Why does God reveal himself to some but not others? (Article)

  • Thread starter Thread starter ProdigalSon4293
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
That is one of the major problems with revelation. Why so and so and not so and so?
In the modern era we have a better, yet incomplete understanding of delusion and insanity.

Does that explain it all, I’m not sure.
 
One never knows God’s purpose, unless He appears in the person of Christ to someone and tells them, and the Church approves it; yet we have to believe that there is a purpose – and sometimes obligations attached to – His revelations, either personally through Jesus Christ or through one of his angels or saints, like the apparitions of Mary described in Revelation 12:1.

However, not all apparitions and “miraculous” occurences are from God. On a very basic level, one has to judge it by its fruit because Satan can and will try to deceive mankind in any way at any time.

And God does reveal Himself to everyone in different ways. Nature is a good mirror of God since creation always reveals at least part of the Creator.
 
Think different. Take a leap of faith.

Two lessons on leaping in general. First from Douglas Adams:

*"How to fly. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. Pick a nice day, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy suggests, and try it.

The first part is easy. All it requires is simply the ability to throw yourself forward with all your weight, and the willingness not to mind that it’s going to hurt.

That is, it’s going to hurt if you fail to miss the ground. Most people fail to miss the ground, and if they are really trying properly, the likelihood is that they will fail to miss it fairly hard.

Clearly, it is the second part, the missing, which presents the difficulties.

One problem is that you have to miss the ground accidentally. It’s no good deliberately intending to miss the ground because you won’t. You have to have your attention suddenly distracted by something else when you’re halfway there, so that you are no longer thinking about falling, or about the ground, or about how much it’s going to hurt if you fail to miss it.

It is notoriously difficult to prize your attention away from these three things during the split second you have at your disposal. Hence most people’s failure, and their eventual disillusionment with this exhilarating and spectacular sport."*

So once you’ve got the idea of not trying to control everything, second lesson in taking leaps from Alanis Morissette:

*"The moment I let go of it was the moment / I got more than I could handle / The moment I jumped off of it / Was the moment I touched down

How bout no longer being masochistic / How bout remembering your divinity / How bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out / How bout not equating death with stopping

Thank you India / Thank you Providence, thank you disillusionment / Thank you nothingness / Thank you clarity / Thank you thank you silence."*
 
Bradski said:
Why do you want to believe?
Click to expand...
Because it makes perfect sense that an infinitely loving God created the universe and all of us in it, and wants the best for us.

Jesus, who is God, came to show us the way…He is The Way!

“Bradski”…God loves you infinitely and wants the best for you.
 
ProdigalSon4293 said:
alternet.org/story/147623/why_does_god_reveal_himself_to_some_people_and_not_to_others

These thoughts match up with mine lately. I want to believe in God, but it just really doesn’t seem plausible.
Click to expand...
I believe it is a good thing to not only read negative theories about God, but to watch and listen to faith-filled people who are unselfish and profess belief in Jesus Christ.

Due to our fallen nature we are vulnerable to self-seeking and to the deceptive reasoning of the evil one.
But…we have a treasure in Our Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings! IN HIM WE HAVE ALL THAT WE NEED!

Keep asking the Lord to reveal His love for you in the way that you need it. He wants nothing more than your eternal happiness.
 
Dorothy said:
Because it makes perfect sense that an infinitely loving God created the universe and all of us in it, and wants the best for us.

Jesus, who is God, came to show us the way…He is The Way!
Click to expand...
If Prodigal knows this then he doesn’t have a need to believe. But it seems that he doesn’t believe it.

In other words, he seems to want to believe something that he knows is not true.

Does that sound odd to you?
 
Bradski said:
If Prodigal knows this then he doesn’t have a need to believe. But it seems that he doesn’t believe it.

In other words, he seems to want to believe something that he knows is not true.

Does that sound odd to you?
Click to expand...
Not quite. Your statement contains a similar vulnerability. He does not state that “he knows it is not true”. He expresses doubt. If he truly believed there is no God, he would have no doubt.
 
ProdigalSon4293 said:
alternet.org/story/147623/why_does_god_reveal_himself_to_some_people_and_not_to_others

These thoughts match up with mine lately. I want to believe in God, but it just really doesn’t seem plausible.
Click to expand...
People who’ve had these powerful revelations have, generally speaking, already walked with God for a time, earnestly sought Him, already believed-and expressed that faith in one way or another-without “seeing”. In the end, if He chooses to give more direct insight, that’s up to Him-at His discretion and for His purposes.
 
Bradski said:
If Prodigal knows this then he doesn’t have a need to believe. But it seems that he doesn’t believe it.

In other words, he seems to want to believe something that he knows is not true.

Does that sound odd to you?
Click to expand...
It doesn’t sound odd to me at all.

Prodigal wants to believe, and is not sure . He is hoping others will spark hope in him.

However, I shouldn’t speak for him, but that is the impression I got.

Prodigal is free to offer his (name removed by moderator)ut.

Peace to you!

Hope springs eternal!

Dorothy
 
Bradski said:
If Prodigal knows this then he doesn’t have a need to believe. But it seems that he doesn’t believe it.

In other words, he seems to want to believe something that he knows is not true.

Does that sound odd to you?
Click to expand...
Or he wants to believe something that he has an innate hope for-based on a semi-dormant knowledge that it is true. Hope for something better in no way precludes the possibility that the thing hoped for is true.
 
I wish you well Prodigal. Having been on a similar journey, I know the difficulties and the pain. Just don’t give up, Read the best sources you can find…talk to positive people and be ready to accept the unexpected.

My thoughts are with you.
 
ProdigalSon4293 said:
. . . it just really doesn’t seem plausible.
Click to expand...
How plausible is it that one exists as oneself? What is that?
As far as you are concerned, I would imagine that this particular post could be written by any one of, what eight billion people existing at this time.
Oneself however, amazingly is unique. This whole thing that is existence is implausible if you immerse yourself in it, beyond the ready-made concepts that cover reality.

At any rate, is it belief or perhaps some answer as to why God does what He does, is this what you are willing to settle for, or do you want to know God as would a loving son?

To do this, you have to pray, you have to read what Jesus, through whom we know the Father, said - even if it makes no sense initially. The Catechism can be a huge help. Especially, do good deeds; what you are asking for is to ultimately know love and beauty. You’ve got to walk the walk, before you can talk the talk.
 
The difference between the two is that in the first case - the trial - the important thing is to find out who took the diamonds

In the second case, the important thing is not to prove there is a God, but to accept the goodness of God as a basis for who you choose to be.

If in the first case you realised that unless you chose the man’s account, you would be exiled, then many would choose the man’s account and bypass the important search for truth.

Likewise, if God was ‘in your face’ many would choose God for fear and bypass the important search for the goodness of who they should choose to be.
 
ProdigalSon4293 said:
alternet.org/story/147623/why_does_god_reveal_himself_to_some_people_and_not_to_others

These thoughts match up with mine lately. I want to believe in God, but it just really doesn’t seem plausible.
Click to expand...
If you truly want to believe in God, the first thing you must do is pray for Grace. If you truly want God you will receive him.

If you say you want him, but truly do not, he knows that also. You cannot fool him.

So if you truly want him, you continue to pray and ask him to give you Grace.

Then when you use the Grace you are given you will get more and more, etc.

Ask and you will receive.
 
Bradski said:
If Prodigal knows this then he doesn’t have a need to believe. But it seems that he doesn’t believe it.

In other words, he seems to want to believe something that he knows is not true.

Does that sound odd to you?
Click to expand...
I want to believe all sorts of stuff I know is not true. I wanted to believe that my husband was having a bad phase and didn’t REALLY want a divorce.

I want to believe that my illness is not chronic and potentially terminal.

I want to believe that with no attention from me my retirement investments will grow and be enough to see me through.

I want to believe I can eat whatever I have a taste for and remain healthy.

But I DO believe that aligning myself with truth is, ultimately, the thing to do, and let go of what I WANT to believe and put faith in reality.

No more tooth fairy for me, when I lost a tooth I need to go to the dentist, not put it under my pillow and hope for the best.

Hope and faith have their place, but it can be tricky if we put all our faith, in faith alone.

Well, at least that has been my experience, repeatedly, over decades.
 
A great question for those of us outside the Middle East…why did the Christian God wait thousands of years to reveal himself to people like the first North Americans? Then do it through people who often viewed them as inferior?

…and it makes me wonder.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top