(June 14, 2015 at 5:50 pm)emjay Wrote: That's the most annoying part - if god wants souls why not show himself, unambiguously? He'd get a lot more souls that way. What's so special to him about people having to have faith rather than have the facts proven?
Or why not simply create everyone in heaven and move on?
Quote:In other words if God's purpose is to give people free will in order to choose whether they accept him or not that can still be done by showing himself or his works unambiguously - people would still have to make the choice. Making it based on faith just adds an entirely unnecessary complication, or so it seems to me.
Well, this is just me kicking around ideas but I think the reason is rather simple. God is really, really big...powerful...and to sinners, terrible in His wrath.
I'm not a Genesis literalist, but there is something theologically sound, I think, to the idea that Adam and Eve HID from God after they had disobeyed.
If we saw God as He really is, we, as people who are separated from Him by sin, would not have much freedom. We would be so awestruck and fearful that we would have no choice not only to accept his existence but also to flee his presence.