Why doesn't God let himself be known?

[Pai_Nosso]

Anyway I was just thinking of others and have compassion for the ones who will be cast into the lake of fire. Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, Taoists, etc.
These kind of “why” questions are usually impossible to answer as our human minds are limited but I find them helpful to think about to better understand God.

Some of the responses suggest that i am criticizing or accusing God which is rubbish. How can one learn without asking questions. I am always praying to God to help me comprehend when I have these thought processes.

 

[Pai_Nosso]

Oh that is so funny
He does let himself be known… it’s called the Bible

Mate u either didn’t read my posts or are just ignoring my points.
Either way I don’t have time to reiterate myself again.

 

[CelticWarlord]

How can one learn without asking questions. I am always praying to God to help me comprehend when I have these thought processes.

A most admirable attitude to take. One of my favorite people, Penn Jillette, although an atheist, very much appreciates what he calls “the great marketplace of ideas” and espouses continous dialog as the best way to avoid violence. Exchanging thoughts, opinions, and viewpoints is the only way we learn what others think and how they came to certain conclusions. What I and others believe will not necessarily match, but coming to know why we have come to different conclusions is how we understand and accept differences without becoming irritated. By asking questions we open ourselves to the widest possible variety of knowledge. Blessings to you.

 

[Magnanimity]

May God’s mercy, peace and grace be with u through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And also with you

 

[Bluebright]

You didn’t write any points? Only one line which was what I was answering.
Anyway sorry never meant to offend you.

 

[TheLittleLady]

And so every human would be saved.

Luke 16:31, Christ told us that would not be the case, even if disbelievers saw a dead man come back. Remember, the people who walked with Christ on the earth, many of them left Him, in fact those closest to Him betrayed Jesus.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Anyway I was just thinking of others and have compassion for the ones who will be cast into the lake of fire. Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, Taoists, etc.

Everyone cast into the lake of fire has knowingly rejected God.

The Church does not teach that those of other faiths are automatically damned. We are not Baptists.

 

[John10]

Remember that is the same temptation that Satan suggested to Jesus. To do something spectacular (like falling from the Temple roof, knowing that God’s angels would hold Him).

However, Jesus taught us that having Faith is a virtue and very much needed to have any relationship with Him and God.

 

[openmind77]

Why doesn’t God just make himself known by appearing to everyone in the sky or even on the news?

If God appeared openly and let himself be known, it would interfere with the free will of humanity. Many will be forced to obey whatever he says because of fear. It would be like a teacher always present when students are playing - they would not be free to do whatever their inclinations are.

But apparently the time is very close when the Christ can reappear amongst men without infringing on human freewill - maybe because a majority are now willing to follow him without any compulsion needed.

 

[openmind77]

Anyway I was just thinking of others and have compassion for the ones who will be cast into the lake of fire. Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, Taoists, etc.

I personally do not believe that there is a literal ‘lake of fire’. That is just a metaphor - but it does mean certain people will be banished from the ‘new earth’.

But you are mistaken in thinking that it will be non-Christians who will be ‘cast into the lake of fire’. Matthew 25 31-46 clearly states who will suffer that fate. Those who will be cast into the lake are the ‘goats’ - those who do not care about the suffering of ‘the least of these’. Those who do not care about ‘the least of these’ (meaning the poor/marginalized/oppressed) who are sick, hungry, thirsty, in prison or are strangers (another term for immigrants).

 

[Mike_from_NJ]

If God appeared openly and let himself be known, it would interfere with the free will of humanity. Many will be forced to obey whatever he says because of fear. It would be like a teacher always present when students are playing - they would not be free to do whatever their inclinations are.

I strongly disagree with this. The more information we have the sounder our choices become and the more we truly employ our freewill.

Imagine if you get two job offers. Perhaps they are both solid, but one provides more money while the other provides more stability. Perhaps one involves more travel (which for some may be a good thing and for others it is a bad thing). Perhaps one or both are not what they are cracked up to be, and waiting for a third option would be more suitable. We use our freewill every day based on the information we can obtain, and strive for as much of that information as possible so as to do it right. Two important decisions we all must make is whether there is an afterlife, and if so which faith’s tenants we should follow to achieve a positive afterlife. When the possibility of Heaven and Hell are involved it’s only fair to give people ample information to know they should be following faith A and not faith B.

What’s interesting to me is that believers are on two opposite sides of this issue. For some, when questioned about God’s hiddenness (why can we not sense him, why are an abundance of prayers unaswered, etc.) they will say that even if God were to reveal himself there would still be some that would not believe. For others, like yourself, you say that if he were to do so than people would have no choice but to believe. Clearly, they can’t both be true, and personally I think the truth lies somewhere in-between. Some might believe and some might not, but it’s only right that we are given the tools with which to make a thoughtful consideration of the matter.

Truth is not harmed by knowledge.

 

[openmind77]

…I strongly disagree with this. The more information we have the sounder our choices become and the more we truly employ our freewill…

Absolutely true that more information we have, the better. That is why there is no dearth of information about God. He keeps sending teachers and messengers to different countries in many different forms in ways that the locals can understand and accept to whatever degree possible. And he has done so for thousands of years.

But the actual presence of God would inhibit free human behavior - transgressing his instructions would be very difficult knowing he could see.

However, now we are at a stage in human history where one messenger can be seen by all people in all countries at once and people (at least a majority) are willing on their own to follow his instructions. I believe the next one - the Christ himself will come soon as one visible for all to see (on the news as the OP mentioned).

 

[Pai_Nosso]

May I remind people that God visually appeared to the Israelite’s and helped them escape slavery into the promised land yet they turned away from God.
On the cross at the hour of his death Jesus yelled out “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

So his own people rejected God and even Jesus himself felt abandoned by God even though they had seen him.