Religions come in many forms, definitions and guises. Personal god(s) are just another form of worshipping and possibly a personal religion. How do you feel about personal gods? For example do you feel anything wrong with someone praying to a stone in the corner of the back garden if the stone gave significance and meaning? Christians, how do you feel about personal gods? Do you find them appropriate (or inappropriate)? Can personal gods co-exist with Christianity? Atheists, personal gods not being a Christian god (within the definition of this thread) , do you find them acceptable?
All gods started out as someone's personal deity. And then he got other people to buy into it and it became a religion. People will worship anything. Venezuelans worship dead gangsters.
two words: cargo cult meantime, I find worship generally an unseemly business. a somewhat debasing primitive urge best kept to oneself, as described in the OP.
My stance towards such gods is similar in nature and severity (although maybe not number) to my stance towards other religions. That stance is usually characterised by a standing request for clear information. Once clear information has been obtained, I usually accept the religion as true (although I reserve the right to not do so), but it should be pointed out that most religions have never managed to provide such clear information.
This passage from Wisdom 14:15-20 (CEB) explains how gods are created. Wisdom 14:15-20 (CEB) = "15 Imagine a father overcome with grief at the untimely death of his child. In his grief, he makes an image of the child. The person who was once a corpse he now honors as a god. He passes it on to those under his authority, along with certain mysteries and special ceremonies. 16 As time goes by, his godless custom becomes tradition. Eventually, his custom becomes law, and rulers order the people to worship these carved images.17 These rulers, moreover, lived far away from most of their subjects. So because the people couldn’t pay their respects in person, they imagined what the ruler looked like and made an image of their honored leader. By their diligent efforts, they were thus still able to shower the king with their flattery. 18 But the artist’s desire to be recognized for his work also incited the fools to an ever greater intensity of worship. 19 Perhaps out of a desire to please the person in power, the artist makes the most of his artistic skill to fashion an even more beautiful and perfect image. 20 The masses, charmed by the object’s workmanship, now begin to consider the object worthy of their worship, where not long before they had only honored the person as a human being." That's exactly what happened with the Jesus character.
Is it even possible for any God not to be a personal God? Everyone who thinks about it should have their own ideas about what that God values. It can be influenced by others certainly, but decisions about one's morality and relationship with God are too important to be left to others.
