have any of you got a reason to believe as you do, or do you have any thoughts on the matter
A bit vitriolic there, but I will take the bait. We see the universe through various means and have come to some points of fact, such as the universe is very very big, and very very old. Granted. What put it there? If it always existed, the point would be moot, and we could quietly ponder the fabric of reality, perhaps, but instead we have this glimpse that in fact something Happened. So the universe began. What there was before the singularity of instantaneous universe, we don't know and probably never will know, but that in itself comes to be that there was some point of creation. We cannot specifically say whether it happened by itself or whether it is part of some ongoing phenomina which is not understandable to our current sciences.
But if all that happened at once, then the Universe itself is as close to god as makes all ends, so you, I, the toilet across the hall and everything else is part of this divine-ness. Or it might just be drab everyday stuff. The reason for making this a religions matter has to do with finding what we are all about.
Are you just a pile of chemicals arranged in a complex pattern called Mr so-and-so or is there more then that? Is there perhaps more to creation then meets the eye. The religionist must say yes, because his main point of search is for the meaning between the lines. In the course of that search a lot is uncovered and a lot of utter crap is thrown in, typically. So the concept of God varies from individual to individual, be it the Mother, some vengeful invisible man, your fellow human beings, or the deities. Maybe everyone is right, and we are just looking at it from odd viewpoints, like millions of images through an insect's compound eyes. This makes religion the perrenial philosophy. It won't end, but it will take new forms. There are various methods people undertake, either on purpose, or unwitingly to understand. Some methods include devotional love, good deads, attendance of clerical functions, meditation, knowledge, and so on.
But religion should be practical. If it isn't practical it is of no value, and probably is harmful.