Why can't God just show himself to us?

I want to ask everyone why wouldn't God just show himself to us and make us all know he exists.

Christians can't say they know God, they can only say they believe in him and they have faith. But why can't God come and show himself to us, tell us that he is real and that he wants everyone to follow his rules. After that we would all know he is real and start following him. Why would he just leave us a book written by men?

One of the arguments Christians make is that God wanted us to have free will. He wanted us to have the choice to follow or rebel. But the story of Lucifer says that he and other angels rebelled...but they knew God existed. So why would it be any different with us?

So my question arises, why can't God just make us know, not believe or have faith, but know he is real?

Same reason Peter Pan cannot show himself to us.

He is not real.

reply to post by TFCJay

What!!!! Peter Pan Isnt real nooooooooooo....

If you have read the bible In the start of Genesis Certain questions was raised as to wether God had the right to rule, Satan challenged gods right to rule, and if man can live without gods help. God has allowed man to live without help for all these years to prove to Satan and all the angels that were watching the events at that time, Hence God is allowing time for man to prove himself and to prove to Satan he is a wrong. God took away the ability to live forever, and our geins have been degenerating ever since the garden of eden. This is to see if man can live without gods help. Obviously looking at the state of the world at the moment we cant live without his help, so god will step in soon and put right all the wrong. Hope this helps.

Originally posted by danielsil18
I want to ask everyone why wouldn't God just show himself to us and make us all know he exists.

Christians can't say they know God, they can only say they believe in him and they have faith. But why can't God come and show himself to us, tell us that he is real and that he wants everyone to follow his rules. After that we would all know he is real and start following him. Why would he just leave us a book written by men?

One of the arguments Christians make is that God wanted us to have free will. He wanted us to have the choice to follow or rebel. But the story of Lucifer says that he and other angels rebelled...but they knew God existed. So why would it be any different with us?

So my question arises, why can't God just make us know, not believe or have faith, but know he is real?

edit on 1-7-2013 by danielsil18 because: (no reason given)

Well...apparently he used to show him self...in form of burning bush and such...but after a while he stopped doing that...because today...we lock people up in asylums who claim to have talked to God or claim to have seen a burning bush. So..propheting the end of the world..you are most likely crazy homeless person...if you walk on water...than you are trickster, an illusionist. If you heal people by touch...you are a hoaxster on the gullible.

Back than...those were holy people...prophets even. Critical thinking was not something to brag about, because...you could burn like that bush for blasfemy. And thus...the Holy Books were written.

God shows us how he exists each day, you must use what you were given. Why live to begin with if you aren't here to learn a lesson? What is pain? What is truth? What is patience?

Yeah, Christians say we have free-will.

We have the choice to have faith, and be saved.
We have the choice to not believe, and go to Hell.



How can you possibly expect a sane person to believe that rubbish?

Even if God was real, it couldn't punish you for using the free-will given to you.

A God would develop better techniques than "believe the story, or I'll kill you."



Besides, I'm a Solipsist.



I evolved past the Christian phase years ago.

Originally posted by CloudyNotorious
If you have read the bible In the start of Genesis Certain questions was raised as to wether God had the right to rule, Satan challenged gods right to rule, and if man can live without gods help. God has allowed man to live without help for all these years to prove to Satan and all the angels that were watching the events at that time, Hence God is allowing time for man to prove himself and to prove to Satan he is a wrong. God took away the ability to live forever, and our geins have been degenerating ever since the garden of eden. This is to see if man can live without gods help. Obviously looking at the state of the world at the moment we cant live without his help, so god will step in soon and put right all the wrong. Hope this helps.

Why would a powerful and loving God leave humans at their own will just to prove to Satan that we can't live without him?

It seems God was more interested in showing Satan wrong than saving us from going to Hell.

Originally posted by MarioOnTheFly
Well...apparently he used to show him self...in form of burning bush and such...but after a while he stopped doing that...because today...we lock people up in asylums who claim to have talked to God or claim to have seen a burning bush. So..propheting the end of the world..you are most likely crazy homeless person...if you walk on water...than you are trickster, an illusionist. If you heal people by touch...you are a hoaxster on the gullible.

Back than...those were holy people...prophets even. Critical thinking was not something to brag about, because...you could burn like that bush for blasfemy. And thus...the Holy Books were written.

There is logic fallacy there.

See if we all knew that God was real, we wouldn't be "locking people who saw him in asylums".

If God shows himself to all of us and made us know he is real then we wouldn't doubt people saw him.

Originally posted by chadderson
God shows us how he exists each day, you must use what you were given. Why live to begin with if you aren't here to learn a lesson? What is pain? What is truth? What is patience?

Actually he doesn't shows us he exists, wouldn't it be easier for him to actually let us see him? that would be the most logical thing to do. After that, we can know he exists.

Originally posted by Unrealised
Yeah, Christians say we have free-will.

We have the choice to have faith, and be saved.
We have the choice to not believe, and go to Hell.



How can you possibly expect a sane person to believe that rubbish?

Even if God was real, it couldn't punish you for using the free-will given to you.

A God would develop better techniques than "believe the story, or I'll kill you."



Besides, I'm a Solipsist.



I evolved past the Christian phase years ago.

If you read your bible there is no Hell spoken off in the bible? Hell is not a teaching of the bible.

Heard of "Miracle of the Sun"?

The people had gathered because three young shepherd children had predicted that at high noon the "lady" who had appeared to them several times would perform a great miracle in a field near Fátima called Cova da Iria. According to many witnesses, after a period of rain, the dark clouds broke and "the sun" appeared as an opaque, spinning disc in the sky.[4] It was said to be significantly duller than normal, and to cast multicolored lights across the landscape, the shadows on the landscape, the people, and the surrounding clouds.[4] The sun was then reported to have careened towards the earth in a zigzag pattern,[4] frightening those who thought it a sign of the end of the world.[5] Witnesses reported that their previously wet clothes became "suddenly and completely dry, as well as the wet and muddy ground that had been previously soaked because of the rain that had been falling".[6] Estimates of number present range from 30,000 to 40,000 by Avelino de Almeida, writing for the Portuguese newspaper O Século,[7] to 100,000, estimated by Dr. Joseph Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra,[8] both of whom were present that day.[9] The event was attributed by believers to Our Lady of Fátima, a reported apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the children who had made predictions of the event on 13 July 1917,[10] 19 August,[11] and 13 September.[12] The children stated that the Lady had promised them that she would on 13 October reveal her identity to them[13] and provide a miracle "so that all may believe."[14]
en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by CloudyNotorious

Originally posted by Unrealised
Yeah, Christians say we have free-will.

We have the choice to have faith, and be saved.
We have the choice to not believe, and go to Hell.



How can you possibly expect a sane person to believe that rubbish?

Even if God was real, it couldn't punish you for using the free-will given to you.

A God would develop better techniques than "believe the story, or I'll kill you."



Besides, I'm a Solipsist.



I evolved past the Christian phase years ago.

If you read your bible there is no Hell spoken off in the bible? Hell is not a teaching of the bible.

There is also no talk about super-technology of the year 2013 that disproves everything written in the Bible.

Unless God was a fluctuating Universe and Jesus was a Quark.

reply to post by CloudyNotorious


so where do all those "lost" souls that don't believe in Jesus Christ the savior go after they die? I thought according to the doctrine, you must accept Jesus as your savior, in order to be saved ?

So where do those, roughly half of world population, go after they die. Surely not to heaven? or that also isn't mentioned in the bible ?

If there is no opposite of heaven, what is the punishment for non believers than ?

Originally posted by Thebel
Heard of "Miracle of the Sun"?

The people had gathered because three young shepherd children had predicted that at high noon the "lady" who had appeared to them several times would perform a great miracle in a field near Fátima called Cova da Iria. According to many witnesses, after a period of rain, the dark clouds broke and "the sun" appeared as an opaque, spinning disc in the sky.[4] It was said to be significantly duller than normal, and to cast multicolored lights across the landscape, the shadows on the landscape, the people, and the surrounding clouds.[4] The sun was then reported to have careened towards the earth in a zigzag pattern,[4] frightening those who thought it a sign of the end of the world.[5] Witnesses reported that their previously wet clothes became "suddenly and completely dry, as well as the wet and muddy ground that had been previously soaked because of the rain that had been falling".[6] Estimates of number present range from 30,000 to 40,000 by Avelino de Almeida, writing for the Portuguese newspaper O Século,[7] to 100,000, estimated by Dr. Joseph Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra,[8] both of whom were present that day.[9] The event was attributed by believers to Our Lady of Fátima, a reported apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the children who had made predictions of the event on 13 July 1917,[10] 19 August,[11] and 13 September.[12] The children stated that the Lady had promised them that she would on 13 October reveal her identity to them[13] and provide a miracle "so that all may believe."[14]
en.wikipedia.org...

It's illogical because If the Sun moved, why would only 100,000 people see it?

Also it talks about a "lady" showing herself.

My question is.. Why doesn't God shows himself to all of us so we can know, not believe or have faith, but know he is real?

reply to post by danielsil18


I don't like quoting from the Bible on ATS. But, at times it is necessary.

Ezekiel 12:2: Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.

Matthew 13:13-17: For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Brilliant idea - imagine people finding out that he didn't look like them e g Suppose he was black, or white or Asian looking? Those not of that ethnecity would maybe not relate to him because we are all supposed to be made in his image and that image is a problem for religion that it simply gave to itself.

Originally posted by MarioOnTheFly
reply to post by CloudyNotorious

 

so where do all those "lost" souls that don't believe in Jesus Christ the savior go after they die? I thought according to the doctrine, you must accept Jesus as your savior, in order to be saved ?

So where do those, roughly half of world population, go after they die. Surely not to heaven? or that also isn't mentioned in the bible ?

If there is no opposite of heaven, what is the punishment for non believers than ?

Why do we have to have souls?



Also let's say that there are souls and Heaven:

Why would a loving God punish for not believing? It's one thing if he showed to us and we rebelled. But he doesn't even make us know he is real and blames us for not believing he is real and now we are getting punished with torture for eternity. Doesn't sound logical.

Originally posted by KaelemJames
reply to post by danielsil18

 

I don't like quoting from the Bible on ATS. But, at times it is necessary.

Ezekiel 12:2: Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.

Matthew 13:13-17: For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Why can't God show himself to us in a physical way?

Surely a powerful God that loves us could make that happen easily. Even if we don't believe, we could still see him with our eyes.

It's not like physical things become invisible for those who don't believe in them.

reply to post by danielsil18


do you mean besides the reason that his brilliance could cause our heads to explode? that is if we dont die of a heart attack first? lol