h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I guess a big part of my belief goes back to the fact that I am a skeptic. I have had difficulties with both the organized religions, both Christian and Jewish. I am Jewish by birth but I was raised Baptist. But that is much to long of a story!
My belief in God is more if a creationist/evvolution mix. I do believe that there is a higher being. The universe is just to perfectly set up to be chance. Even though I believe it is possible that there may be an infinity of other universes, or failed universes. But my problem develops with God speaking or directly intervening in human affairs. It is hard for me to accept that any entity that can create and order the universe into being would take an express interest in humans! We are small insubstantial beings. It is the ultimate arrogance to think, as the old and new Testaments teache, that we are central to God.
My personel opinion is that the various religions are simply either a way to pacify the masses, or a cover all explanation for all that we dont understand or cant explain.
With all that said I want to repeat, I do believe in God. But that he/she/it started the universe rolling , probably made some small ajustments, but is basically hands off.
Its just my opinion.

there area number of problems that seem to occur whatever stance you take on god, but what those problems are depend on your stance.
say you argue that god started the universe, the problem with that is that if he did, who started god?
with god the minute to minute meddler, you have a serious problem with needing to predict the outcome of your changes, else the outcomes rapidly become effectively blatant guesswork. the problem with this is that the more people being changed, the more often the changes, the larger the change, all of these things have knock-on effects, making prediction orders of magnitude more difficult.
most of the other positions also have similar problems, even if you ignore the question of what type of being god is (ie would you want to live next to him?), which his own press in the old testament points out various unpleasent behaviours.

You mention the 2 organised religions. there are many more than that, even within the judao-christian sytem of beliefs. If you go outside this set, there are many more.

ps you mention that you were jewish by birth. I don't supose you could let me know (if you have the information) which five old testament books make up the talmut. I know that one of them is exodus, but what are the rest?

Hi let me get your PS out of the way first. The five books of the Talmud are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
I believe getting into the whole who made God question is a chicken and the egg question, for the near future it is an unanswerable question.
As far as God having his hands in every little action, I have problems with that. If that was true, there would be no laws of physics or any laws of any kind. Except for some very odd and extremely unlikely events things happen, when circumstances are identical, the same way every time. Quantum effects and probability withstanding, the universe would be a shambles with out those laws.
(I think I just rambled didn't I)
Anyway, My personel beliefs from what I know and what I have learned and seen, God is hands off, and doesnt fiddle with things.

thanks for the answer on the talmut.

my main point on the prior post was that every position has similar problems, including the one where god does not exist.

and most of those positions have some supporters.

The "Talmud" (correct spelling) is not the first five books of the Old Testament. They are the "Torah". The Talmud consists of 72 volumes of legal commentary on the Torah.

oops, I stand corrected. me.