I believe in god (or gods) in as much as I believe that they are projections of the human psyche - a phenomenon experienced, as far as we know, only by humans. As concepts, they are cultivated by, and thus reflective of, our respective cultures, values, environments, levels of knowledge, etc. This is true of practically every god that has ever been believed in by humans.
If your internal cognitive dissonance doesn’t destroy your own concept of god(s), I think having one can also serve some practical benefits in terms of individual fulfilment, comfort, and a sense of belonging with others who share your ideas. The downside to having an unscrutinized, flawed god, as human beings are flawed, should be fairly obvious given the state of the world today.
What a fine answer.
I've long thought that us humans have the capacity to convince ourselves of anything, if we focus and believe it enough. And the above sums up, better than I could have done, my current belief in god/s.
It was my internal cognitive dissonance that led me to Islam, from being a severely depressed
de facto atheist on Dawkins'
spectrum of theistic probability.
At the height of my practicing time as a Muslim, in the 13 years since saying the shahada, I probably reached
de facto theist. However, my continual questioning and internal conflict has brought me almost full circle to the border of
leaning towards athiesm and
de facto atheist.
So I'm nearly a regular atheist again. But I'm a nearly-athiest with a new appreciation for how god and religion can benefit individuals and communities alike.