When people refer to god what do they mean exactly? Is it a super natural power? An energy? A substance? A spiritual father? Or some combination of the above?
God is the fundamental substance
When people refer to god they refer to a fundamental substance that underlies reality.
God is the underlying substance
Early modern philosophers often subscribe to the substance theory, which suggests that of all things there must be a source. This source must be able to exist without dependence on another entity. This source is God.
When people refer to god they understand it in anthropomorphic terms, a being who rules over humankind.
In common philosophy and religion, God is described as a king
God is most commonly associated with the figure of a king or father, given that the constructs of religion are to explain why society or people are situated where they are. When considering the structure of society as a hierarchy, God would sit above all, as God is all knowing and powerful.
