If one thinks the ego as the Self, then there is a creator, but if one thinks the Soul as the Self, then there is nothing exists other than consciousness.+

People are not aware of the fact that there is no individual God that can exist, apart from consciousness, which is in the form of consciousness. Thus, consciousness is consciousness. 

The Soul, the Self, is present in the form of consciousness. If there is no consciousness, then there is no physical body, no ego, no universe, no religion, and no conceptual God.

People think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks of a physical entity  (ego) as the 'Self', then there is a creator, but if one thinks of the Soul (consciousness) as the 'Self', then there is nothing that exists other than consciousness, which is the true self.

The religion, concept of individualized God, and scriptures are the greatest obstacle to Self-realization because they are based on ego, which is the false self.  Therefore, one has to search for the ultimate truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, he should indulge in deeper, inquiry, analysis, and reasoning and assimilate and realize it. 

The orthodox people think that Vedas as the final authority for the and they strictly follow the Vedas, they do not know the fact that they themselves are indulging in worshipping the non-Vedic Gods,  non-Vedic rituals, and activities which Vedas bars such activities.  

As one goes deeper into the annals of history, it indicates the fact that somewhere someone has added the Puranas in the name of Veda Vyasa the grand Sage of Vedas. It is impossible to accept and believe that Veda Vyasa authored and introduced the Puranas which has all conceptual Gods because ~

In Vedas, God has been described as: ~

 Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1:~ clearly mention that God is “One”.  God is Atman.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~   God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God pervades all beings and all directions. 

Thus,   Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

The religion of the Veda knows no idols, then why so many Gods and Goddesses with different forms and names are being propagated as Vedic Gods. Why these conceptual Gods are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes.

 In Yajurveda says: ~ 

Translation 1.

They enter darkness, those who worship natural things (for example air, water, sun, moon, animals, fire, stone, etc.).

They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc.) (Yajurveda 40:9)

Translation 2.

"Deep into the shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti are intent." (Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith pg 538)

Translation 3.

"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

So, Yajur Veda indicates that: ~

They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc (Yajurved 40:9)

Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

 Sage Sankara says: ~ Ataman is Brahman. Thus, the Soul the innermost ‘Self’ is God. Therefore,    all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imaginations based on the false Self.  Thus, there are adulteration and add-ons in the past, which has to be bifurcated if one wants pure Vedic essence.  

Swami Vivekananda: ~  “The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods, and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods?

 Knowing this, stand up and fight! Not one step back that is the idea. ... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us! Death means only a change of garment. What of it? Thus fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards. ... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. You have cried to all the Gods in the world. Has misery ceased? The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? ... The Gods come to help you when you have succeeded. So what is the use? Die game. ... This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind does not befit you, my soul. You are infinite, deathless, birthless. Because you are the infinite spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is none to help you. You are the entire world. Who can help you? ~ Swami Vivekananda  (Delivered In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900) -The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita II

Meher Baba said:~  To love God as he ought to be loved, we must live for God and die for God, knowing that the goal of life is to know God and find God as our own ‘Self’. :~Santthosh Kumaar