GOD IS A TREE? OR IS GOD IN THE TREES

I was reading an article about Albert Einstein in Time magazine last night. His thoughts on religion really hit home with me and my recent years of thinking about this issue.
I have it figured for an innate part of humans; the desire to know who made us, why are we here, what is our purpose?
Einstein saw God in the laws of nature that he said our small minds could barely comprehend.
For sometime now I've been considering the Christian faith, in which I was raised. I've been wrestling with profession of faith in a religion that to my mind is exclusive and persecuting (not a word but I can't think what I want right now). I haven't felt superior enough to say, 'If you don't believe like I do, if you don't accept that the only way to god is through Jesus, then you are going to hell."
argues that he perceives that pretty much sends the majority of the world to hell because Christians are a minority religion. My friend daveChristianity from the new testament as a loving, embracing religion. And there is that side of it.
but just last night watching the religion channel on cable (I only have 2 through 13, what are ya gonna do?), I watched an enactment of a handsome as hell father telling his precious son how people chose to die for christ in the days after the Resurrection. The boy asked if they wanted to die and the dad said no, but they had to make a hard choice: accept jesus as their savior, shed their mortal coil and live forever, or be damned forever.
now that says it in a nutshell.
But how can God who made all things only single out a handful of her creation for her blessing?
I believe in a higher power and I believe it is too vast for us, or most of us anyway, to conceptualize it. So we develop human forms, jesus, mohammad, buddha, to create a bridge for us to communicate and understand god. I guess it's human nature to want to think that my way is the right way. after all what are wars about? Domination of one's will upon another.
And if it's a defensive war, it's a defense against someone who is trying to dominate and assimilate the other.
history is full of people killing each other over differences. And then there's the fine hair splitting over what is fighting for.
We are in Iraq to help bring them democracy. So what if they don't want it, it's the best damn way in the world to live and by god they are going to have it, if we have to kill them to convince them.
Just as bombing the WTC was the effort of one group to destroy a way of life, different from theirs, one they don't approve on based upon their religion.
So it was exciting to see one of the smartest humans in the world talking about God and nature, and not in a deist way, I don't think he meant religious beliefs must be based on human reason, indeed he disdained human reason as being capable of understanding enough to know, but that nature is proof of God.
I may be simplifying his words, more study is needed for sure.
but it was almost as if it were fated that I should have picked up that Time magazine last night and start reading that article. I usually let the mags pile up and read them at random.