'Seeking' God

[lucent]

Lovely, I'm glad for you he isn't hidden. But merely asserting he isn't when you cannot come up with any evidence or proofs that lead inexorably to that conclusion. If god isn't hidden why are you only able to infer his existence from apparent design in the universe to which there are better more parsimonious natural explanations. The design argument was refuted brilliantly by Hume in the 18th century, since then it's been reheated only with the fine tuning argument; which apart from being an argument for a lack of design is just woeful in it's desperation and formulation. Yield up a design argument if you are confident that this addresses the problem.

The Universe clearly has the appearance of design. The whole theory of evolution is based upon the idea that nature, in an undirected process, designed all the life we see today. The DNA is a code which can be seen as a plan, or blueprint for a creature. You can't debunk design; the Universe was either designed by an intelligent cause or it designed itself. The question is what is the better explanation.

The idea that the Universe just created and designed itself out of nothing is a metaphysical idea, and one which violates the 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics. There is no explanation for origins, either cosmic or life origins. There is no naturalistic process which can account for DNA. These aren't gaps, they're grand canyons. You can't just waltz in and say you've replaced God when you have failed to answer *all* of the fundemental questions. "We're working on it" is not an answer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzNVSDVnV...re=related

Good for Jesus! but I'm not sure how this makes Jesus available to all acts of cognition and answers the problem of divine hiddenness.

He is the logos and everything in this Universe was created by Him and through Him. You cannot know anything true without the logos. This was showing you why you think God is hidden, because without Him you are blind to truth.

How do I know? I use reason to grasp reality around me. In doing so I have yet to find any reason to suggest that the xtian god exists, and that given his divine attributes and theology he should try to make himself known to mankind to 'save' us. He is not present in the natural sciences despite the fact we can see reality at an incredibly small, mid and large scale. There is no empirical evidence. There is no logical proof that stands up to scrutiny. He is said to reside in a realm which we could never find and even if we could that same god is invisible and incorporeal and essence only. We can scan the universe and our own planet and we pick up nothing, no moral radiation, no divine electromagnetism, no godly quantum tunneling, no jesus thermodynamics, no holy ghost evolution, nothing at all. Any scientific experiments on the effects of the supernatural have led to a failure to demonstrate it. The concept of his being is defined only by the projection of secondary attributes, and has no identified primary attribute. I have never had a personal experience (which I am grateful for by the way) and have never had reason to seek one, especially as there is no reason to believe at all. I have never seen an apparition of a dead Jew (again with some relief). For this and so many other reasons god is hidden to me and I do not accept that the truth comes from 'within', so I shan't be looking there either. Don't take my word for it read Mother Theresa's own words in her letters to the Catholic Church. Personally I couldn't stand the woman, but her letters are very sad and painful as she admits she feels nothing and god is hidden to her despite her honest attempts. Now what are we to make of this. The church would say either that person x is not trying hard enough or that their suffering (in trying to find a god and failing) is good because in mimics the suffering of Christ. Just how credulous do you have to be to accept such nonsense? You have an answer to the problem of hiddenness, bring on the evidence!

Pure supposition and conjecture. You're arguing from ignorance here. You've admitted you have never looked and so what exactly could you possibly know about the subject? This is something that amazes me about atheists who claim to have dominion on logic. You count all of the ways that Christ cannot be found against His existence, and never try the one way He can be found because you say there is no evidence. There is no way to get that evidence except from Christ directly, end of story. Personally, I think there are plenty of good reasons to believe in Jesus just from the evidence we do have, but as far as direct evidence of Gods existence, only God can give that to you. What you've failed to do is simply ask God for the truth. If you were to get on your knees and pray to Jesus "Jesus, if you're God, I want to know. Please show me the truth", He would reveal it to you.