and i dont think its exactly an unusual idea to believe in god, but not follow a specific relegion or believe in a specific relegions teachings..
I don't think it is 'unusual' either. But please consider what I am about to write.
"god" is an incoherent concept, a supernatural being beyond nature. If something is beyond nature, it is not identifiable with natural methodology, your senses, or any other system that exists in nature. Christian philosophers thruout the last 2000 years have conceded that you can't "know" what god is thru naturalistic means.
Christians, muslims, and others claim they have god's 'word' in a book, and this is how they arrive at information about god.
So my question is, without "religion", how they hell can you conceptualize anything that is supernatural, ie: beyond nature? How can you interact with this immaterial 'thing', and how do you arrive at any information about God?
My opinion is, people who claim to believe in god, but don't subscribe to religion, are blowing smoke. If you talk to them about their basic understand of morality and the universe, and then afterwards talk to them about god, god will dovetail with these closely held concepts of theirs.
In other words, it is THEM who create a god in their own image. I find this, while more palatable then those christians and other theists who subscribe to some cruel dogma, much more hypocritical and unfounded than someone who believes their religion on a foundational basis.
GREGFL: once again, forgot to log in.