Subj : Why doesn't God reveal Himself openly?
To   : MICHAEL DANEHY
From : TODD HENSON
Date : Sun Mar 11 2001 06:36 pm

> -> ID: PX/Win v3.0pr5 PX96-0423M2
> -> SGID: 1:10/345 c64d2110
> -> ZUTC: -1000
> -> One of the common questions I've heard regarding God is "if he's so
> real,,
> -> why doesn't he just come on down and say 'Here I am!', rather than
> hiding
> -> and
> -> leaving us uncertain?".
> -> 
> -> Good question. Consider the following approach.
> -> 
> -> Morality has long been understood to involve doing that which is good,
> -> regardless of the consequences for doing it. Many people have long been
> 
>  How Kantian of you. :)
> 
> -> If God were to reveal Himself completely in the open, then it would no
> -> longer
> -> be a matter of *wickedness* and *immorality* for people to do evil, but
> -> mere
> -> foolishness. If hell itself were shown to us, so that we could see it
> with
> -> our eyes, and if God were standing on earth so that we could see Him
> with
> -> our
> -> eyes, then we'd have NO CHOICE but to believe He exists.
> 
>  If it's so important to be good for good's sake only,
> why the need for eternal punishments/rewards? 


Evil should be punished.


>  Also I think your argument is dubious in general. Even
> if I know that God exists, I'm not forced to follow


I wasn't specifically making that argument, although I was correct in
pointing out that there 
would indeed be a class of people who would follow Him simply to avoid
punishment. For clarity, 
I should have spoken of those people who would still not follow Him. But
you are correct, the 
mere fact of God living here on earth would not force everyone to follow
Him. So no, the 
argument is not dubious.

> Him. Supposedly Satan knows that God exists but rebels
> anyway. Does that make Satan foolish or evil?


Satan is both
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: BBS Networks @ www.bbsnets.com 808-839-5016 (1:10/345)

.