Carus called himself "an atheist who loved God," and here, in this 1908 work, he explores the modern idea of the deity and how our relationship to that idea is important for believers and unbelievers alike. Eschewing mysticism and morality without denying the vitality of either mode of thought, Carus examines the concept of God from a rational perspective, invoking provocative ideas about Christian theists who are actually pagans, the selfish nature of the belief in an eternal soul, and the absolute necessity for true believers to allow room for interpretation and alteration of their beliefs. Intellectual invigorating and rigorously argued, Carus' century-old deliberation on God is still ahead of its time. American philosopher and theologian PAUL CARUS (1852-1919) also wrote The Religion of Science (1893), The Gospel of Buddha (1894), and The History of the Devil (1900).