THE HIDDENNESS OF GOD
Divine hiddenness, in the modern sense, does not refer to disquiet, disappointment and even despair that believers sometimes feel when God seems silent during suffering or trying seasons of life, rather it refers to a philosophical argument that asserts the unbelief of people who are both capable of believing and non-resistant to God proves that a loving God does not exist. Michael Rea puts it this way, “Our concept of God is the concept of a perfectly rational, perfectly wise being who loves us like a perfect parent. A being like that would want to have a relationship with us; and we all know that in order to have a relationship with someone, you have to communicate with him or her … So it stands to reason that God [if He exists] would show up in our lives once in a while.” In other words, if God exists as Christians understand Him, He would ensure everyone has adequate evidence for belief in Him. Philosopher Travis Dumsday calls the problem of divine hiddenness, “One of the most prominent arguments for atheism in the current philosophy of religion literature.” In fact, this author has often read a variation of the question, “Why doesn’t God just show himself and prove he exists?” Indeed, this objection to Christianity may …show more content…
He writes in a 2015 follow-up to his argument, “We might further consider God always valuing personal relationship, or seeking personal relationship, or desiring personal relationship, or strongly promoting or preserving personal relationship through such things as signs and wonders or overwhelmingly powerful religious experiences.” To wit, Schellenberg insists if a perfectly loving God exists his nature would require him to ensure that all people have whatever they need to believe. Moreover, Schellenberg draws an analogy with human relationships to drive home his
Divine hiddenness, in the modern sense, does not refer to disquiet, disappointment and even despair that believers sometimes feel when God seems silent during suffering or trying seasons of life, rather it refers to a philosophical argument that asserts the unbelief of people who are both capable of believing and non-resistant to God proves that a loving God does not exist. Michael Rea puts it this way, “Our concept of God is the concept of a perfectly rational, perfectly wise being who loves us like a perfect parent. A being like that would want to have a relationship with us; and we all know that in order to have a relationship with someone, you have to communicate with him or her … So it stands to reason that God [if He exists] would show up in our lives once in a while.” In other words, if God exists as Christians understand Him, He would ensure everyone has adequate evidence for belief in Him. Philosopher Travis Dumsday calls the problem of divine hiddenness, “One of the most prominent arguments for atheism in the current philosophy of religion literature.” In fact, this author has often read a variation of the question, “Why doesn’t God just show himself and prove he exists?” Indeed, this objection to Christianity may …show more content…
He writes in a 2015 follow-up to his argument, “We might further consider God always valuing personal relationship, or seeking personal relationship, or desiring personal relationship, or strongly promoting or preserving personal relationship through such things as signs and wonders or overwhelmingly powerful religious experiences.” To wit, Schellenberg insists if a perfectly loving God exists his nature would require him to ensure that all people have whatever they need to believe. Moreover, Schellenberg draws an analogy with human relationships to drive home his