Can God be loved even as a fictional character?

[robvalue]

Sure, you can feel any way you want towards a fictional character. Most people have idealized versions of god, jesus or whatever that are far removed from any religious texts. If you come to realize these characters aren't actually real, there's no requirement to jettison all your feelings about them too.

I have very strong feelings about certain fictional characters, so much so that I can cry just thinking about the possibility of them being hurt. It's quite possible for things to be alive and real in your imagination while you ultimately know that they don't actually exist outside of your head. We're very emotional beings, and I'd say it's probably impossible to turn feelings instantly off this way anyhow. They may fade over time, they may not. It doesn't really matter as long as it doesn't mess with your judgement regarding reality.

You could look at god as your inner guide. He's like a different aspect of yourself which you turn to, but which you've come to see as somehow distinct from yourself. The fact that he doesn't actually correlate to an independent being in reality doesn't make this part of you any less real. I "turn to" myself in just the same way; I seek guidance from different aspects of myself.

The big difference is he's not ruling you anymore. In that sense, he can truly be a friend rather than an authority.