I do not think there is proof of a god in ANY religion.

No new thoughts...only the same old ones that I’ve had all my life. Man invented god/gods.

It doesn't matter what evidence they're presented, they will stubbornly insist
that they are correct in their faith.
Religion isn't based in fact. It's based in delusion.
That's why it's continued to work for 2,000 years.

It could be argued that Monotheism is the greatest crime against humanity.

It is not about evidence. It is about faith. Once the belief is internalized, it is no longer rational.

Here's William Blake's take on the development of religion:

The ancient poets animated all sensible objects with gods or geniuses, calling them by the names and adorning them with the properties of woods, rivers, mountains, lakes, cities, nations, and whatever their enlarged and numerous senses could perceive. And particularly they studied the genius of each city and country, placing it under its Mental Deity; till a system was formed, which some took advantage of, and enslaved the vulgar by attempting to realise or abstract the Mental Deities from their objects - thus began priesthood; choosing forms of worship from poetic tales. And at length they pronounced that the gods had ordered such things. Thus men forgot that all deities reside in the human breast.

You are correct.

I've always been fascinated by this pantheon of god's for all occasions. I've painted a few. Sometimes I think those ancient people might not looked at gods the way we might think they did. Their iconography could mean no more to them than Bart Simpson means to us.

One thing I would postulate: if there is a God, perhaps that being doesn't care under what name or guise you revere them, as long as you do. Therefore it's possible for all of the theist religions to be correct, including the ones that believe in multiple gods.

But the idea that, say Christianity is correct but Islam is not, is sheer nonsense. That's the departure from belief into business. It has nothing to do with serving God, and everything to do with power hungry men's desire to accumulate followers and wealth.

Humans do invent gods in the same way that an author invents characters. Some of those gods emerged from years of storytelling. Why continue to flail away at a dead horse?

The reason those gods were invented remains in place. Humans, sparked with the fire of conscious awareness, are enrapt by the mystery and grandeur of the reality in which they find themselves. They seek to express their awe and reverence through the creation of art. Storytelling and literature are arts. Religious stories are art. Television watchers of today are fired by the very same human characteristics that created religions thousands of years ago.

The mystery remains. The nature of Ultimate Reality beyond our illusory sense-world is a deeply profound but beckoning mystery. We are in darkness, but it is truly a very dazzling darkness.

Why would they need evidence? you miss the point entirely. it's all about faith. you're supposed to believe whatever cockamamie story they come up with and it's bad that you require evidence because it shows your lack of faith. that's their catch-22 (to be timely with a heller reference).

God's that require worship have an ego and those that would punish it's creation for not worshiping has severe ego issues. That would make it a non-perfect being. You can't get more human than that.

Nothing more than ingenious marketing. Have an overarching god, in control of the lesser deities (archangels, angels.) and appoint yourself as this god's earthly representative, empowered to annoint kings in his name.
Bingo! You gain power over the populace and the protection of rulers, enabling your priestly group to live in comfort.

" Over 2,500 gods," that is an underestimate to say the very least considering that, for example, Hinduism has at least 300,000 Gods/Goddesses, both major and minor included, in its pantheon alone.
Xstianiy, though it WILL vehemently deny it, has 3 major God figures plus, on the latest Catholic count, some 1,489 lesser god-like deities or saints.
If you take into account the the gods/goddesses from histories long past, then the total would be stupendous imho.

bow to me and praise me, I am your true god, anointed by myself Mofo53, i have supernatural powers. i am omnipotent, is there any evidence to support what I claim and what i just wrote on my sacred book which used to be my diary, not really. but hey, if it's good for the jewish goose then it should be good for the gentile gander, right?

Just the obvious thought if there IS such a thing as 'god' all these gods are false and we just don't have enough information to be running around making up religions! Check with me in a million years or so when the human race has grown up.

My clear evidence that humans invent gods is that spirit beings cannot and do not write books. They also do not dictate to you as you are in trance or dream state. Spirit beings have nothing to do with it. You got to trance state because you put yourself into a trance personally or with help of another physical being. You got to dream state because you have to sleep and even in sleep parts of the brain are awake.

Yes, spirit beings cannot write on their own. They also do not scratch or bite. They have no hands, claws, or teeth. If summoned up they come from your mind or maybe your backside.

But wait, so say. You haven't tried my spirit being. Why would I have to? Why would another one be any different?

well, yes, we know, so no, no new thoughts. none required!

g

the long childhood that humans experience causes and need for an eternal parent.
when we realize that our parents are just people, it creates a god-shaped vacuum in each of us. of course vacuums are quickly filled, by those that have a vested interest,
the priests. or just or just those who wish to keep our society on the right track.
the needs are handed down one generation to the next, and the gods are handed down one generation to the next

Perhaps God were human, just more advanced?