Why can't we see god?

Opethian said:

I don't believe in free will, so the point about giving us free will to choose to believe in him doesn't work from my point of view.

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That's an unexpected comment from an atheist. Please explain why there is no free will.

God hides Himself not for His sake but ours. We are here to see what we will do with the life we are given, and God stays away so we would not be unduly influenced by His presence. If He were here, people would not behave to their true form but would behave because He is here. It is like children who behave when the parents are around, and if you really want to know what they are really like, watch them when their parents are not around.

"I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness." (1 Chronicles 29:17; KJV).

"It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [or us] is to search out a matter." (Proverbs 25:2).

murdocsvan said:

If god wanted us to worship him, then why hasn't he made himself clear. Surely if he created a world and humans to see how we would cope (what other reason would he have?) then he wouldn't want half of us spending our time worshipping him. And even then i wonder why god would intervene to change the course of the world via humans. Wouldn't this just cause unrest instead of solving anything?

put simply, why does god want to worship himself when he hides himself from us?

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He hides because he wants you to seek him. It's a learning experience.

God does not hide from me......... God is love, and I see love all around me.

What more does a person need?

Jehovah God is a spirit, beyond the power of humans to see any description of his appearance in human terms. While not seeing God, certain servants were given inspired visions of him (John in Revelation, Ezekiel, Daniel). These descriptions give metaphors and similies likening him to jewels, fire, rainbows. Facets about God's personality are revealed by his creative works. From the creation of the universe, man, each new bird, animal and fish, each different plant, flower and tree, every field, foresr, hill, valley and stream, should impress upon us the breadth of Jehovah's wisdom and colorfulness of his personality as reflected in the grand variety of his creative works.

We cannot see God because God is a spirit, and we are to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

murdocsvan said:

If god wanted us to worship him, then why hasn't he made himself clear. Surely if he created a world and humans to see how we would cope (what other reason would he have?) then he wouldn't want half of us spending our time worshipping him. And even then i wonder why god would intervene to change the course of the world via humans. Wouldn't this just cause unrest instead of solving anything?

put simply, why does god want to worship himself when he hides himself from us?

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Ushta

S/He is perfectly clear to me
After all S/He emanated and indwells what is :dan:

Ushta Te
Ashai

The Doctrine of the Most Wise is to love mankind!
Denkard:dan:

YmirGF said:

The other aspect of god that puzzles me is the need that people seem to display to worship their creator? I am not altogether sure where people got the idea that that was an especially wise thing to do. How many here LITERALLY worship their mother or father? Sure the odd compliment and happy thought in their direction is great, but to get on ones knees and pray in earnest is stretching credulity.

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Ushta YmirGF

Worship and praise are but the natural reaction of the creature once it glimpses even a minutesimal portion of the awesomeness of the Creator!:dan:

The Creator :tsk: does not need it, S/He does not crave it, S/He does not demand it, S/He does accept it as part of the relationship with the Beloved creation:bounce

Ushta te
Ashai

The Doctrine of the Most Wise is to love mankind!
Denkard :dan:

retrorich said:

Because He is The Invisible Pink Unicorn.

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Actually the IPU is a false deity because, as Zarathushtra said of false deities, its a product of an unquestioning/bad mind:bounce

Besides, while billions of theists experience, or have experienced, a relationship with the Supreme Being, the only people that even mention the IPU are atheists and agnostics:biglaugh: :biglaugh:

Ushta te
Ashai

Why can't we see G-d?

Simple reason, we are unworthy at this level of depravity, and thier is no great reason to see him.

found at http://www.web-books.com/GoodPost/Articles/SeeGod.htm

Theory has it, that the whole universe should have nine or ten dimensions of space, instead of three dimensions (length, width and height). Then, why do we see only three dimensions? The reason why we cannot see extra dimensions is because all matter and electromagnetic waves (photons) are confined in a three dimensional sub-universe called "braneworld".

At present, the major messenger we use to see or detect things is the electromagnetic waves which include radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, and x-ray. Since the electromagnetic waves are confined in our braneworld, this immediately explains why we cannot detect God if He lives outside our braneworld.

The relationship between our braneworld (three dimensional) and the whole universe (ten dimensional) is like a TV screen (two dimensional) in our house (three dimensional). Suppose there is a creature confined on the TV screen, he cannot see us even if we are only a centimeter away from him. Similarly, if God lives in the ten dimensional space but outside our braneworld, we cannot see Him even if He is only a centimeter away from us.

EnhancedSpirit said:

found at http://www.web-books.com/GoodPost/Articles/SeeGod.htm

Theory has it, that the whole universe should have nine or ten dimensions of space, instead of three dimensions (length, width and height). Then, why do we see only three dimensions? The reason why we cannot see extra dimensions is because all matter and electromagnetic waves (photons) are confined in a three dimensional sub-universe called "braneworld".

At present, the major messenger we use to see or detect things is the electromagnetic waves which include radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, and x-ray. Since the electromagnetic waves are confined in our braneworld, this immediately explains why we cannot detect God if He lives outside our braneworld.

The relationship between our braneworld (three dimensional) and the whole universe (ten dimensional) is like a TV screen (two dimensional) in our house (three dimensional). Suppose there is a creature confined on the TV screen, he cannot see us even if we are only a centimeter away from him. Similarly, if God lives in the ten dimensional space but outside our braneworld, we cannot see Him even if He is only a centimeter away from us.

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''

Ushta Enhanced

Well beautiful and with Brains! Hmmm, maybe you be interested in ... my son he is 34 tall dark and handsome

Actually, before I, accidentally, hit your profile I was going to say ...Precisely! :clap :clap kudos and Frubals!
Ashai

The best I can make sense of it there are two aspects to 'God'. There is the universe itself, a God you can see and that everything you are and deal with is part of. There are also reflections, or dreams, of our potential to become something truly awesome, and that God can't be seen because it only exists as a possibility until we become it.

Being invisible to us is part of His Identity so we see Him with faith and logic.

murdocsvan said:

put simply, why does god want to worship himself when he hides himself from us?

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If this is the summary of your question, then your question doesn't make any sense. Where did you get the idea that God wants to worship himself? that would be wierd don't you think? who do you think believes God wants to worship himself?

Hema said:

He cannot be seen with the eye because he is that which causes the eye to see! God is a Divine Spirit, if he was physical, he would be limited to space and time. He would not be omnipresent. However, he exists in all of creation. He is in everything and everyone around you. The closest place to find God is within us.

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Now this is something I can agree with. Some of my deepest realizations came with studying Vaisnava (ISKCON) thought. I was utterly entranced by the idea that one could call on Vishnu for example, and he would appear to you. The nugget that is so often missed is that he doesn't come to you... you go to him and it is only with the "inner sight" of atma that you can behold the image beyond the light.

I know when I had my "appointment" with Vishnu, I felt like a twig being buffetted by a hurricane, only the winds were of immeasurable joy and unbounded love. Talk about feeling insignificant in contrast. LOL. I doubt I'll ever forget those massive eyes and understanding the joy he felt that someone had finally arrived to break his slumber, although instictively I knew I was not the first nor would I be the last.

Psychologically, I do understand that this image may well have been a sad delusion of wishfilled thinking but it will always remain one of my fondest memories from this life. Now, some of you may understand why I giggle when I am told one cannot "see" god.

"Oh really. You are sure about this, are you?"

Sadly, I think that folks are really saying that they themselves have not been able to see past the light of their inner nature. When one accomplishes that refined trick, a whole new image resolves.

Ah well, what would I know? I'm only a dreamer who has a star behind his eyes.

*we now return you to your regular programming*

Every pagan knows that there is a god and finds a temple to worship him

Here is another thread which argues the same thing. Thought I could thread tag it so yall could see some more posts on this:
http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12190

SB Habakuk said:

Every pagan knows that there is a god and finds a temple to worship him

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*wanders out of the room singing*

"Isn't it rich, isn't it queer
Losing my timing this late in my career
And where are the clowns?
Quick send in the clowns!
Don't bother they're here."