I think you completely misread **msmith’s ** post, WUC. Try re-reading it.
What I gathered from his post is that he’s a Deist. His POV appears to be one of God’s non-participation.
Poseidon is very upset that all those Muslims think he’s a false god.
Thank you.
I don’t consider myself anything (except Jewish I guess) but you are correct. My POV is that God is either a non-participant or his participation is of such a nature that our role in it is rather insignificant. In other worlds, maybe he’s too busy driving the Milky Way into Andromeda to worry about something so petty as an earthquake on one of the planets orbiting one of the billions of stars in one of those galaxies.
Then again, an infinite being might also have an infinite attention to detail.
Are people so arrogant to think that God reaches his hand down to affect their lives, one way or the other? In one village, some of the villagers believe God spared them from the wrath of the tsunami. Others believe it was a sea-wall built by the French a hundred years before. God spared this village because their fishing was so much more important to His design? I don’t think so.
Would you then extend the “non-participation” to discarding all religions and their books as mere man-made ideas and superstitions. Would you go as far as giving a Wake up call to all Christians, Muslims and Jews to stop wasting their time worshiping a non-participant? Would the non-participant really give a darn whether we build another Mosque, Church, Temple or Synagogue?
What is the use of these symbols if the “Almighty” is a non-participant? Why do the Muslims bend-over 5 times a day, the Jews go through the Sabbath rituals, and the Christians attend Sunday sermons – trying to attract the attention of a non-participant?
What is the use of all these prayers, if the “non-participant” has no role to play in our insignificant earthling affairs?
Well I certainly don’t think a person can petition God to perform various acts that benefit us. And if God is everywhere, I certainly don’t believe he requires a special facility to listen to us. Religeon is about people. If it makes someone feel good to pray 5 times a day or it gives them structure or helps them through difficult times, I see nothing wrong with it. The rituals are not to impress God with your devotion. They are to build a connection with other members of your faith.