My faith is hanging by a thread-are there sufficient answers

[sleepthroughthestatic]

This is literally the exact email I sent to my Christian philosophy teacher (I go to a very serious Christian high school). One of my comments about not wanting to discuss this with others has actually kept me from even posting on forums, but this is a debate forum...so I guess it's okay...I really need to start looking outward from myself. Just looking for additional input...thanks. If I get responses, I will probably question them...so be prepared, I'm not looking for a quick answer that gives me some vague hope. I want it to be able to sustain itself against criticisms and still hold water. Also, I'm not really looking for an atheist to come in here and say "this is what it feels like to be logical, it's always interested to see people cope with their shattered faith, etc etc". Please spare me that. And yes I realize the email probably sounds pathetic and idiotic to someone who hasn't been here, and will only use this as evidence to fuel their angst against religion...


"Hey, I decided I wanted to send an email. I find writing to be the more
clear way of communicating, and when dealing with such a profoundly
meaningful subject, I want to ensure both of us are saying what we want to
say--having time to think it through and communicate it in the manner that
we wish.

First, theres a few things I want to say. I dont want you to feel bad or
anything, like you caused me to stumble. Ive been having doubts for
literally years, but I always seem to bounce back based mostly on
emotion, vague answers, or practicality. I dont usually discuss these
doubts with anyone, because Im very afraid that I will ask questions,
people will not have the answers, and then I will cause them to stumble
and ultimately lose their faith. And, from a human standpoint, I think
Christianity is a very good thing that allows people to live with a
feeling of purpose and happiness (even if I dont necessarily believe it
to be divinely true). Even if it wasnt true, I wouldnt want to take that
away from someone. If it is true, I especially dont want to take that
away from them. So its generally a lose-lose situation. However, you have
obviously already thought about these things and I dont feel Im in
danger of messing up your life.

Also, don't be too alarmed. I'm not on the brink of going off the deep
end, I'm not going to start living like a depraved animal if I suddenly
lose my faith. I thoroughly buy into Christianity from a moral and
lifestyle perspective, and regardless of my personal belief in God, I will
continue to live my life the way that I see to be the correct way (moral,
compassionate, empathetic, etc--the way I've been raised, that is,
Christian). Nobody else even has a slight clue that I have any doubt, and
I consider this, obviously, confidential. I don't think, even if I
completely rejected Christianity, that I would ever even tell my
parents--it would be a selfish thing to do that would only serve to worry
and crush them.

I feel like I believe in Christianity with my heart, but less and less do
I believe it with my mind. Which makes for a very weak faith, one based on
works and fueled by self-aware delusion. So I really do need to work out
what I truly believe. But this is not just a small stumbling block, I've
had those. This is a culmination of stumbling blocks, and I've tripped so
many times that I'm starting to wonder why I keep getting back up. How
much should I have to work, rationalize, and conjure up reasons to believe
in God? Should not God have made it obvious, if He were real? I've read
the books. I've read Why I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, I've
read books by Lee Strobel, I've done my homework. To end this long
introduction, I believe you mentioned in class, when discussing God's
sovereignty versus human free-will, that one must pick the one that best
fits the data (the data being the Bible of course). Well, you left out the
third option. That God is...imaginary. That seems to fit the data with
little contradiction. I cant be a true Christian as long I believe that
in the back of mind.

Now, this leads to current, primary issue.

Here is what is what the Bible states:


1. God knows absolutely everything, that is, was, ever will be.
2. God created literally everything.
3. If one does not meet Gods criteria (ie: accept Christ), you are
literally tortured forever.

When creating the universe, God knew man would fall. He had complete
knowledge that man would rebel, and billions of people would be RUTHLESSLY
TORTURED for ETERNITY as a result--every single nuance of his design for
Creation impacted the eternal destiny of people. But God created us
anyway. And why? Because he wanted to be loved? Worshiped? No one really
has a reason. And I cant think of a reason that would come anywhere near
justifying the ruthless, eternal torture of your own creation. Your own
creation that is in an environment in which they did not choose to be, an
environment where the outcome is already established, an environment in
which God setup the rules. Even if it is their choice to go to Hell
(which is questionable due to the Bible explicitly driving home the point
of Gods sovereignty), I do not see how it is justified. I do not want
rhetoric about how God gives us all a chance. Tell me, if you were about
to have a son, but you knew your son would go on to make bad decisions and
eventually end up burned and tormented for eternity, would you still go
ahead and have your son? No, you would do the loving thing and stop it
from happening. Anyone who didnt would be rightfully called an evil,
egotistical, psychopath. And that is the reality of the situation, there
is no way around it with Christian doctrine. Somewhere along the way, it
cannot be right. It completely contradicts the image of a benevolent,
loving God. And the kicker, all of this can be applied to Satan and his
fallen angels.

And then further problems pile on. God decides to literally wipe out the
Earth in an act of mass genocide, literally killing every person and
animal and living thing on the Earth barring one family and a collection
of animals. This could perhaps make sense if God simply didnt know what
was going to happen, but He did. And it is completely illogical. When God
was making the world, he knew if he set it up this way, that this would
happen, and he would have to do this. That makes no sense. And then, to
fix it all (which, was actually by design because he knew it would
happen), he decides to send his Son to be crucified and redeem us of our
sins. But if for some reason we decide we dont believe in it (and being
completely honest, there are a LOT of reasons to reject it), we are BURNED
ALIVE FOREVER. And thats not even taking into account that you dont even
believe we really have a choice to be saved, but rather all of us would
burn if God didnt arbitrarily decide which ones to save from the
deathtrap that he designed and put us in. The Bible says it is our very
nature to sin, we cannot help it, we are born into it--we have no chance
from the beginning unless youre one of the lucky few who wins the
salvation lottery when God drew numbers before he created humanity. Can
you honestly tell me where Im wrong here? Can you truthfully admit all of
this and still hold the belief that God is just and loving? Your analogy
that God is still just, like a police officer stopping only certain people
for speeding tickets does not hold up. For one, in this situation, the
police officer is the one who designed them to speed and are born with an
innate, unavoidable nature to speed. And yes, it is unjust if you only
punish some and not others for no reason. If both your children misbehave
and make the same mistake (that is, being a sinner), and you mercilessly
beat and torture one and give the other one a hug, yes, that is most
assuredly injustice. Youd probably have your children taken away from
you.

Its like, once I remove God from the equation, everything falls into
line. I realize the following can be rationalized, but if they dont have
to be, if the core of Christianity doesnt make sense then everything
becomes easy. Why is there evil? God isnt real. Why is there suffering?
God isnt real. Why doesnt God make his existence obvious? God isnt
real. Why does God appoint all authority, even authority that ends up
brutally murdering millions for no reason? God isnt real. Why are there
passages in the Old Testament that make God seem really bad? God is not
real.

I do not want rhetoric about us being the clay or a fool says in his
heart God there is no God and not having the right to question Gods
ways. It doesnt hold up. God apparently gave us a brain, I cannot be
faulted for using it. Im trying to determine if the Bible is actually
true, and going back to the Bible is circular logic. Surely God would not
expect me to delude myself in order to believe divine, life-saving truth.
My reasons to believe in God are hanging by a thread. My best evidence is
the experience of others. My parents, and others I genuinely trust, have
told me about experiences they swear actually happened, and if they did,
either had to have been God or extreme self-delusion. My parents claim to
have seen a fog in their bedroom while intense prayer, Ive heard
countless stories of extreme coincidences. But can I really base my faith
on the subjective, biased experiences of others? Im inclined to say no.
Ive never experienced God, despite all my efforts and sincere prayer to
do His will (I assure you it was not at all done with a selfish or
doubtful attitude). There are a few other interesting reasons, like
prophecies, but I havent researched it much and Id imagine most are
disputed, its worth looking into but it doesnt erase the bigger problems
Ive talked about above.

So thats my problem. I apologize if I wrote that a little bit heated, Im
just pretty frustrated. Its not like Ive never believed in God. I pretty
much always have, and Ive been, at points, absolutely devout, dedicating
my life and having a genuine love and desire to serve Him. These are not
doubts out of some ulterior motive, I dont want to go drink and
fornicate. It is genuine intellectual inquiry. The weird thing is, I still
want to go to church and youth group, and marry a nice Christian girl and
live a good Christian life, helping others. Maybe Ill just end up living
like one regardless, trying not to think about the utter hypocrisy and
absurdity that would be. If you see me praying or something, I hope you
dont think Im necessarily think Im a huge fake idiot, even if I am...my
opinions are subject to change (whether through logic or not)...I have
never come close to opening up like this about these kind of things to
anyone so Im a bit apprehensive..."

[Yahu]

.."

The problem as I see it is you have been brought up with strict calvanistic beliefs that just don't work. It is those doctrines that you have been taught that just don't fit.

First lets look at the Sovereignty of God doctrine. Yah (God) gave dominion of the earth over to man in Genesis. He never withdrew it. The messes we make here on earth are our own messes, pure and simple.

You ask why He even created us. Well it isn't just for us to love Him. He wants like minded companionship. If He creates all beings with free will and they chose to be like Him and love right over evil, they are worthy of that companionship. It won't work if He creates puppets that only do what they are programmed to do.

Now you also appear to follow another BS Calvanistic doctrine of the total depravity of man. We didn't eat of the tree of EVIL in the garden. We ate of the tree of KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL. We learned the difference and have the free will right to choose between the two. We are selfish and not capable of being totally good.

As for the destruction caused by the flood, well I recommend you read the Book of Enoch. It is easily found on the net. It fills in a lot of detail about what was going on and why Yah did what He did. With understanding why for me makes it a lot easier to deal with and now I totally agree with the need to wipe out most of creation with the flood. Personally I thing we would have destroyed all life by now if Yah had not intervened. This is a tactic He uses over and over. Let life flourish both good and evil, then let evil destroy each other leaving the good to carry on.

Another problem I see is the standard doctrines of what hell is. Hell/sheol was just the domain of ALL the spirits of the dead. It was at the time of Christ that the righteous were allowed out to enter the heavenly realm leaving mainly the evil behind. It isn't a place of torment unless those that are evil in that realm torment each other. The 'lake of fire' is the eternal torment and it was created for angels that knew better that actively rebelled. We don't really KNOW how Yah will divide up eternal punishments and rewards. Heaven/hell isn't just a pass/fail situation. There is a lot of other possibilities. For example just getting into heaven, we will not all be the same. Those that EARN eternal rewards will be greater then those that don't for all of eternity (see Rev 2&3). Punishment and rewards will be dealt out according to our own actions during our lives. Both will be met out with true righteousness so an equal punishment for all levels of sinners doesn't fit.

My point is, you have the right to question the doctrines you have been force fed.

Now in my life, I have NO doubt about the existence or Righteousness of Yah. I am not an ignorant backwoods hick living strictly by religious blinders. I am very intelligent and a degreed Electrical Engineer and have also attended 2 different bible colleges. I even learned Hebrew to better understand scripture that didn't make sense in the English translation. I have actively seen the power of Yah within my life.

Over 25 years ago I found myself as a Christian in direct conflict with a powerful coven of witches while I was in the military. Basically that conflict was like a replay of the battle between Elijah and Jezebel and her prophets of Baal played out in modern times. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time for Yah to use me to combat that evil. It wasn't my doing but being led by Him that brought about extreme results. Most of those involved with the coven repented once they saw the reality that the power of Yah exceeded their witchcraft. I was just a willing vessel that allowed Him to operate through me. Those that actively rejected Yah even after being proved He existed and opposed their actions, died as a result. Yah was far more forgiving then I would have been and showed far more mercy.

So my advice to you is the question the doctrines you have been taught verses the existence of Yah. IMO Calvanistic/presbyterian doctrines are some of the most demonic doctrines prevalent in the church and lead to problems like yours. They are designed to do just that by the enemy. Yah is a Righteous and Just god. We are just operating on limited knowledge and understanding of the situation.

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 170:

Over 25 years ago I found myself as a Christian in direct conflict with a powerful coven of witches while I was in the military. Basically that conflict was like a replay of the battle between Elijah and Jezebel and her prophets of Baal played out in modern times. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time for Yah to use me to combat that evil.

We can only thank you for combating another group of superstitious folks. Why, if it weren't for you, we might all be speaking witch right now!

Any chance of getting you to offer some means to confirm any of this?

It wasn't my doing but being led by Him that brought about extreme results. Most of those involved with the coven repented once they saw the reality that the power of Yah exceeded their witchcraft.

Please present some of these converts so that we may confirm the great power of your god.

I was just a willing vessel that allowed Him to operate through me.

Kinda like the shell's ithere to protect all the peanutty goodness inside.

Those that actively rejected Yah even after being proved He existed and opposed their actions, died as a result.

Poor, poor, doubting folks.

I'm doubting, I sure hope I make it through the night.

Yah was far more forgiving then I would have been and showed far more mercy.

Then hopefully Yah'll forgive me for not buying your story in the least.


FSTDT, here's ya another'n.

[Mr.Badham]

What happened to this thread? It went crazy all of a sudden. Let's start over. Give the kid some advice if you got it, but leave all the crazy stuff out. Mayan Calendars? What?

Sleepthroughthestatic, I don't know if you're watching anymore, but read some more different threads. If you're honest with yourself you'll see. It will become more clear as you read. Your thread is proof of that. Don't be afraid to comment or start new threads. You don't have to worry about hurting feelings here!!

If you have a question, ask it!!!!

[Yahu]

From Post 170:
Any chance of getting you to offer some means to confirm any of this?

I have actually written the entire story as a trilogy entitled 'Battling Jezebel'. I would be glad to email you the current pdf version. You can determine the feasibility of the entire story yourself.

[Yahu]

From Post 170:
Then hopefully Yah'll forgive me for not buying your story in the least.

The story wasn't for you. It was for the OP.

Why don't you try to stay on topic. What no comments about the rest of my post? Why come to a Christianity debating forum is all you are going to do is ridicule those that have had spiritual experiences? Just what spirit is speaking through you and driving you to do that?

Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 173:

Any chance of getting you to offer some means to confirm any of this?

I have actually written the entire story as a trilogy entitled 'Battling Jezebel'. I would be glad to email you the current pdf version. You can determine the feasibility of the entire story yourself.

Who needs a pdf when we have video documentation of the event...

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 174:

The story wasn't for you. It was for the OP.

Yet instead of PMing the dude, you placed it up for public scrutiny.

Why don't you try to stay on topic.

I don't doubt many a theist considers "can you show you speak truth" to be "off-topic".

What no comments about the rest of my post?

That's rich, considering the hatchet job you did to mine in your Post 173.

Why come to a Christianity debating forum is all you are going to do is ridicule those that have had spiritual experiences?

Why enter a debate site if you're gonna make claims and get upset when they get challenged?

Just what spirit is speaking through you and driving you to do that?

Corn.

Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Christians.

[Darias]

Has sleepthroughthestatic posted anywhere or replied to this thread after it was abducted by the Goa'uld?







How did that OP lead to this?:

[lilbman]

This is literally the exact email I sent to my Christian philosophy teacher (I go to a very serious Christian high school). One of my comments about not wanting to discuss this with others has actually kept me from even posting on forums, but this is a debate forum...so I guess it's okay...I really need to start looking outward from myself. Just looking for additional input...thanks. If I get responses, I will probably question them...so be prepared, I'm not looking for a quick answer that gives me some vague hope. I want it to be able to sustain itself against criticisms and still hold water. Also, I'm not really looking for an atheist to come in here and say "this is what it feels like to be logical, it's always interested to see people cope with their shattered faith, etc etc". Please spare me that. And yes I realize the email probably sounds pathetic and idiotic to someone who hasn't been here, and will only use this as evidence to fuel their angst against religion...


"Hey, I decided I wanted to send an email. I find writing to be the more
clear way of communicating, and when dealing with such a profoundly
meaningful subject, I want to ensure both of us are saying what we want to
say--having time to think it through and communicate it in the manner that
we wish.

First, theres a few things I want to say. I dont want you to feel bad or
anything, like you caused me to stumble. Ive been having doubts for
literally years, but I always seem to bounce back based mostly on
emotion, vague answers, or practicality. I dont usually discuss these
doubts with anyone, because Im very afraid that I will ask questions,
people will not have the answers, and then I will cause them to stumble
and ultimately lose their faith. And, from a human standpoint, I think
Christianity is a very good thing that allows people to live with a
feeling of purpose and happiness (even if I dont necessarily believe it
to be divinely true). Even if it wasnt true, I wouldnt want to take that
away from someone. If it is true, I especially dont want to take that
away from them. So its generally a lose-lose situation. However, you have
obviously already thought about these things and I dont feel Im in
danger of messing up your life.

Also, don't be too alarmed. I'm not on the brink of going off the deep
end, I'm not going to start living like a depraved animal if I suddenly
lose my faith. I thoroughly buy into Christianity from a moral and
lifestyle perspective, and regardless of my personal belief in God, I will
continue to live my life the way that I see to be the correct way (moral,
compassionate, empathetic, etc--the way I've been raised, that is,
Christian). Nobody else even has a slight clue that I have any doubt, and
I consider this, obviously, confidential. I don't think, even if I
completely rejected Christianity, that I would ever even tell my
parents--it would be a selfish thing to do that would only serve to worry
and crush them.

I feel like I believe in Christianity with my heart, but less and less do
I believe it with my mind. Which makes for a very weak faith, one based on
works and fueled by self-aware delusion. So I really do need to work out
what I truly believe. But this is not just a small stumbling block, I've
had those. This is a culmination of stumbling blocks, and I've tripped so
many times that I'm starting to wonder why I keep getting back up. How
much should I have to work, rationalize, and conjure up reasons to believe
in God? Should not God have made it obvious, if He were real? I've read
the books. I've read Why I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, I've
read books by Lee Strobel, I've done my homework. To end this long
introduction, I believe you mentioned in class, when discussing God's
sovereignty versus human free-will, that one must pick the one that best
fits the data (the data being the Bible of course). Well, you left out the
third option. That God is...imaginary. That seems to fit the data with
little contradiction. I cant be a true Christian as long I believe that
in the back of mind.

Now, this leads to current, primary issue.

Here is what is what the Bible states:


1. God knows absolutely everything, that is, was, ever will be.
2. God created literally everything.
3. If one does not meet Gods criteria (ie: accept Christ), you are
literally tortured forever.

When creating the universe, God knew man would fall. He had complete
knowledge that man would rebel, and billions of people would be RUTHLESSLY
TORTURED for ETERNITY as a result--every single nuance of his design for
Creation impacted the eternal destiny of people. But God created us
anyway. And why? Because he wanted to be loved? Worshiped? No one really
has a reason. And I cant think of a reason that would come anywhere near
justifying the ruthless, eternal torture of your own creation. Your own
creation that is in an environment in which they did not choose to be, an
environment where the outcome is already established, an environment in
which God setup the rules. Even if it is their choice to go to Hell
(which is questionable due to the Bible explicitly driving home the point
of Gods sovereignty), I do not see how it is justified. I do not want
rhetoric about how God gives us all a chance. Tell me, if you were about
to have a son, but you knew your son would go on to make bad decisions and
eventually end up burned and tormented for eternity, would you still go
ahead and have your son? No, you would do the loving thing and stop it
from happening. Anyone who didnt would be rightfully called an evil,
egotistical, psychopath. And that is the reality of the situation, there
is no way around it with Christian doctrine. Somewhere along the way, it
cannot be right. It completely contradicts the image of a benevolent,
loving God. And the kicker, all of this can be applied to Satan and his
fallen angels.

And then further problems pile on. God decides to literally wipe out the
Earth in an act of mass genocide, literally killing every person and
animal and living thing on the Earth barring one family and a collection
of animals. This could perhaps make sense if God simply didnt know what
was going to happen, but He did. And it is completely illogical. When God
was making the world, he knew if he set it up this way, that this would
happen, and he would have to do this. That makes no sense. And then, to
fix it all (which, was actually by design because he knew it would
happen), he decides to send his Son to be crucified and redeem us of our
sins. But if for some reason we decide we dont believe in it (and being
completely honest, there are a LOT of reasons to reject it), we are BURNED
ALIVE FOREVER. And thats not even taking into account that you dont even
believe we really have a choice to be saved, but rather all of us would
burn if God didnt arbitrarily decide which ones to save from the
deathtrap that he designed and put us in. The Bible says it is our very
nature to sin, we cannot help it, we are born into it--we have no chance
from the beginning unless youre one of the lucky few who wins the
salvation lottery when God drew numbers before he created humanity. Can
you honestly tell me where Im wrong here? Can you truthfully admit all of
this and still hold the belief that God is just and loving? Your analogy
that God is still just, like a police officer stopping only certain people
for speeding tickets does not hold up. For one, in this situation, the
police officer is the one who designed them to speed and are born with an
innate, unavoidable nature to speed. And yes, it is unjust if you only
punish some and not others for no reason. If both your children misbehave
and make the same mistake (that is, being a sinner), and you mercilessly
beat and torture one and give the other one a hug, yes, that is most
assuredly injustice. Youd probably have your children taken away from
you.

Its like, once I remove God from the equation, everything falls into
line. I realize the following can be rationalized, but if they dont have
to be, if the core of Christianity doesnt make sense then everything
becomes easy. Why is there evil? God isnt real. Why is there suffering?
God isnt real. Why doesnt God make his existence obvious? God isnt
real. Why does God appoint all authority, even authority that ends up
brutally murdering millions for no reason? God isnt real. Why are there
passages in the Old Testament that make God seem really bad? God is not
real.

I do not want rhetoric about us being the clay or a fool says in his
heart God there is no God and not having the right to question Gods
ways. It doesnt hold up. God apparently gave us a brain, I cannot be
faulted for using it. Im trying to determine if the Bible is actually
true, and going back to the Bible is circular logic. Surely God would not
expect me to delude myself in order to believe divine, life-saving truth.
My reasons to believe in God are hanging by a thread. My best evidence is
the experience of others. My parents, and others I genuinely trust, have
told me about experiences they swear actually happened, and if they did,
either had to have been God or extreme self-delusion. My parents claim to
have seen a fog in their bedroom while intense prayer, Ive heard
countless stories of extreme coincidences. But can I really base my faith
on the subjective, biased experiences of others? Im inclined to say no.
Ive never experienced God, despite all my efforts and sincere prayer to
do His will (I assure you it was not at all done with a selfish or
doubtful attitude). There are a few other interesting reasons, like
prophecies, but I havent researched it much and Id imagine most are
disputed, its worth looking into but it doesnt erase the bigger problems
Ive talked about above.

So thats my problem. I apologize if I wrote that a little bit heated, Im
just pretty frustrated. Its not like Ive never believed in God. I pretty
much always have, and Ive been, at points, absolutely devout, dedicating
my life and having a genuine love and desire to serve Him. These are not
doubts out of some ulterior motive, I dont want to go drink and
fornicate. It is genuine intellectual inquiry. The weird thing is, I still
want to go to church and youth group, and marry a nice Christian girl and
live a good Christian life, helping others. Maybe Ill just end up living
like one regardless, trying not to think about the utter hypocrisy and
absurdity that would be. If you see me praying or something, I hope you
dont think Im necessarily think Im a huge fake idiot, even if I am...my
opinions are subject to change (whether through logic or not)...I have
never come close to opening up like this about these kind of things to
anyone so Im a bit apprehensive..."

Jesus taught faith. The Bible teaches faith.

Do you understand the importance of this...? Of course it takes faith to even believe in GOD. GOD knows this. It's by design.

Let me ask you this. If GOD were to show up, how would you react...? Seriously, how would you feel...? What would you do...?

Do you even think that you could even get a word out of your mouth that GOD wouldn't have known what you are going to say before you say it...?

If Jesus were to walk up to you today, would you recognize Him...? Can you see Him...?

Let me ask you this, do you ever talk to GOD...?

Take religion out of it.... Have you just ever opened up your heart and just talked to him. Told about your concerns, your desires, even confess your sin...?

Good morning Lord. How are you doing today...?

Lord, help me with my faith. Teach me the difference between faith and religion (religious acts, deeds, works that some feel that they score brownie points w/ GOD for doing)

Help me to know you and draw me closer to you. I love you.

Lord, I still struggle. I still stumble. Help me to know that you love me and to understand.

Father, I am struggling. My faith is weak but my heart is willing.

Father I need you, I want to feel you and know that you are close to me. Please keep me and guide me into your truth. Trusting in you and whom you've sent, Jesus Christ.

My heart cries out to you Lord.

In Jesus Christ Name I pray,
Amen

[Thatguy]

Jesus taught faith. The Bible teaches faith.

Do you understand the importance of this...? Of course it takes faith to even believe in GOD. GOD knows this. It's by design.

Let me ask you this. If GOD were to show up, how would you react...? Seriously, how would you feel...? What would you do...?

Do you even think that you could even get a word out of your mouth that GOD wouldn't have known what you are going to say before you say it...?

If Jesus were to walk up to you today, would you recognize Him...? Can you see Him...?

If a god were to reveal itself to me, I would still have to ask myself whether, based on the evidence available to me, it was good and worth worshiping. I would fear such a powerful creature, but that would not earn my devotion. There is no reason why a god that honestly showed that it existed would rob us of our free will to decide whether to love and honor it.

If knowing God existed would rob us of free will, doesn't that mean that Adam in the Garden of Eden had no free will? We are told that Adam went for walks with God. God was not hiding. And yet Adam allegedly exercised his free will to disobey. Some Christians think Satan and his cohorts had free will when they rebelled against God. So God need not hide his existence and leave it up to guesswork in order to allow free will to operate. If it was God's design that he remain hidden and we'd have to guess whether He exists, why would he start it all off by revealing himself openly to the very first people? If the design was that he'd only hide himself from subsequent people after the fall, then he designed Adam and Eve to fail. Planned obsolescence.

A god that hides evidence of his existence is not a god of truth. If such a god then punished people for reaching the wrong conclusion based upon the available evidence, that would be a god of questionable fairness.