The 17th century Jewish philosopher
Of Dutch origin, Baruch Spinoza viewed religion
In Theological-Political Treatise as superstitious
He considered nature and God ubiquitous
Nature encompasses everything Spinoza considered Providence.
Every aspect of its essence is reflected in good and bad experiences.
Miracles described in the monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity,
And Islam could be explained through the varieties of ever-changing nature
These are natural occurrences that surprise people when they occur.
The first rainbow that humans saw must have struck them as a miracle.
But science later showed this resulted from scientific evidence.
Prophecy could be viewed as another of these phenomena.
In ancient times people were uneducated and had vivid imaginations.
Many of their delusions were motivated by vivid dreams and visions.
In modern society these ancients would be seen as having psychotic episodes.
But these visionaries appear to the Israelites to be filled with gifts of a Creator.
Therefore, God was perceived as being human and personalized.
Nature is all good and bad things that exist in the vast Universe.
It’s therefore more realistic to think about the Divine as nature.
God in nature is material and immaterial.
God doesn’t have human characteristics that are alluded to in sacred texts.
This spiritual essence is universal and governs all things.
So, putting a human face on God of nature is an error.