I was speaking with a long-time friend of the family, who is a practicing Jew, about prayer and why god doesn’t reveal himself to his creation. His explanation was one that I actually had never heard before. Assuming free will for the sake of the argument, I’d say it’s one of the more reasonable (maybe I should say least irrational) explanations for god’s hiddenness that I’ve heard. If our parents followed us around everywhere we went, would we ever really be free to break the rules? Thoughts? 

“Just as God's purpose does not allow man to be a physical prisoner, neither does it permit him to exist in an intellectual prison. How would man behave if God were to constantly reveal Himself? Would he really be free? If man were constantly made aware that he was standing in the King's presence, could he go against His will? If God's existence were constantly apparent, this awareness would make man a prisoner.“

God doesn't have to constantly reveal himself. He just needs to do it once, in a way that makes his existence irrefutable.

There's a big gap between constantly present and never present. Divine Hiddenness doesn't argue that God show up all the time, just once.

Frack. Ninja'd.

Isn't it present but presence unknown? I've been told it's always watching.

god only reveals itself to those who splurged and purchased the super secret decoder toaster.

It seems a pretty poor sort of god who remains hidden on the basis that this will make people more likely to misbehave.

Boru

Many people would hang themselves, because they got born in to motherf infitine Truman Show and the Host of the show is crazy. Others would go crazy themselves. Most would start praise the Lord out of fear. And yes, free will would end.

Swedenborg takes a similar position with respect to miracles, i.e. that they compel temporary superficial beliefs from the exterior, whereas faithfulness to the Lord comes from within after prayer and internal reflection. It is not so much that God is hidden as much as us not recognizing his presence. "Tis only the brilliance of light hiddeth thee," as the hymn goes. That said, some days the work of Divine Providence seems obvious to me. Other days, I have my doubts. Goes with being human, I suppose.

At work.

Doesn't the premise 'Bake in' a diety with its 'Hidden-ness'?

Because I'm guessing the sort of flip side is;

"There's nothing there. We're just jumping at shadows on the metaphorical wall."

*Continues to ponder the un-ponderable*

(June 15, 2021 at 12:04 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote: I was speaking with a long-time friend of the family, who is a practicing Jew, about prayer and why god doesn’t reveal himself to his creation. His explanation was one that I actually had never heard before. Assuming free will for the sake of the argument, I’d say it’s one of the more reasonable (maybe I should say least irrational) explanations for god’s hiddenness that I’ve heard. If our parents followed us around everywhere we went, would we ever really be free to break the rules? Thoughts? 

“Just as God's purpose does not allow man to be a physical prisoner, neither does it permit him to exist in an intellectual prison. How would man behave if God were to constantly reveal Himself? Would he really be free? If man were constantly made aware that he was standing in the King's presence, could he go against His will? If God's existence were constantly apparent, this awareness would make man a prisoner.“

LFC, it's just another tired argument. A fallacy. Full of loaded assumptions.
It's just another extraordinary claim of us being tested. By something or someone. That's a massive elephant in the room which they accept without battering an eyelid.
For someone like us who haven't swallowed the koolaid, we can see that. For the indoctrinated, they don't even question this ridiculous notion. God is testing us?
If something is a god, then we are just as "important" to "him" as living creations as yeast is to us. There is nothing more arrogant than a man's fragile ego.

Basically, it's just snowflake syndrome.