Francois, said: When people speak of an energy, a universal bond of sorts, a force, to me, this is no longer properly defined with the word 'god.'

Then, we are in agreement here. But keep in mind, that at times, some people will use the word 'god' to describe precisely what you are calling a 'force' for instance. Perhaps because of conditioning or lack of concern for linguistics, or maybe English is not their first language, whatever.

Much of the Tao religion resonates with me as well. Their philosophy of 'doing nothing by standing still' has been a blessing in many situations for me. I love that they are big on compassion and humility also. And, their belief in cyclical time is a core belief of mine. I can't say that I agree with these many things about the Catholic religion.