A friend of mine listed his religious views as "Deus Absconditus"- the hidden or removed God. In what ways do my belief system reflect a similar skepticism?
I have been teaching on Joshua at church and looking at God's statements that he was with Joshua and backing that up with supernatural acts that would serve as reminders, milestones to remember (Lit. with the 12 stones from the Jordan at Gilgal). This concept of remembrance being at the forefront connecting them and the crossing into the Promised Land with those leaving Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea. I see God's presence with Joshua and Joshua's exact obedience and see the correlation as a milestone for me. Joshua would obey EXPECTING God to answer in a miraculous way.
Similarly, the message this Sunday was of Elijah in his contest with the prophets of Baal and his calling fire from heaven to burn up the altar proving the real God.
Last night for our "after dinner" family devotions we read Shadrach, Mishach, and Abednego's response to the king when he threatened them with a firey furnace if they did not bow to his statue, "Our God is able to save us from your hand, but even if he does not, we want you to know O king that we will not bow down..."
I find myself more at the Abednego end of the spectrum than the Joshua and Elijah end. I am willing to obey and believe that God CAN act but probably will NOT act. Over time this brings up the question of whether God DOES act. Another friend of mine who is a missionary in Yemen laid his hands on and prayed for a deceased 1 year old boy to come back to life in public. The boy remained dead. I do not doubt God's ability to raise the boy but I would have been much more surprised if the boy had been raised to life than I am that the boy remained dead.
Why am I so preset to assume God will not act in these acute supernatural requests instead of the opposite? Experience tells me this. I also do not have the right to "twist God's arm" into action. He has the right to do whatever he wants. The dark side of this path is the pragmatic faith of Deus Absconditus or at least God's constant presence in nature and his reluctancy to act in a way contrary to nature. I feel God leading me to help some family and friends with funds but we are in a precarious position ourselves with my job as well as the $4000 hit of going to Haiti. We will obey but I don't feel that God will do anything "acute" to show he is with us. God has always taken care of us and in the end things are fine. I just remember sitting in the car pondering if I REALLY believe God would honor our gift or if we are just shooting our own foot.
It is easy for me to give myself to God and honor him with all I have, but I tend to put the "humble" sticker on the weakness that I don't feel God will "show up" in a miraculous way by recognizing that he is not "required" to show up. That he is aware and cares. That he is prompting us to do and it is his hand guiding all things.
I believe God is integrated into all things but in a very real and pragmatic way, I act Deus Absconditus, or at least that God is so omnipresent and all encompassing that nature itself IS God's action and the natural course of events is his "supernatural", constant integration into creation which he chooses not to violate; which has the same outcome, not believing that God will act in an acute way contrary to the expected. Would I send the priests into the river believing that it would dry up? Would I call fire from heaven to burn up an altar? Would I pray for a baby boy to come back to life? Probably not and I am questioning why.
Forgive the jibber jabber. These are current thoughts pouring onto the page...a dangerous thing indeed!
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I've never witnessed a supernatural event. I've been an evangelical Christian for over a decade, and I am not aware of a single credible witness to God's presence. I know this sounds mean, but it's honest: The only stories of miracles manifest I've heard have come from people who can easily be tricked or misled. They presume miracle if something is difficult to explain. I, on the other hand, presume random chaos until I actually see evidence of a miracle.
A boy coming back to life would be a miracle. I've never heard of anyone actually being dead for more than a couple of hours and then spontaneously coming back to life. But I've also never heard any *credible* testimonies to the restoration of life either. I've never seen anyone cured of anything that their own immune system couldn't handle. I've never seen victims in a burn unit miraculously restored to their former selves. I've never seen ANYTHING that indicates God actually speaks or intervenes in daily life in any way. I suppose it's those who are looking for miracles who find them - you always find what you are looking for (because you lose your objectivity in the process).
I watched a video series from The Teaching Company by Dr. Bart Ehrman titled "Early Christianity". It talks about the various sects and belief systems that existed prior to the establishment of orthodox belief in the early fourth century. I've been told that my skepticism is dangerous, and that taking in such material should not be allowed by the church. I hate that, because it's as though you just have to accept without thinking to be a Christian. I was not built like that - God gave me a mind that for whatever reason thinks logically and rationally rather than emotionally.
I've attended various denominations, from Charismatic to Greek Orthodox. I've never felt like I really fit in with any of them, because the believers seems to have no problem with absolute faith. Many maintain they are the "right" ones and everyone else is doomed (including other Christian denominations who don't interpret things the way they do).
Why is God so silent with us when He was so conspicuous throughout the span of time covered by the Bible (thousands of years)? Why does He not talk to people like us?
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