I've stayed away from this thread with good reason, but I finally felt like I could share my feelings. As far as there being an ethereal being that rules the heavens or what not, I have a hard time believing in this type of God. If you want to sell me that God is about having faith in one's self and having sole possesion of your destiny then I could be a buyer. Unfortunately, what many people view as God is this omniscient being that controls all, which is almost the exact opposite of how I see it. Placing your destiny in the hands of what many believe is God is alarming at best and dangerous at it's very worst. Too many people who make way too many important decisions place an extreme amount of faith in knowing that God will lead the way. This troubles me on a daily basis, both personally and wordly.
Believing in a higher power, inherently is not malicious. Unfortunately, a pure, untainted view is rare. When organized religion gets involved, particularly certain sects of Christianity; greed, power, deification and other unholy traits creep into the forefront and ruin an otherwise good intention of people. I grew up with a very religious family and quite frankly some of their views are frightening and archaic. While many of my family members are some of the best people on Earth, their actions are based way too much in faith.
As far as my personal view of my God. I wake up everyday believing in what I can do, and how I can make a difference. The only faith I have is in me and within me.