Why would God who created everything in existence stay hidden and make his existence a mystery? Furthermore, why would he do that and then punish anyone who doesn't believe in his existence? Some people read see a Bible, read the gospel, why would he hide undeniable proof of himself not just from those people but from everyone?
>literature
to strengthen our trust?
His existence isn't a mystery, well at least not in the way you think it is. Paul lays it out pretty clearly in the beginning of Romans. Every last person knows God. His existence is overwhelmingly obvious, so that "they are without excuse".
>For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
>For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
>Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
>Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Regardless, I think that most arguments which bring up the possibility of someone being wholly ignorant of God are really just deflections of responsibility. The people who come up with these arguments are usually just searching for excuses not to believe, rather than being genuinely concerned about the imaginary person they're speaking about. "Well, if this theoretical case in which a man even in the current age has come up with absolutely no knowledge of God whatsoever is true, and that man would be punished despite not knowing a thing about God, then there's no reason for me, who is arguing this point, fully aware of the concept of God and his existence, to seek him out or obey him." I just think it's silly.
It's a state of mind. You can give people drugs to make them more or less religious. Likewise the sense of obviousness for God varies tremendously between individuals of differing temperaments.
>christian schizobabble
back to the cave, drooling neanderthal
>Paul lays it out pretty clearly in the beginning of Romans
No proof paul said this and that he wasn't just.making it up
fitting digits
>Furthermore, why would he do that and then punish anyone who doesn't believe in his existence?
Before engaging with Christian philosophy do yourself a favor and drop the crypto-Gnostic American Protestant view of God and man. Nothing about the relationship between God and the human person is legalistic or transactional in this manner, certainly not to the point that simply vocalizing the statement "I believe in Jesus and the Bible" is enough to put one in a "saved" state and the opposite where one never vocalizes such a statement is enough to guarantee entrance into a personal fire-and-brimstone Hell straight out of a cartoon.
NOOOOOOO /misc/ TOLD ME THAT WAS BASED YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN IT YOURE GONNA BE POKED WITH PITCHFORKS FOREVER ALONG WITH ALL THE GIRLS WHO DIDN'T DATE MEEE
Jesus never states pagans were sent to eternel hellfire.
>Um don't you realize God can do whatever he wants and therefore the only thing he will do is whatever I believe in
People who seriously think this is an argument should be thrown off a cliff.
Perfect Freedom requires it. Doesn't mean he can't do miracles now and then.
Because God is a free acting agent and can do whatever the frick he wants
>Because God is a free acting agent and can do whatever the frick he wants
God told you this?
Prove you talk to God, ask him my middle name
trick question; you don't have one
I certainly do. God is the creation of liars.
You have to specify which God you mean first. After that you can interpret the answer from the respective religion's texts, if it is not stated outright. For Christianity, it would probably be to maintain the illusion of free will and as a test of faith. The entire religion would fall into question if you knew there's a God, yet your daughter was raped and her throat slit. Or any other manner of cruelty and unfortunate happenstance. Naturally, you have to keep in mind all of it is purely fiction, so answers will vary wildly.
Read Job again.
Traditional Christianity is not worth taking seriously as a philosophical worldview tbh. I don't know how anyone in current year could believe God sends people to hell for not believing in him.
What you're describing isn't "traditional christianity," it's the warped schizo protestant version of it promoted by evangelical americans.
The Catholic Church believes anyone outside of, not only Christendom, but the Catholic Church itself, will burn in hellfire forever. Perhaps that's where the Protestants got such moronic beliefs from.
This. I feel sad for Americans of any religious persuasion who are so mindfricked that they believe the most moronic brand of "Christianity" has any factual basis just because it has a signficant historical presence in their (young) country.
You don't understand the mindfrick. You rationalize, refute it, study other forms of Christianity, get a fricking series of dreams where angels come to you and tell you to stop being moronic it literally isn't true. But then the creeping fire and brimstone thoughts come back, instilled in you from childhood. Your mind forces you think about hell, to think about how you are going to suffer forever for even questioning these beliefs. The fear that wraps and destroys you little bit by bit from the inside. The thoughts that tell you they're God telling you they can't to send you to hell and laugh at you in agony there.
I genuinely consider this form of Christianity to have been undermined by demons.
>God telling you they can't to send you to hell
*That they can
I'm gonna chock that mistype up to a smile from God.
What does this have to do with America? There has been a consensus that, at a minimum, most unbelievers (and sometimes most Christians) will go to Hell.
>What does this have to do with America? There has been a consensus that, at a minimum, most unbelievers (and sometimes most Christians) will go to Hell.
This. The literal fire-and-brimstone conception of hell goes back to the middle ages, at the very least. And it's not entirely without support in the Bible itself.
But sufferers of America derangement syndrome like
have to find a way to make it a fundamentally American problem.
Anyway, OP, that's a fair question. I'm agnostic, but I have thought some about this issue, I think it would take some of the mystery out of life if God were in our faces. So God's silence doesn't make the possibility of his existence downright absurd, in my opinion. That's still not enough for me to believe, though. I just don't feel it.
the speaker is god
Better question is why would God need to make his existence strictly known?
Only the worst and most anti-intellectual sects of any religion believe in something pants-on-head moronic like this.
Wouldn't you like to know?
>It is a king's fate to seek, the LORD'S to conceal
Of course God would reveal himself to His creation
Here you go
You’ll thank me later: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13_3I_cRjGmdUvPw6fPN-4kP70bR7XHb5/view
to filter pseuds
Visit an Orthodox Church and start there. Most other "Christianities" are moronic.
Because he doesn't exist