The ways that you expressed such as "nature is god, or we are god" I have to agree sends a mixed message that I don't think is useful. If there is/are no god(s) and you believe in a natural world then nature is nature and has no personality and does not act with purpose. It should not be compared to a god just because it muddies the meaning, the description the natural world as not needing a god to exist.

Some of us grew up with the sayings GD this, JC that or whatever traditional swearing that your parents did. It is the knee jerk reaction to hitting your thumb with a hammer or hearing an idiot blabbering on about complete BS and I'm not so sure that isn't still relevant. I'm not afraid to take anyone's name in vain that doesn't exist but I try not to be too crude and when I know it would be better to make a more eloquent argument I refrain from such language. But using religious words as cuss words makes perfect sense to me! "You stupid idiot! JC!" "What the H-e-double hockey sticks were you thinking!"

I was asked the same question the other day. Why as an atheist do you say things like " Jesus Christ" and "for god sake". I replied that i use these when I find something that is hard to believe!

The word "god" has so much supernatural baggage I don't think it should be used in non-magical ways. Sure, it can be used effectively in metaphors or figurative language, but I'm not a big fan of using it like "god is love."

I personally would not use the word "god" is such ways, but I can see how with the word having been part of the vernacular for so long, that it would be easy to ascribe other meanings to it, beside the abrahamic supreme being that we traditionally understand it to be.

I have been known to say the Forest is my Cathedral, the Ocean is my Temple etc. When I say those things I am letting Believers know that those are the places I find Reverence and Connection and Peace. I usually use those phrases when someone is trying to convince me to go to church with them. Using language that comes from their experience as Believers helps me explain to them why I don't need to go to their church.

If God is the creator then is creativity God? A writer creates a piece of fiction, the characters, the scenery, the actions, and reactions. Is the writer a God? An artist paints a picture chooses the colors, controls the brushstrokes and decides what to and not to add. Is the artist a God?

The word itself can have different meaning and its very definition can be used in many ways. Nature creates and destroys. Is nature a God?

The more we use the word in its many descriptive ways, the less power it has and the more acceptable it becomes.

God is a big word. It's been around for tens of thousands of years and has been ingrained in our psyche. It's pervasive... not just in our culture, but in our species. It's emotional. It evokes millions of thoughts in just those three letters. When talking about a gorgeous man, we call him a "Greek God." If it's a beautiful woman, a "Goddess." We use it as to curse. We use it as an interjection: Oh god!

But this bit of silliness also makes my point. God is so pervasive. Even people who don't believe in God, still use the word because of the many other connotations associated to it. I'm not sure it will ever be eradicated... but if we do re-purpose the word, then maybe we can take some of the actual sting out of it.