about belief in God. Who is God? Where did He (She?) come from? Why do so many cultures believe in a God? Is He (She?) the same one for all?
"Is he (She) the same one for all"?
I don't think that's true specifically - i.e., the many names and descriptions of God. But I do think it's true in a general sense.
There seems to be a widespread understanding that there is a "creative principle" for all that is. This principle is usually seen to be personal as the religions conceive of it. That is possibly a way to make the idea palatable to humans. We prefer to think of a person rather than a principle when considering the subject.
Having said that, it is equally possible a personal God IS the absolute truth. A "principle" being the author of creation is a difficult idea for us to contemplate. As far as I can determine, only the Hindus have approached the problem that way. Buddhism essentially avoids answering the question, while the three Western religions all posit a personal God.
The question is not only religious. It affects all aspects of life. Science takes the position that a theory of God is without evidence but does not take a position of the theory being definite. Stephen Hawking tried to explain the origin of the universe without a God but failed.
Whether personal or a principle, is "all that is" governed by any kind of teleology or is it all purely random? In my opinion. the universe reveals itself to have purpose.