A deity is a "dude", no? It's a being that is similar to a human, only more powerful and immortal, right? This is a thread about Christianity, right?

I'm not arguing against a vague concept of God like that god is the universe or God is the Self. I can see how those views are useful to some, but they are not necessary in understanding this world. I choose not to use the word God(except when damning, of course) because I think you can almost always say what you mean without it. It seems to me that in most cases it is easier for others to understand what you are talking about if you say it directly without using the concept God.

Why not just say being if that's what it means? Being is a much clearer word. If you choose to mystify being or to paint some subjective picture about it that is fine but not everyone does, it's a personal truth, not a universal one, like the actual fact of being.

Would you mind defining what you think a deity is, it seems different from what I think it is.

I am open to the idea of there being Deities out there somewhere, but like I said they either don't have the power to change this world, are not aware of this world, or are not compassionate. I haven't seen any evidence myself so I see no reason to believe in them. Believing something just because you heard about it is very dangerous, and a step away from the truth.

I agree with your concept of God, I just don't call it such because we live in a Judeo-Christian dominant culture. Some people in those traditions may mean this when they say God but very few do in my experience. I've talked to many priests and religion teachers about the concept when I was in school and most if not all personified God as some being who existed outside of space time(actually some said he was a part of space time/ not separate, but still a being who had individual consciousness and power to change this world). You may mean one thing when you use the word and it may be useful to you in that way, but realize that that is not what most people mean by it, they mean the dude(usually specifically a dude, a male) with lots of power.

It is a way of putting people in touch with that reality, but it also colors that reality. Personally I would rather see at is it is, just this. I don't see how this is a deity. I see how you can personify it to be something like one, but is that what it is when your ideas about it cease?