I believe the word “God” is a symbol for everything too deep, too big, and too immediate to understand. Whether one chooses to use that word depends more upon personal temperament than substance.
I believe any “God” needing to be protected from heresy has been made up by the orthodox to defend dogma too weak to stand on its own.
I believe any “God” who gets offended at the human condition has been made up by moralists to frighten us into conformity.
I believe any religion based on saving us from an invisible threat is probably a sham.
I believe all nondemocratic religious hierarchies are privilege garbed in velvet piety.
Likewise, I believe dogma that cannot be questioned is usually superstition in sanctimonious disguise.
I believe healthy religion does not ask us to find scapegoats for our problems but calls us to present ourselves as living sacrifices for the common good.
I believe true “saviors” do not call us to love themselves but to recognize our kinship with all humankind and the web of life.
I believe the exclusiveness to which true religion calls us is not loyalty to any sect, but a commitment to universal love, radical honesty and a passion for justice that is embodied in our own lives.