I am perfectly willing to accept Ethica, Ordine Geometrico Demonstrata as perfectly logical and indisputable evidence of some logically necessary GOD.
The first part of the book addresses the relationship between God and the universe. Spinoza was engaging with a Tradition that held: God exists outside of the universe; God created the universe for a reason; and God could have created a different universe according to his will. Spinoza denies each point. According to Spinoza, God is the natural world. Spinoza concludes the following: God is the substance comprising the universe, with God existing in itself, not somehow outside of the universe; and the universe exists as it does from necessity, not because of a divine theological reason or will.
Dear my friend @logiczombie , Your metaphysical point of view and interpretation always gives me difficulty and interest.
It is difficult to understand your emotions and thoughts in my awkward English, but I will tell you my thoughts.
In Spinoza's era, Catholic and Protestant religious wars were taking place in Europe. It was a tragic era of massacre, looting, rape, and arson among the same Christians.
The Pope and Protestants have waged cruel wars, claiming that each other is a true agent and apostle of God.
They argued for a theology that God abandoned the world and left because they became gods and waged a religious war.
The reason they made this claim was to rationalize the wars and atrocities they commit in a world where God has left.
So, they offered to become gods themselves and give humans a ticket to heaven.
Spinoza, watching the Catholic and Protestant religious wars, opposed the action of claiming that the popes, emperors and Protestants were each other's true agents of God.
He opposed the theory that God left after creating the universe, and insisted that God is the universe itself.
He opposed religious war, arguing that God directly created and governed the universe.
He insisted that the act of determining Christian orthodoxy and heresy should be left entirely to the judgment of God.
From my point of view, we seem to be living in an era of religious war.
Well stated.