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.
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?
There are many parts to this question. I'll take just one to start.
"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.