However, one might say that worship is not sufficient; what is also required is belief.
Not sufficient for non-apostasy? What is “belief”? Some things abstractly exist, as coherent ideas. They don’t exist in the physical world. They matter or not in some way. Where’s “belief” in this, existence in the physical world specifically? Surely not, since then what is the relevance of talking about abstract total nonexistence?
What I would call “belief” or even “existence” in a sense that generalizes beyond the physical is moral relevance, things you care about and take into account in decision making. There is another thread on this point under this very post. In these terms, deities more strongly exist for believers and weakly exist for non-believers, with relevance for non-believers gained from their channeling via imagination of believers.
Not sufficient for non-apostasy? What is “belief”? Some things abstractly exist, as coherent ideas. They don’t exist in the physical world. They matter or not in some way. Where’s “belief” in this, existence in the physical world specifically? Surely not, since then what is the relevance of talking about abstract total nonexistence?
What I would call “belief” or even “existence” in a sense that generalizes beyond the physical is moral relevance, things you care about and take into account in decision making. There is another thread on this point under this very post. In these terms, deities more strongly exist for believers and weakly exist for non-believers, with relevance for non-believers gained from their channeling via imagination of believers.