"We know instinctively that to torture is wrong, is evil."

Exactly. So it's ridiculous to imagine that God would do something like that to people who are purportedly His/Her own children! Though my parents certainly made some mistakes in bringing me up, I'm very glad they didn't put the idea of a vengeful God into my head. It would have been nice, though, if they'd put the idea of a loving God into my head...it would've helped.

Oh, well, it worked out pretty well anyway, so why complain?

Zeus and Athena and the other Greek gods and goddesses were an interesting and entertaining lot, but they seem to have had a penchant for all the same competitive, nasty mindgames that people waste their time on, and that seems odd to me. It worked for the Greeks, though. ;-) They clearly saw the gods and goddesses of their pantheon as larger and more powerful versions of themselves, afflicted with the same strengths and weaknesses...but with greater authority. That makes no sense to me.

Native Americans spoke of a Great Spirit (or Great Mystery) that was the source of all existence and of all life...not a god or goddess, but a universal, immeasurable, infinite source. That makes more sense to me than a pantheon of human-like gods and goddesses, because they are just too small to believe in.

The Infinite is implicit in everything that exists...and it's limited to no one thing or expression. That means it doesn't begin or end anywhere, but is simply everywhere. That's something big enough for me to believe in...or at least consider worth believing in.