Dear George,

Why, I agree with you that God is not reducible to humanity, or to anything else for that matter (existent or non-existent). Specifically, God is NOT a product of the human mind. And yes too, the possibility of different humanities elsewhere in the cosmos is more than likely.

The study of the working of the material "reality" assumes that the world is real and valuable. So long as our faith in God is wanting we attribute value to the world.

While noble, it is naive to assume that the historical quest for studying the workings of the world was initially a form of worship (on the grounds that the world was created by God) - more realistically, it was due to material necessities as well as intellectual curiosity.

I wish you a happy new year.