Though this is not something that is always on my mind, but I have thought about this from time to time. Glad that you have started this discussion @
whatsinaname.
I have come to understand that I am an agnostic theist. Why? There are things that have happened in my life which I believe are more than a coincidence.
I believe in a higher power. Something has been guiding me all this way - good or bad as the situation may be. For me, it's not a specific deity (though I adhere to the things which my family insists on). I am in no way a loner, but I firmly believe in "You come into the world alone and you go out of the world alone". It's the
things that you do for others around you that define you. Those cannot be defined by anything or anyone except yourself.
But at the same time, having faith in a God, whatever form that may be, acts as a strong moral compass for me. But again, the rules that I follow
are not what I have read in a bible or in a "granth"; these are rules that I have set for myself.
I am accountable for myself. I don't believe that keeping a fast will please God. Rather,
doing a small good thing that will help someone or bring a little smile to someone's face is much more vital and important to "
my God".
However, I am wary of people who let religion govern their life. I might be the exact opposite of your friend/acquaintance. You don't have to go to temples in all corners of the world;
a little bit of introspection (or maybe a lot) will help you find the God within you. And that's exactly what every religion wants.