Occasionally, we all get asked the question: Do you believe*** in God? Lots of people have no problem answering this: Yes. Others, such as myself, are tempted to answer the question with a question: What do you mean by "God?" That has been my strategy for many years, but now I'm beginning to think it misses the issue. Let me put aside those who define "God" any way they like and assert that they "believe" in whatever that is. That boils down to linguistics- a dispute about words. ** The important issue is whether you believe in the God described in the major "theistic" religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam.) This, in turn, is a question of whether you accept the mythology, theology and rituals of the given religion (whether or not you actually participate.) So, if your answer to the key question is "no," then you are claiming that all the actions based on religious motives are based on nothing . For example, prayer is pointless,