What do you think God's reasons are for hiding himself?

[Spiderman]

LOOK: The Bible is Not hidden. Do you know of anyone who has Not heard of the Bible.
God's people are Not hidden (Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8) and No one, No organization, No country can get rid of them.
I see No reason to Not put faith (confidence) in the 1st-century teachings of Christ as found in Scripture.
We do Not yet see the time of Jesus' coming 1,000-year governmental rule over Earth starting but because of ' faith ' in what Jesus taught we can see that millennial time as really coming.
Faith ( Not credulity ) gives us the confidence to know that when ' they ' (powers that be) will be saying, " Peace and Security " as per 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 that saying is just going to be the precursor to the coming great tribulation of Revelation 7:14 before Jesus, as Prince of Peace, ushers in global Peace on Earth among people of goodwill.

That doesn't explain then why people that read the Bible are so divided on how to interpret it, and people often present two opposite opinions with scripture that supports both conclusions.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Today I had a vision of a zebra while meditating... Maybe it means something... Maybe not

It means you will be able to be friendly with and associate with zebras during Jesus' coming 1,00-year rule over Earth when mankind will once again be at peace with animal kind as written at Isaiah 11:6-9.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Lots of books are not hidden. Just because a book is available for reading doesn't mean it's a valid source of non-fictional history.

I find there can be a difference between being available and known.
Who do you know who does Not know of the Bible, whereas other available books are Not as well known.
Especially known for centuries upon centuries. Sure, Shakespeare is known but Not as a global religious book.
A lot of movies and non-biblical stories are written about angels, that to me does Not make the angels as Not real.
It just makes those non-biblical movies and stories as being fiction.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

That doesn't explain then why people that read the Bible are so divided on how to interpret it, and people often present two opposite opinions with scripture that supports both conclusions.

Apparently the ' why ' is that God allows people to believe lies if they want to and wish it.
Some people want religious leaders in order to just have their ' ears tickled ', so to speak - 2 Timothy 4:3

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Because we haven't learned to see doesn't mean God is hiding.
Faith is how we walk.

I find at 2 Corinthians 5:7 it says to walk by faith and Not by sight ( as in sighted or visible things ).
So, we walk the spiritual walk of Galatians 5:22-23 and develop the qualities of the fruit of God's spirit.
We walk by using the Bible as a guide, or as Psalms 119:105 says that the Bible is a light ( flashlight ) to our immediate path, and a lamp ( High beams ) to life's roadway ahead of us.

 

[Spiderman]

Apparently the ' why ' is that God allows people to believe lies if they want to and wish it.
Some people want religious leaders in order to just have their ' ears tickled ', so to speak - 2 Timothy 4:3

I have a feeling there are some delusions I believe... If I knew they were delusions though I wouldn't believe them. There are no lies that I choose to believe... That doesn't mean there's no lies I believe

 

[Baroodi]

When Moses came to the place appointed by Us, and his Lord addressed him, He said: "O my Lord! show (Thyself) to me, that I may look upon thee." Allah said: "By no means canst thou see Me (direct); But look upon the mount; if it abide in its place, then shalt thou see Me." When his Lord manifested His glory on the Mount, He made it as dust. And Moses fell down in a swoon. When he recovered his senses he said: "Glory be to Thee! to Thee I turn in repentance, and I am the first to believe."
Al-Araf 143: Noble Quran

 

[soulsurvivor]

For so many people, it just seems like God isn't there. What do you think God's reasons are for hiding himself and demanding that people have faith, rather than just give everybody proof, and speak so that the ears can hear?

Nobody knows exactly, but you might have some helpful insights from your opinion about the matter.

I think it all comes down to the scripture, "without faith it is impossible to please God"... If we had proof and could hear him clearly, that would deprive us of the ability to have faith... And without it we can't please God.

Then the question is, why is it so important to have faith?

I guess I have to accept that that's just the way God is... Even if it does drive me nuts

Have you ever received a clear message from God?

I don't know when God demanded that you have faith. God never demanded any such thing. He just wants us to have faith so that it may give us hope, no other reason.

Anyway, the reason God does not show himself is so that human freewill may be preserved. If God showed himself or acted openly, no political party would dare propose something that would throw 20 million people off their healthcare plans or propose a tax cut where 80% of the benefits go to the top 1% of the population.

God hides himself so that humans may have the freewill to do good or evil as they please without divine interference.

 

[DavidFirth]

God has revealed Himself in His Son, Jesus, and in Scripture, through His prophets. Jesus reveals Himself in His followers, those filled with the Holy Spirit. They are those that are filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, humility, faithfulness and self control.

 

[Grandliseur]

For so many people, it just seems like God isn't there. What do you think God's reasons are for hiding himself and demanding that people have faith, rather than just give everybody proof, and speak so that the ears can hear?

Nobody knows exactly, but you might have some helpful insights from your opinion about the matter.

I think it all comes down to the scripture, "without faith it is impossible to please God"... If we had proof and could hear him clearly, that would deprive us of the ability to have faith... And without it we can't please God.

Then the question is, why is it so important to have faith?

I guess I have to accept that that's just the way God is... Even if it does drive me nuts

Have you ever received a clear message from God?

Have you ever received a clear message from God?

One example out of many: I was on a vacation travelling by train, night-train in Europe, Scandinavia during winter vacation. It was December 31, Jan 1 - when my trouble began. I had checked carefully how trains and ferries operated before leaving Oslo. I decided upon this information that proved false to go to Göteborg. I arrived and went by city-tram to the ferry late about 10pm or so - one of the last trams to operate that night.

Waiting in the ferry's hall for departure, it was nicely heated and outside was freezing. A while later, we were told that the ferry wasn't sailing that night. Oops! I was in trouble. As we were chased out of the waiting hall, I now stood in front of that place, in freezing night temperatures, at an isolated wharf. I saw nobody else. Don't know where they might have gone. The city train station was far, too far to walk with luggage. I was in trouble, and it was now around or after 12 midnight. I had no idea of the layout of the city. In trouble, ice trouble, freezing trouble, and dressed for being inside.

I started walking with my suitcase; all things were dead and closed, everybody was enjoying December 31. It was a dead city, and I thought I was having deadly trouble. So, I prayed for help.

About 5 min later, a lonely taxi comes down toward the wharf on that lonely road. I paid the fare and got to the train station expecting to get inside and be a little warmer. Of course, I thanked God for his help.

Alas, the main train station was closed and wouldn't open until about 6 am. So, now I am outside again freezing, little better than before. What do I do? I pray again for help.
About 5 min later (heard this before?) a car pulls up, a private person playing taxi. He asks if I need a ride. I ask him if he could take me to a McDonald's. He says it is nearby and offers to take me for free. I ask his name and he tells me, he is Mohammed. God is funny. But, I got the help I needed when I needed it.

Is that message not clear? I think it is very clear.
-------------
God gave us a conscience to live by, a book to get more concise information from. You really wouldn't want a policeman in your mind all the time, would you!

 

[Twilight Hue]

I find there can be a difference between being available and known.
Who do you know who does Not know of the Bible, whereas other available books are Not as well known.
Especially known for centuries upon centuries. Sure, Shakespeare is known but Not as a global religious book.

The Bible is just one world renowned religious themed book among many, but it's certianly not the only one. I'd say the
I -Ching and the Writings of Confucius remains at par with the Bible in renown to mention a couple. Dare I also say the Atlas and the Dictionary, but those books aren't fictional.

And just look at the pantheon of Gods and renowned figures of lore... Christianity may have a well known book, but the ancient pantheon of gods and figures have the very stars, planets, and constellations named after them!

God is firmly silent because he's still peeved over the whole thing.

 

[Sunstone]

I am not suggesting this as a truth -- just a possibility: But it might be god doesn't hide himself so much as we hide god from us. The perception of the world as divided into self/not-self prevents us from seeing all things as one. But that perception appears to be created by our brains. It is uncertain whether it's real or not. God might be the One that we do not perceive.

 

[Ashley Mathura]

God is not hiding - He is everywhere! Just observe and admire all creation around us - nature, the ocean, sunsets and most importantly the loved ones around you. I believe that to love unconditionally and to be loved is experiencing God in every moment of our lives...

 

[Tumah]

God is not hiding - He is everywhere! Just observe and admire all creation around us - nature, the ocean, sunsets and most importantly the loved ones around you. I believe that to love unconditionally and to be loved is experiencing God in every moment of our lives...

So you're a pantheist?

 

[Faithofchristian]

God didn't hide himself, God himself came down here in the body of Jesus, it wouldn't be any different to day, people would just reject God again, of a matter of fact, people are doing it and God is not even here.

Take a stop sign, do you really believe that it would take a cop at every stop sign to get the message across that you are to stop as the stop sign signifies to do ?

 

[Stevicus]

He is all around us, His signs evident both within ourselves and in Nature and the Cosmos.

This life is a test which would become null and pointless if GOD made Himself plainly clear to us.

It seems that the results of the "test" might be tainted if people know of its existence. Perhaps it might have been a more meaningful test if there were no scriptures or prophets at all.

 

[Muslim-UK]

It seems that the results of the "test" might be tainted if people know of its existence. Perhaps it might have been a more meaningful test if there were no scriptures or prophets at all.

Today most manufactured/created goods come with a manual, whether it be a iphone or printed on the side of canned food. Similarly it would be impossible to fathom, God creating a highly intelligent and complex being like a human and not giving it a manual to navigate through life.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

I've been thinking a lot lately on the state of living beings on Earth. One thing they all have in common is that they require constant REFRESH in order to go on living. For example, living bodies of nearly all types require constant input of air, water and energy/food/sustenance. And then the further you abstract yourself from life into life-related concepts, it still holds more-or-less true. For instance, our relationships - they remain strongest when there is refreshment of the display of a desire to interact. We humans also have a pretty low attention span, and if something isn't "in our faces" with consistent updates, we tend to start to forget about it - like learning/knowledge that we don't use every day, or the popularity of contemporary artists.

So, my question would be, with there being so very many people who don't have personal experiences with God, if God truly wants a relationship with those people as some theologies would claim, then why does God feel that He is exempt from this idea of "refreshment?" In those cases, why would He ever be surprised that those people forget about or even deny Him entirely? He designed the world (again, according to some of those same theologies that say He desires a relationship with us), designed our minds. The way we function is something He supposedly understands intimately. And yet He ignores this simple idea in many, many cases... providing no refreshment of His existence to a great many people. I have no good answer for it... and from what I have seen/heard/witnessed neither do any of His followers - people He supposedly uses as the instruments to "spread the word." And if one were to say that these people ARE intended to be that refreshment... well, my only reply could be the truth - that I do not at all find their entreaties to be "refreshing".

 

[WalterTrull]

I've been thinking a lot lately on the state of living beings on Earth. One thing they all have in common is that they require constant REFRESH in order to go on living.

Yes, Yes, Yesssss, EXACTLY!!! Somewhat like a super high rate of screen refresh. Hey. hey, your personal experience with God is that you are here. There's no belief or understanding requirement, - also no exemptions. God must refresh you continuously for you to exist.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

This:

He is all around us, His signs evident both within ourselves and in Nature and the Cosmos.

... is contradicted by this:

This life is a test which would become null and pointless if GOD made Himself plainly clear to us.

GOD says make ablution, wear clean clothes, be sincere, raise your hands up and ask me what you want.

It seems to me that it's putting the cart before the horse for you to be making claims about what God wants while you also say that his mere existence isn't evident.