I see where you're coming from. Personally, I think it's better to clarify the term itself to avoid misunderstanding. So, when you speak of God, you're referring to the conception of God in the Christian tradition based on scripture and cultural tradition, correct? It can't be the Hindu tradition because their belief systems, and their ideas of "God", are different from ours. The same goes for other religions like Taoism and Buddhism. So when you speak of God, you're speaking just for the Christian belief of a powerful omnipotent all-knowing being who looks like a human (because we were made in his likeness) and created the universe and all the living creatures using his vast power, wisdom, and intelligence. This Christian God exists outside of us, independent of our existence in a place called heaven. This is the general Christian conception of God as handed to us from written and oral traditions.

So, if I understand correctly, you're saying that some people think that the belief in a Christian God as creator is "intellectually lazy", but you believe that it is not. You believe that the idea of God the creator is intellectually challenging. Further, you're saying that to understand just how challenging the idea of God as creators is, we should modify our conception of God, and we should not take the scriptures or teachings at their word. Instead, the conception of God should be modified according to the set of criteria that you laid out (e.g., not thinking of God as a man).

I have never heard the criticism that the idea of God as creator is intellectually lazy. I don't think that at all. I think the idea of God as creator is intellectually challenging, as evidenced by the body of work that has been written about the topic. There is no need to change our conception of God as you outlined. We can leave the concept of the Christian God as it has been written and taught. I have different ideas about the nature of "God", and Gods in general, but I don't think that those who believe in God as creator are intellectually lazy. Quite the contrary. So there is no argument from me on this matter, and I'm actually surprised it's an issue at all. Some people just enjoy being outraged. 😆