To see God is one of the greatest honours one could have. As fallen, corrupt human beings, we are not worthy of even looking upon God. He has no obligation to reveal Himself to anyone.
No obligation? That doesn’t sound ALL loving. You are putting yourself and your own flawed nature in the place of a being that is supposed to be far greater. If God existed and was truly all powerful then everyone everywhere would know without a shadow of a doubt he existed. He’s hidden either because of (insert whatever made-up reason you want here) or because of a far simpler and more straightforward explanation: he doesn’t exist.
Your logic is straight up unga bunga. According to you your god has no problem with human beings being born fallen due to the nonsensical primitive stone age level writing storyline he willed to happen. Therefore if he is willingly to torture people forever for being in a state he had them born in, yes he is obligated to save everyone, that is if he isn't a straight up murderer and deciever from the beginning. Who is god supposed to be to be worthy of creating beings just to torture? It is HIM that doesn't deserve a relationship with his creatures, let alone thinking he is worthy of being a creator to begin with. He shohld be the one honored someone wants to do anything other than curse his name for all eternity, because that is much more than he deserves.
Everybody loves some good celebrity worship. This is ESPECIALLY true in the realm of politics. Everybody loves having a messiah who is going to fix all the problems (Obama, Trump, doesn’t matter which side of the aisle it comes from).
Unclenate1000 You actually sound like a spoiled child. Why should God be our personal Genie souls are going to Hell upon there own evil doings. First and foremost God Judges every one fairly. I found there are ample opportunities for souls to draw on his mercy and forgiveness in there lives. If I was God I would do things exactly the same because I would think like a God not Human thinking 🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪
Unclenate1000 You actually sound like a spoiled child. Why should God be our personal Genie souls are going to Hell upon there own evil doings. First and foremost God Judges every one fairly. I found there are ample opportunities for souls to draw on his mercy and forgiveness in there lives. If I was God I would do things exactly the same because I would think like a God not Human thinking 🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪
I would also think like god thinks, but I can easily tell even from a human mind that a real god wouldn't think like this. There is no reason to think that fairness is his game when babies are defaulted to hell (Limbo) just for dying unbaptized, due to "original sin" which is another thing that god supposedly engineered that is inherently unfair (and serves no advantage to him or us in any way). I can sound as spoiled as you want me to. Im just having an open mind and actually thinking outside the box for once here. People always act like "no god can't do anything/different about it. this is the way it has to be" when its pretty easy for even me to think up better ways that things could be handled; including eliminating the idiotic notion of original sin and having our sins only affect ourselves, as well as god not hiding himself for no reason and have souls go to hell for honestly doubting his existence because of that. I was raised devout, traditional Catholic. Im not just some other kid blowing this stuff off without actually looking into it.
Unclenate1000 I like you already simply because you are putting Honest into asking the Questions : Now I am going to Paint a different picture of God and us so please think about this and engage with me. Now First and foremost God is our Father but he is a whole lot more than this,,,, He is ( Absolute ) King 👑 As you know he has subjects Angeles and different types of them. And for all we know he may well have many other creations, in my Father place there are many mansions. What we do know about God is he is a father and a King he has Laws to Guide us for our wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. Now if there is a transgression there has to be a punishment. A good Father Corrects his child otherwise the child will not learn and be disobedient. Now when God created us he Give is freewill because he wants us to love him out of sincerity not out of duty or fear. He does this with the Angels and all his creation. Now before you say Going to Hell Is fear it’s not it only becomes fear when we know God is real. The reality is it was 1 Angel who fell ( Lucifer ) he wanted Gods Glory Lucifer was the anointed Cherub the highest Angel in Heaven matter fact he was protector of Gods law,,, he transgressed and revolted “a War broke out in Heaven” with 1/3 of the Angels in Heaven revolted with lucifer “and the dragon swept 1/3 of the Stars from heaven down to the Earth” you see lucifer brought up the question is God law just and fair was it right Now God could have Destroyed Lucifer right there and then, with all the Angels looking on that would have had them fear him. Now God knew he had to let this run its course for everything to be answered is God just and fair ? He absolutely is !!! God is not like how you think of him,,, (GOD WILL NEVER IMPOSE ON OUR FREEWILL) but he will if we invite him into it with prayers. God is not killing the unborn (Abortion) we are God does not dam people to Hell the Devil ( Accuser) is the one behind everything you are saying. Now imagine a court room God the Judge were in the Dock and the Devil accusing us. God knew we could not pay the price for the crimes which is Sin transgressing God law and it be handed from Father to Son/Daughter like a billed owed. God is that beautiful he sent his only Son to pay 💰 it. God is not like how you think,,, remember it is the Devil behind Abortion it kills the Child and makes a murder out of the mother. You are accusing God for what the Devil has done to us and on us. When God brings People who are un-like the Devil into Heaven so there is none like him ever again. God is “Just and he judges his people with fairness” So those we souls I cannot see going to Hell I know what you are saying but I Spiritually Baptise ones,,,, you can do it all you need do is say “ the following (I Baptise you ........... in name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,,, I have called you by your name you are mine) I would write the names you give them in a notebook I have Baptised quiet a few I cannot have kids and I absolutely adore kids and they love me because I am like a big kid,,, they get loads of fun with me I come from a family of 16 and almost all married with kids and now there kids have kids So I am a Uncle and great Uncle So I am looking forward to seeing my Baptised souls when I get to Heaven. I hope what I said helped I am not really that sorry I didn’t find out where those bits are out of the Bible most are Revelations it tells you that the Dragon is the Devil. Anyhow if you want to chat more we can I like the way you question stuff it’s good. My Name is Dominic I am Irish Catholic God bless you and keep you safe and all your loved ones! 🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪
Greetings from Iraq! I completely agree with you and what I love about these videos is that people don't usually allow themselves to argue about the status quo because they are afraid to stray by thinking too much. They forget that faith is the destination of reasoning.
neda. thedew I’ve met people who told me “I don’t want to investigate philosophy too much because I might lose my faith.” For me that was weird, because it was that curiosity that brought me to Christ and strengthened my faith.
Quis ut Deus Thank you for this I have a friend who will not talk about God he absolutely does not believe. We are best friends he is very intelligent and I have told him about what happened me and the fact I know for absolute fact God is real and he thinks This is a Belief I have,,, it’s not. Anyhow tonight we were talking about Anthropology then Philosophy and then God I literally cannot believe it,,, I pray for him all the time and I am Heart broken that he does not believe me. But my God is great and he is slowly answering my prayers.... 😢
Good points. God is humble, so he prefers to present Himself as a humble tradesman rather than a glorious king. Also He wants us to accept his teaching freely, not be co-erced into believing in Him and His teaching because of the incontrovertible evidence of miracles, should he do them these days.
Him showing himself has nothing to do with forcing us to accept him. Satan knows he exists and yet still rejects him. The argument is overused and long refuted.
Wow. Thank you for the true humility about yourself. This one is one of the best things I’ve ever heard on the topic of celebrities and over assuming that just because today has outward success and privately polish things for the public to see doesn’t mean that when you see them throughout their day that they’re the kind of person you think they are. You had some very profound words!
No need to overwhelm anyone, if he is all-powerful he can prove he exists to each and every person, share his love with that person and allow each person to decide for themselves if they want to love him in return. It’s really quite simple. If he existed. His hiddenness unfortunately leads much more strongly to a more simple conclusion: that he doesn’t exist.
Hi Brian. I am Brazilian and seek all your video's. Here in Brazil, the church has passing for a bad Moment... I'll pray for we all. I am you fan number one.😁
Nice blend of logic and heart, addressing the question that so many people ask, if only in their hearts: Why is God "silent?" Or why is God "invisible?" Because He wants us to approach him as free people.
God could reveal himself to exist without forcing anyone to choose him. Plenty of examples in the bible exist where characters know God exists and to the contrary actually choose to be against him or act against him or his wishes of their own free will. So your argument makes no sense by the very book you believe in.
Great thoughts, and a great channel overall! I'm very glad I've found you! Pilinszky, a Hungarian Catholic poet/writer, was asked in an interview (in the '70s I reckon): 'Why is your God hiding?' And he responded: 'He may be hiding; but I think if He stepped even one step closer, He would destroy our personality.' This video expressed my thoughts on the sentence above better than I ever could! Keep up to good work!
I hadn't heard of Pilinszky until I read your comment. Wow, what a wonderful poet. Thank you for mentioning him! Hopefully more of his work is available in English translation. (I found a few poems online.)
God wants us to want and Trust Him. He gives us enough to be able to have faith if we want but not so much that we would believe despite not wanting Him.
Belief in God shouldn’t be a matter simply of faith alone, a person can’t choose to enter into a relationship with God unless they first know without a shadow of a doubt he is real and exists. God doesn’t do this for whatever imaginary reasons you want to come up with, or because he simply doesn’t exist. The latter is far simpler and more logical.
I don't care that you are not the idealized version that seem to projected in these videos. I know you are giving us your best (thinking, production quality etc.), and I appreciate your videos, because your best really is extraordinary.
Thank you for this Brian. Again, very well articulated. I always thought that when others made the claim about various similarities between older, pagan religions and Christianity, that to some extent, where the earlier pagan religions had stories or "prophecies" mirroring the Bible, that they had some inspired understanding of God and what was to come. I see these similarities as further proof of the Truth of Christianity. Not that Christianity is another copy of older religions.
Yes, God could certainly show us His full glory, but most of us would be burned away. His majesty is simply too much for us in our fallen natures to comprehend. A case in point: When St. Philip Neri was praying one day, he was given a small taste of God's love - the Holy Spirit came to him as a ball of fire and entered him filling his chest. His heart swelled to twice its size and cracked his ribs (a fact later proven in his autopsy after his death.) From that point on, he would radiate warmth and joy, and would have to often go around with his cassock loosened around his chest or he would overheat. So great was the warmth he would radiate, his disciples would sometimes sleep outside the door to his room to keep warm. St. Philip was already a fairly pious and holy man by the time of this incident, and this taste of God's love was almost too much for his body to bear. How much more so would it be for one filled with sin?
Isaiah 6:3 says the whole earth IS full of his glory. This full display isn’t “killing us”, but showing we’re willing to kill ourselves intellectually in order to avoid what is clearly displayed for all to see. (Ps 19, Rom 1:20) Praise God for his grace in giving rebirth that we might see it.
Thanks. The more time we spend with God the more about who he is will be revealed to us. It helps to read the bible to understand where to start that relationship. When we spend time with God he can show himself to us in what He does through us. Also, nature is a great place to see the works of God which display His glory, and just as Jesus spent time in nature to commune with His father the same can be true for us. Godard Manly Hopkins said Creation is charged with the glory of God. In Psalm 19:1 it says The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands. We can also say simply, God show me who you are. God loves when we want to know Him and have a desire to see Him more clearly.
Great video! I always love your insights and clear explanations of these topics. I figured that if God revealed himself in his full glory to the world to prove Himself undeniable, people would have no choice but to worship Him. It would be tyranny, in that he would be taking away people's freedom to choose to love Him freely.
God could reveal himself to exist without forcing anyone to choose him. Plenty of examples in the bible exist where characters know God exists and to the contrary actually choose to be against him or act against him or his wishes of their own free will. So your argument makes no sense by the very book you believe in.
Any latest book Brian? Would love to read them. You speak with great sense and clarity. Hope to get a written work, that'll definitely give me ample time to ponder on your words besides listening to your wisdom-filled videos.
He wants us to remember him just like it was before we were born and that comes with faith, you see we must go through the valley of the shadow of death / die to self per say, so we may become saints that is are purpose in life. The Biggest sacrifice an angel can do for our Lord is to become a saint
God reveals Himself in overwhelming and supernatural ways to some people (think of Paul or Mary for example) but through more material and humble ways to others (think of all the early Christians who aren’t even mentioned in the Bible, or even me). While I’m not a Calvinist, I think this may be what the Bible could be talking about when it mentions the elect. Elect doesn’t necessarily mean those whom God has chosen to follow Him and/or go to heaven, but those to whom He chose to reveal Himself directly/supernaturally.
In addition to your reason as to why God is hidden, namely that his direct presence would be too great for us to handle, I offer the following reason: If God revealed Himself directly, then it would be too tempting for us to do the right things for the wrong reason. That is, we would be good only to please God (to seek a reward and avoid punishment) as opposed to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
Not good reasoning at all. "doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do" is just unexplained circular reasoning. Of course we do the right things because of their outcome as well as how it will affect us (we will go to Heaven).
@@Unclenate1000 "To do the right thing because it is the right thing to do" is not circular logic, because it is not a logical inference to anything. To be motivated to do the right thing strictly for personal rewards like going to Heaven, meaning you would not do the right thing if you did not believe in Heaven, is selfish and thus unchristian.
@@dijonmoutard6647 doesn't make it selfish, just self-interested, which there's nothing wrong with. Just because our actions are often surrounded by a means of selflessness and altruism, doesn't mean we're %100 not self interested at all. A christian wants to go to Heaven. Thats something that specifically involves themselves with their own actions. There's nothing automatically wrong with that. This goes against the common way of thinking about ethics, but deep down this is technically the only way you can logically put a foundation behind the "ought" of morality. you're essentially asking "what's in it for me".
@@Unclenate1000 It is not the only way to found the "ought". A thing can possess value as an end and not always as a means to another end. This would otherwise cause infinite regress. Just like we can seek pleasure for the sake of pleasure and not for something else, so doing right thing can be sought simply because it is the right thing to do.
Dijon that argument makes no sense. Plenty of religious people believe God is real, and for them it’s not just faith, to them they KNOW he is real. You may be among those people, you don’t just hope he’s real and have doubt, you probably have convinced yourself God is definitely real. In which case these people are thus potentially doing good things just to please god or get into heaven or avoid hell. If God truly wanted people to do good for its own sake then NO BIBLE WOULD EXIST, no hints or clues of God of any kind, just a brutally cold universe. A world without religions or beliefs in afterlife of any kind would be the ULTIMATE test to see if people would do good for its own sake. Instead billions of people apparently do believe in an afterlife thus negating the effectiveness of this great plan you seem to think your imaginary God has in place.
Strawman is so over invoked… but when it the shoe fits. The problem of Divine hiddenness is not as you describe it. It is the fact that gods existence is ambiguous. That results in people justifiably rejecting him. God prevents us from knowing, and then tortures us (eternally!) for the ignorance _He_ imposed. A god who does that is inconceivably evil.
Hey man, love the channel. Keep em coming!! On a side note, I'd love to hear you analyze/ breakdown the Oxford Union debate on God. In case you needed any video ideas (;
Thank you Brian Holdsworth for the Awesome video, could you make a video about Our Lady, and specifically our Lady of Fatima and our Lady of Akita. Just thought that it was an important topic. God bless you and your work
Nope. Pretty sure he's pretty well hidden from us since his very existence is completely undetectable for no good reason. Having euphoric good feelings or certain positive circumstances coincidentally going together in your life is not automatic proof of that.
Jeff we aren’t hiding we are real and exist. The reason God appears to be hiding could maybe be that he simply doesn’t exist. Just as Santa and leprechauns and goblins aren’t hiding from us. If you think your beliefs through rationally and honestly then you won’t succumb to fantasy and wishful thinking.
@@dickjones4912 , you are real. But you dismiss what you can’t grasp, and then assume that makes you intelligent. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”.
Cool, then I don't need to believe in him or accept him when there's clearly no good reason to. When he wants to respect my intellect (which he gave me) and actually show himself, he can go right ahead.
@@dickjones4912 Trying to prove the existence of God is a waste of time. All the religions I’ve studied talk about faith. So if you believe in God then do so on faith alone. Don’t try to be scientific because science and faith are opposed to each other. Don’t try to prove the existence of God.
Good video. God wants us to enter into a relationship with him via perfect contrition. In love. If he showed himself in glory, many would enter into a relationship with him via imperfect contrition. Following him in fear. Others would still reject him regardless. He has given us just enough.
@@genemyers9134 Hey, brother. I don't have any books in mind. I have heard it over the years though. I'll look around and if I find something specific, I'll let you know. Have a look at the topic titled 'Divine Hiddenness' and you'll find many things. Stick to Catholic sources though. Prots can get a bit silly. :-)
If God existed and was truly all-powerful then he could reveal himself to each person individually in the most perfect way for that individual without inducing fear. And let each person decide for themselves if they want to love him in return. But that isn’t done for whatever imaginary reason you want to come with, or because he simply doesn’t exist. The latter is far more logical and simple. No need to complicate things with wishful thinking. Your belief in God is illogical.
Permit me to use the words of C.S.Lewis: Our God is Love and a Lover not a rapist, He will not force anyone to love Him. I think that these words fits very well with what you are saying Brian. God bless you
1. Showing himself is not forcing us to accept him, only to not being in denial of the specific fact that he exists. 2. God's love is actually quite like a hostage situation. Yes we have a choice, that choice is to do what he wants of us or suffer greatly.
As a Christian, i think it’s perfectly reasonable to disagree with Tolkien, and say that the other myths did happen in time and space, also. They are real. But they are not the lamb of god. And they are not the perfect saviour of all people.
I am a Roman Catholic and I believe in God but the argument that we would explode is good in some circumstances, but what confuses is me is we are in Christ's true presence in any Catholic or Orthodox church. So why don't we explode here? My best argument would be that God intends for us to meet Him this way, but I also would probably argue that Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is not in the visible form, and Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is also Jesus, not God the Father.
Imagine if your significant other was undetectable and half of the time you spend in your relationship was plagued with doubt about their very existence, much less the other issues that come with a relationship. You should then be able to realize how blatantly stupid that is. Same goes for believing there's any reasonable explanation for why a God wants us to know him yet does everything possible to make his existence look implausible. A much simpler, more rational explanation for God's apparent lack of existence sis imply that he does not exist, and that certain things that would seem to hint otherwise are just errors in or perception of things. There's no advantage whatsoever to God promulgating the uncertainty of his very existence. All of the issues of us supposedly being overwhelmed, harmed or forced to accept God can easily be fixed by him. Since he can literally do anything. When there are those who are hell bound for sincere disbelief because they're not Catholic; meanwhile God neglects to make his existence and his desires obvious, it logically follows that God is not all good because he is being negligent to some degree. This contradicts his very nature, which in turn logically demonstrates his non-existence.
@Charles an even worse scenario, God blaming us for something our parents doing that we had no control over and setting the odds against us. Again there is no sufficient justification for doing so. It's an idiotic, ass-backwards setup, which proves that it was thought up by humans and not a perfect being.
To your perception of things that might be the case but that doesn't mean that's what actually happening. We're talking about God interacting with us the same way real people do. Not in some vague, uncertain, indirect manner.
Yes Margaret he listens to the prayers of people who can’t find their keys or to score a winning touchdown, or to heal sick people of afflictions the doctor or medicine or their own immune system helps them with, but is mysteriously silent on prayers of amputees (funny how an all powerful God can’t grow back limbs - ever, regardless of the amount of prayer), and is also deaf to the prayers of someone crying out for his help as they are being brutally raped or murdered. Oh yes, prayers are listened to. Funny how they’re all for things that would have happened anyway. Pray for something truly miraculous like your arm growing back after you chop it off with an axe then we’ll talk.
I think I agree with most of this video, but I would add a few qualifiers. We don't see God face to face 'yet', but the righteous will, just as some of the righteous had done so before: Genesis 32:30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." Exodus 33:11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Revelation 22:4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Moreover the goodness and power of God are manifest in His creation: Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 97:6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory. Isaiah 40:21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. All will see God at the time of Judgment: Matthew 24:30 "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. Romans 14:11 It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.'" So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Revelation 1:7 "Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen.
You didnt really answer the question about the dfifferent nations, that seem to be outside the reach of the good news. Dont forget, the Church has a de fide dogma - Membership of the Church is necessary for all men for salvation. You eiter are a member or you have to be willing to become one in order to be salvaged.
Exactly, and if you're not, you likely go to hell. This does not go well with God's intentional hiddenness. It just shows serious negligence on his part, which contradicts the notion that he is all-loving.
@@Unclenate1000 The Church teaches that even a sincere desire to do good, and thus to ultimately find God, is sufficient for the salvation of such a person who did not ever hear the Good News. However, this does not mean just wanting to be a good person as most people do, but a profound desire to know truth and to act on it.
Cool, but part of being able to freely choose a relationship with a person is knowing without a doubt that the person exists. This argument doesn't do a thing to assuage issues with divine hiddenness. If anything, it's a list of excuses for why a loving personal god who wants to be with us forever... is absent from us when we need to know he exists most.
> part of being able to freely choose a relationship with a person is knowing without a doubt that the person exists Maybe that's true for you but it's not universal.
Dear Brian. Celebrities are real. Yourself factual. Relationship require minimum two related sides. If the other side is not present, doesnt speak, you cant touch it or smell it, you cant even see him then its not any relationship in any sense. Imagined friends dont count. If your God wants us to have a choice, why he caused us to be so unconvinced about his existence...??? Could he at least pop by from time to time...???? If your 5 kids...lets say get lost in the jungle. They managed to make one call to ask you for help. You know this part of the jungle very well and you know that your kids have only two ways to choose. If they go down the hill they wont survive long trip due to malaria and predators. However if your kids choose to walk thru the bushes and then along the river, they definately reach a petrol station. They will be save. Now as a father, what would you do to ensure your children get clear and useful instructions in regards to where to go...???? Would you be as convincing as possible to ensure they choose to go along the river...??? Or maybe you would like to give them a choice...????????
The ART of THINKING by Silvano Borusso - an excellent guide to logical thinking Enjoy page 20 on the Spanish (not Papal) Inquisition!! Readily available at Amazon, B&N, etc..
This video didn't really do anything at all to deal with the problem of divine hiddenness. If God chooses not to overwhelm us with displays of his power because he wants a relationship not based on overwhelming fear and worship, and cannot show himself to us because he'd burn us up, and sent Jesus to allow a display of his power and existence, then several questions still remain. Like, why don't we get other mortal displays of God's power, if that's what's so effective for proving he exists? Even if Jesus really walked the Earth exactly as described in The Bible, that was thousands of years ago. That does not serve as evidence of his existence for people alive today, even if it WERE well documented. And is there seriously no way for God to show us his existence without melting our faces off? Does he have no settings in the middle? It's either complete silence and invisibility or toasting our skin? And if the problem with melting faces is on the humans end, then why did he build us unable to handle his presence? He doesn't need to make us Godlike to check a box on our settings that says "Can look at God without dying". What is to stop God from poking his face out of the sky once a year, just to say "Hi, I exist! Have a nice day!" Or even, better yet, just have us be born with the concrete knowledge that he exists. And before you say "That would violate free will!"... No, it wouldn't. Having knowledge of something in no way 100% dictates what you do with that knowledge. Lucifer KNEW that God existed and was still able to rebel. If I know for a fact that my father exists, that in no way forces me to love him even if I also know he'll shoot me if I don't (similar to God's threat of Hell. Awful and coercive, but not literally overriding free will). My relationship with my parents isn't made any more loving if I never see them or speak with them and just have faith that they exist, because other people tell me that my parents sent a guy to represent them to the other side of the world 2000 years ago. Why is it any different for God?
God doesn’t have to reveal himself in full glory. In the Old Testament god is more present and involved, he supposedly appeared to Moses, discussed with abraham, gave Joseph signs, he dwelt in the temple etc. God did show miracles and signs with Jesus, why can be debated. The resurrection to the disciples had to be seen to be believed. Now it’s silence and based on scripture and nature as “evidence” , not unreasonable for people to ask for more proof in modern age, not just of existence, care but also which religion is true. Think of the wars caused by religious disputes, think of the anguish of people who can’t decide whst to believe. A star every Christmas could be a covenant and guide etc. I take the point regarding free will as a reason But There is ofcourse the counter argument that it’s silence and hidden is because he’s not there.
Super persuasiveness = mind control: The true purpose of religion. As for the issue of God overwhelming us, the solution is simple. Either only appear when summoned, walk around like a normal person or design humans with a stronger constitution. Also, the assumption that God can't present himself in a non destructive way contradicts the assertion that nothing is impossible for him. In this video, you've basically abstracted God so deeply that you've made him undefined. The problem with your analogies regarding the older religions is that those religions contradict the current ones. Do you believe in a god that plays head games?
Exactly. how convenient for them that god all of the sudden can't do certain things when it would contradict the tenants of their religion. lol. If god's presence messes with our free will, then maybe he should reengineer us so it doesn't. Simple as that.
I guess we do choose heaven or hell choose god or na Earth- the hiddeness of god Hell- no god Heaven~ where god is O_O? hmmms? opifinyO_O_? Thanks friend; if you've prayed for me :) (Psychological retooling- I)
Makes no sense. Knowing God doesn't remove freewill, you can still choose, you just know facts about the universe that you didn't before. Knowledge doesn't remove freewill, it just allows your choices with a full understanding of the situation. As for "He's just too glorious for us to handle", that flies in the face of the repeated times that the Bible claims He did appear. Burning bushes, voice from the sky or columns of fire, He was perfectly fine with talking to hundreds of people in the OT, so any argument has to include why He was willing to before but now won't do that. He even gave people like Elijah the ability to prove his existence on request, calling fire from the sky. Love to see anyone outside of the bible stories able to prove God on request by miracles on demand. Remembering that the members of the competing religion were all brutally slaughtered for not being able to prove their God.
To see God is one of the greatest honours one could have. As fallen, corrupt human beings, we are not worthy of even looking upon God. He has no obligation to reveal Himself to anyone.
You never seen god your brainwashing has just made you delusional.
No obligation? That doesn’t sound ALL loving. You are putting yourself and your own flawed nature in the place of a being that is supposed to be far greater. If God existed and was truly all powerful then everyone everywhere would know without a shadow of a doubt he existed. He’s hidden either because of (insert whatever made-up reason you want here) or because of a far simpler and more straightforward explanation: he doesn’t exist.
Your logic is straight up unga bunga. According to you your god has no problem with human beings being born fallen due to the nonsensical primitive stone age level writing storyline he willed to happen. Therefore if he is willingly to torture people forever for being in a state he had them born in, yes he is obligated to save everyone, that is if he isn't a straight up murderer and deciever from the beginning.
Who is god supposed to be to be worthy of creating beings just to torture? It is HIM that doesn't deserve a relationship with his creatures, let alone thinking he is worthy of being a creator to begin with. He shohld be the one honored someone wants to do anything other than curse his name for all eternity, because that is much more than he deserves.
I think secular obsession with celebrity fills a misdirected desire to worship.
Eileen D me too ❤️
Could be
I have always felt the same. Our hearts are ordered to worship greatness
Everybody loves some good celebrity worship. This is ESPECIALLY true in the realm of politics. Everybody loves having a messiah who is going to fix all the problems (Obama, Trump, doesn’t matter which side of the aisle it comes from).
Couldnt have said it better! I find that Christians always hold more wisdom that non believers
Five kids under 10! That's awesome ❤
Gods apparent Hiddeness & Silence are among some of the Loveliest things about Him.
Him keeping us in this guessing game is not fun and intriguing when souls are supposedly going to hell. That demonstrates negligence on god's part.
Unclenate1000
You actually sound like a spoiled child.
Why should God be our personal Genie souls are going to Hell upon there own evil doings.
First and foremost God Judges every one fairly.
I found there are ample opportunities for souls to draw on his mercy and forgiveness in there lives.
If I was God I would do things exactly the same because I would think like a God not Human thinking
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Unclenate1000
You actually sound like a spoiled child.
Why should God be our personal Genie souls are going to Hell upon there own evil doings.
First and foremost God Judges every one fairly.
I found there are ample opportunities for souls to draw on his mercy and forgiveness in there lives.
If I was God I would do things exactly the same because I would think like a God not Human thinking
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I would also think like god thinks, but I can easily tell even from a human mind that a real god wouldn't think like this.
There is no reason to think that fairness is his game when babies are defaulted to hell (Limbo) just for dying unbaptized, due to "original sin" which is another thing that god supposedly engineered that is inherently unfair (and serves no advantage to him or us in any way).
I can sound as spoiled as you want me to. Im just having an open mind and actually thinking outside the box for once here. People always act like "no god can't do anything/different about it. this is the way it has to be" when its pretty easy for even me to think up better ways that things could be handled; including eliminating the idiotic notion of original sin and having our sins only affect ourselves, as well as god not hiding himself for no reason and have souls go to hell for honestly doubting his existence because of that.
I was raised devout, traditional Catholic. Im not just some other kid blowing this stuff off without actually looking into it.
Unclenate1000
I like you already simply because you are putting Honest into asking the Questions :
Now I am going to Paint a different picture of God and us so please think about this and engage with me.
Now First and foremost God is our Father but he is a whole lot more than this,,,, He is ( Absolute ) King 👑
As you know he has subjects Angeles and different types of them.
And for all we know he may well have many other creations, in my Father place there are many mansions.
What we do know about God is he is a father and a King he has Laws to Guide us for our wellbeing and the wellbeing of others.
Now if there is a transgression there has to be a punishment.
A good Father Corrects his child otherwise the child will not learn and be disobedient.
Now when God created us he Give is freewill because he wants us to love him out of sincerity not out of duty or fear.
He does this with the Angels and all his creation.
Now before you say Going to Hell Is fear it’s not it only becomes fear when we know God is real.
The reality is it was 1 Angel who fell ( Lucifer ) he wanted Gods Glory
Lucifer was the anointed Cherub the highest Angel in Heaven matter fact he was protector of Gods law,,, he transgressed and revolted
“a War broke out in Heaven”
with 1/3 of the Angels in Heaven revolted with lucifer
“and the dragon swept 1/3 of the Stars from heaven down to the Earth”
you see lucifer brought up the question is God law just and fair was it right
Now God could have Destroyed Lucifer right there and then, with all the Angels looking on that would have had them fear him.
Now God knew he had to let this run its course for everything to be answered is God just and fair ? He absolutely is !!!
God is not like how you think of him,,, (GOD WILL NEVER IMPOSE ON OUR FREEWILL) but he will if we invite him into it with prayers.
God is not killing the unborn (Abortion) we are
God does not dam people to Hell the Devil ( Accuser) is the one behind everything you are saying.
Now imagine a court room God the Judge were in the Dock and the Devil accusing us.
God knew we could not pay the price for the crimes which is Sin transgressing God law and it be handed from Father to Son/Daughter like a billed owed.
God is that beautiful he sent his only Son to pay 💰 it.
God is not like how you think,,, remember it is the Devil behind Abortion it kills the Child and makes a murder out of the mother.
You are accusing God for what the Devil has done to us and on us.
When God brings People who are un-like the Devil into Heaven so there is none like him ever again.
God is “Just and he judges his people with fairness”
So those we souls I cannot see going to Hell I know what you are saying but I Spiritually Baptise ones,,,, you can do it all you need do is say “ the following
(I Baptise you ........... in name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,,, I have called you by your name you are mine)
I would write the names you give them in a notebook
I have Baptised quiet a few
I cannot have kids and I absolutely adore kids and they love me because I am like a big kid,,, they get loads of fun with me
I come from a family of 16 and almost all married with kids and now there kids have kids
So I am a Uncle and great Uncle
So I am looking forward to seeing my Baptised souls when I get to Heaven.
I hope what I said helped
I am not really that sorry I didn’t find out where those bits are out of the Bible most are Revelations it tells you that the Dragon is the Devil.
Anyhow if you want to chat more we can I like the way you question stuff it’s good.
My Name is Dominic
I am Irish Catholic
God bless you and keep you safe and all your loved ones!
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You're Top 10 in all of RUclips for me, Brian! Loved this, love all your videos. Thank you and God bless you!
Greetings from Iraq! I completely agree with you and what I love about these videos is that people don't usually allow themselves to argue about the status quo because they are afraid to stray by thinking too much. They forget that faith is the destination of reasoning.
neda. thedew I’ve met people who told me “I don’t want to investigate philosophy too much because I might lose my faith.” For me that was weird, because it was that curiosity that brought me to Christ and strengthened my faith.
Quis ut Deus
Thank you for this
I have a friend who will not talk about God he absolutely does not believe.
We are best friends he is very intelligent and I have told him about what happened me and the fact I know for absolute fact God is real and he thinks This is a Belief I have,,, it’s not.
Anyhow tonight we were talking about Anthropology then Philosophy and then God I literally cannot believe it,,, I pray for him all the time and I am Heart broken that he does not believe me.
But my God is great and he is slowly answering my prayers.... 😢
Outstanding commentary! God isn't a dictator but Brian says it with far more depth, understanding and nuanced.
Good points. God is humble, so he prefers to present Himself as a humble tradesman rather than a glorious king. Also He wants us to accept his teaching freely, not be co-erced into believing in Him and His teaching because of the incontrovertible evidence of miracles, should he do them these days.
Him showing himself has nothing to do with forcing us to accept him. Satan knows he exists and yet still rejects him. The argument is overused and long refuted.
Uh Brian? I believe you DO have the super power of pursuasiveness! God Bless you in your wonderful work for the Lord!
Wow. Thank you for the true humility about yourself. This one is one of the best things I’ve ever heard on the topic of celebrities and over assuming that just because today has outward success and privately polish things for the public to see doesn’t mean that when you see them throughout their day that they’re the kind of person you think they are. You had some very profound words!
You know you have heard something profound when you say to yourself; "I need to listen to this again!"
Well done Brian. Thank you Sir. God bless you and your family.
What is the music in the background? It sounds beautiful
See the link in the description. 🙂
Wow this is wonderful, the way you described our Lord's Glory.. Everything about God is just beyond words
That was beautiful.
Such profound insight! God doesn't overwhelm because of His desire for elements of freewill, approachableness, and intimacy. Wow!
No need to overwhelm anyone, if he is all-powerful he can prove he exists to each and every person, share his love with that person and allow each person to decide for themselves if they want to love him in return. It’s really quite simple. If he existed. His hiddenness unfortunately leads much more strongly to a more simple conclusion: that he doesn’t exist.
Hi Brian. I am Brazilian and seek all your video's.
Here in Brazil, the church has passing for a bad Moment... I'll pray for we all.
I am you fan number one.😁
No you are not but maybe you are fan number two.
Muita força meu irmão!! 🇵🇹 🇵🇹
Tim Balfe
Can I be number 3
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Nice blend of logic and heart, addressing the question that so many people ask, if only in their hearts: Why is God "silent?" Or why is God "invisible?" Because He wants us to approach him as free people.
God could reveal himself to exist without forcing anyone to choose him. Plenty of examples in the bible exist where characters know God exists and to the contrary actually choose to be against him or act against him or his wishes of their own free will. So your argument makes no sense by the very book you believe in.
AH! The power of persuasion has always been my favourite superpower!
Great thoughts, and a great channel overall! I'm very glad I've found you!
Pilinszky, a Hungarian Catholic poet/writer, was asked in an interview (in the '70s I reckon): 'Why is your God hiding?' And he responded: 'He may be hiding; but I think if He stepped even one step closer, He would destroy our personality.'
This video expressed my thoughts on the sentence above better than I ever could! Keep up to good work!
I hadn't heard of Pilinszky until I read your comment. Wow, what a wonderful poet. Thank you for mentioning him! Hopefully more of his work is available in English translation. (I found a few poems online.)
God wants us to want and Trust Him. He gives us enough to be able to have faith if we want but not so much that we would believe despite not wanting Him.
Belief in God shouldn’t be a matter simply of faith alone, a person can’t choose to enter into a relationship with God unless they first know without a shadow of a doubt he is real and exists. God doesn’t do this for whatever imaginary reasons you want to come up with, or because he simply doesn’t exist. The latter is far simpler and more logical.
I don't care that you are not the idealized version that seem to projected in these videos. I know you are giving us your best (thinking, production quality etc.), and I appreciate your videos, because your best really is extraordinary.
Thank you for this Brian. Again, very well articulated. I always thought that when others made the claim about various similarities between older, pagan religions and Christianity, that to some extent, where the earlier pagan religions had stories or "prophecies" mirroring the Bible, that they had some inspired understanding of God and what was to come. I see these similarities as further proof of the Truth of Christianity. Not that Christianity is another copy of older religions.
God cannot Ravish, He can only Woo. We have to make the choice between Allegiance or Betrayal.
Yes, God could certainly show us His full glory, but most of us would be burned away. His majesty is simply too much for us in our fallen natures to comprehend. A case in point: When St. Philip Neri was praying one day, he was given a small taste of God's love - the Holy Spirit came to him as a ball of fire and entered him filling his chest. His heart swelled to twice its size and cracked his ribs (a fact later proven in his autopsy after his death.) From that point on, he would radiate warmth and joy, and would have to often go around with his cassock loosened around his chest or he would overheat. So great was the warmth he would radiate, his disciples would sometimes sleep outside the door to his room to keep warm.
St. Philip was already a fairly pious and holy man by the time of this incident, and this taste of God's love was almost too much for his body to bear. How much more so would it be for one filled with sin?
Interesting comment
Very good response this is an issue that I have personally struggled with to overcome thank you for helping me
Isaiah 6:3 says the whole earth IS full of his glory. This full display isn’t “killing us”, but showing we’re willing to kill ourselves intellectually in order to avoid what is clearly displayed for all to see. (Ps 19, Rom 1:20)
Praise God for his grace in giving rebirth that we might see it.
Thanks. The more time we spend with God the more about who he is will be revealed to us. It helps to read the bible to understand where to start that relationship. When we spend time with God he can show himself to us in what He does through us. Also, nature is a great place to see the works of God which display His glory, and just as Jesus spent time in nature to commune with His father the same can be true for us. Godard Manly Hopkins said Creation is charged with the glory of God. In Psalm 19:1 it says The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands. We can also say simply, God show me who you are. God loves when we want to know Him and have a desire to see Him more clearly.
Brilliant , thank you Brian !
Every day you're digging a hole. Every day, every word, every breath.
He says in the end he will show his power everyone will know I am God.
Our earthly minds can’t understand it all I feel
Great video! I always love your insights and clear explanations of these topics. I figured that if God revealed himself in his full glory to the world to prove Himself undeniable, people would have no choice but to worship Him. It would be tyranny, in that he would be taking away people's freedom to choose to love Him freely.
God could reveal himself to exist without forcing anyone to choose him. Plenty of examples in the bible exist where characters know God exists and to the contrary actually choose to be against him or act against him or his wishes of their own free will. So your argument makes no sense by the very book you believe in.
Any latest book Brian? Would love to read them. You speak with great sense and clarity. Hope to get a written work, that'll definitely give me ample time to ponder on your words besides listening to your wisdom-filled videos.
The Consolation of Philosophy was a recent hit.
Very insightful as always! God bless
He wants us to remember him just like it was before we were born and that comes with faith, you see we must go through the valley of the shadow of death / die to self per say, so we may become saints that is are purpose in life. The Biggest sacrifice an angel can do for our Lord is to become a saint
This is a great video! Great essay Brian!
Excellent video. Had to like it for the Raiders of the Lost Ark scene.
One of your Best
Great video! God bless you.
I love the music u put in this video...
Love the icon. Thank you as usual!!!
God reveals Himself in overwhelming and supernatural ways to some people (think of Paul or Mary for example) but through more material and humble ways to others (think of all the early Christians who aren’t even mentioned in the Bible, or even me). While I’m not a Calvinist, I think this may be what the Bible could be talking about when it mentions the elect. Elect doesn’t necessarily mean those whom God has chosen to follow Him and/or go to heaven, but those to whom He chose to reveal Himself directly/supernaturally.
God doesn’t exist and doesn’t reveal himself to anyone.
A God that wanted to be worshiped would be worth worshiping.
In addition to your reason as to why God is hidden, namely that his direct presence would be too great for us to handle, I offer the following reason:
If God revealed Himself directly, then it would be too tempting for us to do the right things for the wrong reason. That is, we would be good only to please God (to seek a reward and avoid punishment) as opposed to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
Not good reasoning at all. "doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do" is just unexplained circular reasoning. Of course we do the right things because of their outcome as well as how it will affect us (we will go to Heaven).
@@Unclenate1000 "To do the right thing because it is the right thing to do" is not circular logic, because it is not a logical inference to anything.
To be motivated to do the right thing strictly for personal rewards like going to Heaven, meaning you would not do the right thing if you did not believe in Heaven, is selfish and thus unchristian.
@@dijonmoutard6647 doesn't make it selfish, just self-interested, which there's nothing wrong with. Just because our actions are often surrounded by a means of selflessness and altruism, doesn't mean we're %100 not self interested at all. A christian wants to go to Heaven. Thats something that specifically involves themselves with their own actions. There's nothing automatically wrong with that.
This goes against the common way of thinking about ethics, but deep down this is technically the only way you can logically put a foundation behind the "ought" of morality. you're essentially asking "what's in it for me".
@@Unclenate1000 It is not the only way to found the "ought". A thing can possess value as an end and not always as a means to another end. This would otherwise cause infinite regress. Just like we can seek pleasure for the sake of pleasure and not for something else, so doing right thing can be sought simply because it is the right thing to do.
Dijon that argument makes no sense. Plenty of religious people believe God is real, and for them it’s not just faith, to them they KNOW he is real. You may be among those people, you don’t just hope he’s real and have doubt, you probably have convinced yourself God is definitely real. In which case these people are thus potentially doing good things just to please god or get into heaven or avoid hell. If God truly wanted people to do good for its own sake then NO BIBLE WOULD EXIST, no hints or clues of God of any kind, just a brutally cold universe. A world without religions or beliefs in afterlife of any kind would be the ULTIMATE test to see if people would do good for its own sake. Instead billions of people apparently do believe in an afterlife thus negating the effectiveness of this great plan you seem to think your imaginary God has in place.
So high quality information!
Strawman is so over invoked… but when it the shoe fits.
The problem of Divine hiddenness is not as you describe it. It is the fact that gods existence is ambiguous. That results in people justifiably rejecting him. God prevents us from knowing, and then tortures us (eternally!) for the ignorance _He_ imposed. A god who does that is inconceivably evil.
So funny today Brian, “our face would melt off” good message in humor
Hey man, love the channel. Keep em coming!! On a side note, I'd love to hear you analyze/ breakdown the Oxford Union debate on God. In case you needed any video ideas (;
Great video
Does anyone know the beautiful chant he has in the background?
(Also thank you Brian for the great video)
See the link in the description. :)
Brian Holdsworth Oh my goodness, I checked and somehow missed that before. Thank you!!
Thank you Brian Holdsworth for the Awesome video, could you make a video about Our Lady, and specifically our Lady of Fatima and our Lady of Akita. Just thought that it was an important topic. God bless you and your work
He hides way too well from us. He should be more available to us easier to acces and communicate with.
Very good, Brian
Great video, great music - very interesting !
That was a hilarious thumbnail, but also a slightly disturbing one. It’s beautiful.
Brian, God isn't hidden from us, but is always available to us, but are we open to his presence? Do we try to hide from him?
Nope. Pretty sure he's pretty well hidden from us since his very existence is completely undetectable for no good reason. Having euphoric good feelings or certain positive circumstances coincidentally going together in your life is not automatic proof of that.
Jeff we aren’t hiding we are real and exist. The reason God appears to be hiding could maybe be that he simply doesn’t exist. Just as Santa and leprechauns and goblins aren’t hiding from us. If you think your beliefs through rationally and honestly then you won’t succumb to fantasy and wishful thinking.
@@dickjones4912 , you are real. But you dismiss what you can’t grasp, and then assume that makes you intelligent. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”.
I really enjoyed this video, interesting more unusual topic. ✅✝️
Amen
Good one brother. Subscribed👍
First time I’ve ever heard of a relationship with God being compared to an overwhelming sensation to poop. Right on
Wow I think this was your best video
God doesn’t need to prove anything.
Cool, then I don't need to believe in him or accept him when there's clearly no good reason to. When he wants to respect my intellect (which he gave me) and actually show himself, he can go right ahead.
Unclenate1000 , that’s your choice I respect that.
Santa doesn’t need to prove anything either, Gerald. Neither does the Easter Bunny. So what’s your point.
@@dickjones4912 Trying to prove the existence of God is a waste of time. All the religions I’ve studied talk about faith. So if you believe in God then do so on faith alone. Don’t try to be scientific because science and faith are opposed to each other. Don’t try to prove the existence of God.
Good video. God wants us to enter into a relationship with him via perfect contrition. In love. If he showed himself in glory, many would enter into a relationship with him via imperfect contrition. Following him in fear. Others would still reject him regardless. He has given us just enough.
I really liked your comment, what are your favorite books along the same line of your comment?
@@genemyers9134 Hey, brother. I don't have any books in mind. I have heard it over the years though. I'll look around and if I find something specific, I'll let you know. Have a look at the topic titled 'Divine Hiddenness' and you'll find many things. Stick to Catholic sources though. Prots can get a bit silly. :-)
If God existed and was truly all-powerful then he could reveal himself to each person individually in the most perfect way for that individual without inducing fear. And let each person decide for themselves if they want to love him in return. But that isn’t done for whatever imaginary reason you want to come with, or because he simply doesn’t exist. The latter is far more logical and simple. No need to complicate things with wishful thinking. Your belief in God is illogical.
Very good video!
Awesome explanation! Thanks. Specially with the Avengers scene.
Song name? Amazing chant.
See the link in the description. 🙂
@@BrianHoldsworth Thanks, Brian! God love you"
3:40 lol, you sounded like Kronk there 😂
The best super power is invisibilty and God knows it.
Was your superhero question resolved by the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny?
What is more powerful something you could see or something you could not see ???
I love your thoughts. Have you ever thought about writing them down in book form?
I don't know if you've noticed this but the camera is actually catching you switching it on!
Yes, this is one charateristica of his videos.
What is the painting used in the background? Btw, theres a villain with that power, its The Purple Man, awesome character. Awesome video too!
Christ Pantocrator icon.
The Bible records God revealing Himself to people and they didn’t die. And weren’t forced to worship Him. Horrible apologetic
Permit me to use the words of C.S.Lewis: Our God is Love and a Lover not a rapist, He will not force anyone to love Him. I think that these words fits very well with what you are saying Brian. God bless you
1. Showing himself is not forcing us to accept him, only to not being in denial of the specific fact that he exists.
2. God's love is actually quite like a hostage situation. Yes we have a choice, that choice is to do what he wants of us or suffer greatly.
As a Christian, i think it’s perfectly reasonable to disagree with Tolkien, and say that the other myths did happen in time and space, also. They are real. But they are not the lamb of god. And they are not the perfect saviour of all people.
👍
Please read Fr Mark's impassioned message about keeping our Church true to its roots. He deserves to be listened to.
I am a Roman Catholic and I believe in God but the argument that we would explode is good in some circumstances, but what confuses is me is we are in Christ's true presence in any Catholic or Orthodox church.
So why don't we explode here?
My best argument would be that God intends for us to meet Him this way, but I also would probably argue that Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is not in the visible form, and Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is also Jesus, not God the Father.
Because this is how God lowers himself in the incarnation. It isn't a full dose of his glory.
@@BrianHoldsworth, yes I guess you're right. It's just the whole divinity part that confused me. Anyways, God bless.
Gods not hidden, it is just not possible to fill a bottle with the whole ocean
Santa not hidden, it is just not possible to fill a bottle with The Whole ocean . See how dumb and ignorant that sounds.
Imagine if your significant other was undetectable and half of the time you spend in your relationship was plagued with doubt about their very existence, much less the other issues that come with a relationship. You should then be able to realize how blatantly stupid that is. Same goes for believing there's any reasonable explanation for why a God wants us to know him yet does everything possible to make his existence look implausible.
A much simpler, more rational explanation for God's apparent lack of existence sis imply that he does not exist, and that certain things that would seem to hint otherwise are just errors in or perception of things.
There's no advantage whatsoever to God promulgating the uncertainty of his very existence. All of the issues of us supposedly being overwhelmed, harmed or forced to accept God can easily be fixed by him. Since he can literally do anything. When there are those who are hell bound for sincere disbelief because they're not Catholic; meanwhile God neglects to make his existence and his desires obvious, it logically follows that God is not all good because he is being negligent to some degree. This contradicts his very nature, which in turn logically demonstrates his non-existence.
@Charles an even worse scenario, God blaming us for something our parents doing that we had no control over and setting the odds against us. Again there is no sufficient justification for doing so. It's an idiotic, ass-backwards setup, which proves that it was thought up by humans and not a perfect being.
Reddit thread: www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/da8ldh/the_hiddenness_of_god/
He does make himself known. Prayer is listened too, and odd helpful things start showing up.
To your perception of things that might be the case but that doesn't mean that's what actually happening. We're talking about God interacting with us the same way real people do. Not in some vague, uncertain, indirect manner.
Yes Margaret he listens to the prayers of people who can’t find their keys or to score a winning touchdown, or to heal sick people of afflictions the doctor or medicine or their own immune system helps them with, but is mysteriously silent on prayers of amputees (funny how an all powerful God can’t grow back limbs - ever, regardless of the amount of prayer), and is also deaf to the prayers of someone crying out for his help as they are being brutally raped or murdered. Oh yes, prayers are listened to. Funny how they’re all for things that would have happened anyway. Pray for something truly miraculous like your arm growing back after you chop it off with an axe then we’ll talk.
People don't understand God. Satan blinds them so they blame suffering on God instead of him.
Purple Man is that you?
I think I agree with most of this video, but I would add a few qualifiers.
We don't see God face to face 'yet', but the righteous will, just as some of the righteous had done so before:
Genesis 32:30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."
Exodus 33:11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Revelation 22:4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Moreover the goodness and power of God are manifest in His creation:
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 97:6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory.
Isaiah 40:21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
All will see God at the time of Judgment:
Matthew 24:30 "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
Romans 14:11 It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.'" So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Revelation 1:7 "Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen.
You didnt really answer the question about the dfifferent nations, that seem to be outside the reach of the good news. Dont forget, the Church has a de fide dogma - Membership of the Church is necessary for all men for salvation. You eiter are a member or you have to be willing to become one in order to be salvaged.
Exactly, and if you're not, you likely go to hell. This does not go well with God's intentional hiddenness. It just shows serious negligence on his part, which contradicts the notion that he is all-loving.
@@Unclenate1000 The one that hurt you wasnt God. Your sulk against God is an act of selfishness.
@@Unclenate1000 The Church teaches that even a sincere desire to do good, and thus to ultimately find God, is sufficient for the salvation of such a person who did not ever hear the Good News. However, this does not mean just wanting to be a good person as most people do, but a profound desire to know truth and to act on it.
Cool, but part of being able to freely choose a relationship with a person is knowing without a doubt that the person exists. This argument doesn't do a thing to assuage issues with divine hiddenness. If anything, it's a list of excuses for why a loving personal god who wants to be with us forever... is absent from us when we need to know he exists most.
> part of being able to freely choose a relationship with a person is knowing without a doubt that the person exists
Maybe that's true for you but it's not universal.
I would win because I would use earplugs so I can't hear your persuasive monologues.
Brian would use sublimal messages and convince you. That is what marketing companies do, he is good at!
Where did you get the music?
See the link in the description. :)
Dear Brian. Celebrities are real. Yourself factual. Relationship require minimum two related sides. If the other side is not present, doesnt speak, you cant touch it or smell it, you cant even see him then its not any relationship in any sense.
Imagined friends dont count.
If your God wants us to have a choice, why he caused us to be so unconvinced about his existence...???
Could he at least pop by from time to time...????
If your 5 kids...lets say get lost in the jungle. They managed to make one call to ask you for help. You know this part of the jungle very well and you know that your kids have only two ways to choose.
If they go down the hill they wont survive long trip due to malaria and predators.
However if your kids choose to walk thru the bushes and then along the river, they definately reach a petrol station. They will be save.
Now as a father, what would you do to ensure your children get clear and useful instructions in regards to where to go...????
Would you be as convincing as possible to ensure they choose to go along the river...???
Or maybe you would like to give them a choice...????????
The ART of THINKING by Silvano Borusso - an excellent guide to logical thinking
Enjoy page 20 on the Spanish (not Papal) Inquisition!!
Readily available at Amazon, B&N, etc..
I will look that up. Thanks
@@stevendavis1243
It is modestly priced - I think you'll enjoy, Dr. Borusso has a wry sense of humor. Let me know what you think of it?
This video didn't really do anything at all to deal with the problem of divine hiddenness.
If God chooses not to overwhelm us with displays of his power because he wants a relationship not based on overwhelming fear and worship, and cannot show himself to us because he'd burn us up, and sent Jesus to allow a display of his power and existence, then several questions still remain.
Like, why don't we get other mortal displays of God's power, if that's what's so effective for proving he exists? Even if Jesus really walked the Earth exactly as described in The Bible, that was thousands of years ago. That does not serve as evidence of his existence for people alive today, even if it WERE well documented.
And is there seriously no way for God to show us his existence without melting our faces off? Does he have no settings in the middle? It's either complete silence and invisibility or toasting our skin? And if the problem with melting faces is on the humans end, then why did he build us unable to handle his presence? He doesn't need to make us Godlike to check a box on our settings that says "Can look at God without dying".
What is to stop God from poking his face out of the sky once a year, just to say "Hi, I exist! Have a nice day!" Or even, better yet, just have us be born with the concrete knowledge that he exists. And before you say "That would violate free will!"... No, it wouldn't. Having knowledge of something in no way 100% dictates what you do with that knowledge. Lucifer KNEW that God existed and was still able to rebel. If I know for a fact that my father exists, that in no way forces me to love him even if I also know he'll shoot me if I don't (similar to God's threat of Hell. Awful and coercive, but not literally overriding free will).
My relationship with my parents isn't made any more loving if I never see them or speak with them and just have faith that they exist, because other people tell me that my parents sent a guy to represent them to the other side of the world 2000 years ago. Why is it any different for God?
God doesn’t have to reveal himself in full glory.
In the Old Testament god is more present and involved, he supposedly appeared to Moses, discussed with abraham, gave Joseph signs, he dwelt in the temple etc. God did show miracles and signs with Jesus, why can be debated. The resurrection to the disciples had to be seen to be believed.
Now it’s silence and based on scripture and nature as “evidence” , not unreasonable for people to ask for more proof in modern age, not just of existence, care but also which religion is true. Think of the wars caused by religious disputes, think of the anguish of people who can’t decide whst to believe. A star every Christmas could be a covenant and guide etc.
I take the point regarding free will as a reason But There is ofcourse the counter argument that it’s silence and hidden is because he’s not there.
The Bible is a fictional book an d it’s why you can’t use to Bible to prove the Bible. That be like using Harry Potter to prove Harry Potter.
@@rrjkss3992 You can’t say for sure that Harry Potter doesn’t exist. He may just be hidden.🤥
@@dickjones4912 exactly the lame excuses they use for their god can apply to anything else.
I can bet, that you wont be bothered to honestly address my argument.
Super persuasiveness = mind control: The true purpose of religion.
As for the issue of God overwhelming us, the solution is simple. Either only appear when summoned, walk around like a normal person or design humans with a stronger constitution.
Also, the assumption that God can't present himself in a non destructive way contradicts the assertion that nothing is impossible for him.
In this video, you've basically abstracted God so deeply that you've made him undefined.
The problem with your analogies regarding the older religions is that those religions contradict the current ones. Do you believe in a god that plays head games?
Exactly. how convenient for them that god all of the sudden can't do certain things when it would contradict the tenants of their religion. lol. If god's presence messes with our free will, then maybe he should reengineer us so it doesn't. Simple as that.
Rather just perish, just to be with god
? (scratch that? O_O :) )
I guess we do choose heaven or hell
choose god or na
Earth- the hiddeness of god
Hell- no god
Heaven~ where god is
O_O?
hmmms?
opifinyO_O_?
Thanks friend; if you've prayed for me :)
(Psychological retooling- I)
Whatever lame excuse Christians use for their fake man made god, applies to all fictional characters , why does Santa appear to be hidden.
Reguarding your superpower of choice, YEAH RIGHT! The only thing I need to beat you is ear plugs!
Most underrated power is ability to manipulate probability what is the chance I will win this fight without so much as a bruise: 100%
Makes no sense. Knowing God doesn't remove freewill, you can still choose, you just know facts about the universe that you didn't before. Knowledge doesn't remove freewill, it just allows your choices with a full understanding of the situation.
As for "He's just too glorious for us to handle", that flies in the face of the repeated times that the Bible claims He did appear. Burning bushes, voice from the sky or columns of fire, He was perfectly fine with talking to hundreds of people in the OT, so any argument has to include why He was willing to before but now won't do that. He even gave people like Elijah the ability to prove his existence on request, calling fire from the sky. Love to see anyone outside of the bible stories able to prove God on request by miracles on demand. Remembering that the members of the competing religion were all brutally slaughtered for not being able to prove their God.
@James Henry Smith And appears in toast! Wonder if He sticks purely to toast or whether His powers extend to baked goods of all types?