Why Would God Hide?

[StealthySkeptic]

I don't think you're connecting God having a reason for not being obvious with the non-existence (in your opinion- one of the reasons I don't believe in Christianity is because nobody can get their opinion on basic doctrines straight) of Hell. God could easily be obvious, but not have Hell there at all.

I'm finding your first sentence rather hard to unravel. Perhaps I'm trying too hard to cancel two negatives at a time.

On the second sentence, I'm not sure how that would work. Whether or not Hell exists is beside the point- resurrected eternal life is on offer, and that is functionally equivalent to Hell as regards motivation.

I'm not sure that God putting up big notices saying “I made you, now please be nice to each other” while putting it out there falsely that there ain't nothing after death quite cuts the mustard. He could abolish post-mortem life, but I'd rather he didn't, personally.

And so if the reality of the situation is that there is a way of escaping death, but that decisions made impact on that escape route, then what is God to do? Be obvious (and we're a Stepford species) or approach it in a different, less obvious way?

What I never get is WHY Christianity claims that God being obvious would necessarily lead to us being a "Stepford species." After all, couldn't he make it so that we knew of his existence but had the ability to disobey? Isn't that what the Bible claims the Devil and his angels are able to do?