Buzsaw writes:
He seems to be like some agnostics who apply the concept of a god when it fits the ticket for whatever reason that the mood or occasion calls for, taking care not to allow the concept of god to render him subject to the responsibilities a god might impose on one's lifestyle.
I really like this formulation. I've been reading along in a lazy fashion sort of groping for ways to say that he appears to use the concept idiomatically, as a verbal placeholder, without using it religiously as an object of worship.
But it's easier to read in plain english
Thanks Buz