If a personal god exists then that god could make his (no offense to women but I need a pronoun here) existence known to everyone if he wanted to. So why is God hiding from us or at least many of us?
Many religious wars have been fought where both sides felt God was on their side. How much death and suffering could have been prevented if God would have revealed what he wanted? Think of how mankind has struggled with moral issues. At one time the church even thought it was a good idea to burn people alive. How valuable would a divine guide be if he would only make his wisdom known to everyone? What possible reason could there be for hiding when you are so needed? Think of how difficult it has been for men to see into the heart of their prospective leaders. Time and time again men and women have followed the wrong leaders. Wouldn't it be nice if God revealed the hearts of our leaders to us before they gained power? Why would God allow us to be duped by bad men?
One answer theists often give is faith is a virtue. If God were to make his existence known then there would be no room for faith. But how is believing in something without evidence a virtue? It seems more like a recipe for disaster to me. Another justification given by theists is God must hide so we may freely choose to worship him. Huh? Any decision to worship that isn't based on knowledge of the person you're worshiping is silly. Some theists claim God only reveals himself to good people. That is egocentric to the extreme. The fact is lots of well meaning people have done bad things in the name of God. But even if this egocentric view were true, the bad people are the ones who need God the most. Why not reveal himself to them?
What do you think, is divine hiddenness justified? Or is it good evidence, as atheists claim, that a personal god does not exist?
Many religious wars have been fought where both sides felt God was on their side. How much death and suffering could have been prevented if God would have revealed what he wanted? Think of how mankind has struggled with moral issues. At one time the church even thought it was a good idea to burn people alive. How valuable would a divine guide be if he would only make his wisdom known to everyone? What possible reason could there be for hiding when you are so needed? Think of how difficult it has been for men to see into the heart of their prospective leaders. Time and time again men and women have followed the wrong leaders. Wouldn't it be nice if God revealed the hearts of our leaders to us before they gained power? Why would God allow us to be duped by bad men?
One answer theists often give is faith is a virtue. If God were to make his existence known then there would be no room for faith. But how is believing in something without evidence a virtue? It seems more like a recipe for disaster to me. Another justification given by theists is God must hide so we may freely choose to worship him. Huh? Any decision to worship that isn't based on knowledge of the person you're worshiping is silly. Some theists claim God only reveals himself to good people. That is egocentric to the extreme. The fact is lots of well meaning people have done bad things in the name of God. But even if this egocentric view were true, the bad people are the ones who need God the most. Why not reveal himself to them?
What do you think, is divine hiddenness justified? Or is it good evidence, as atheists claim, that a personal god does not exist?
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