Brief Answer:
Ask the questioner: “Why do you believe God is hidden?” Wait for as many reasons as the person can provide why they believe God is hidden, which allows both you, and the person, to check how solid their belief stands. Then, ask if they are willing to listen to some evidence God is not hidden, and if they are truly open to hear, provide some (examples are summarized in the blogs and videos).
Detailed Answer:
This skepticism is a big presumption
It is presumptuous to say I know this is what God ought to do. As though meeting standards you expect is the only right way God could have handled the situation. Have you considered all the parameters?
It might be that God has quite different motives or purposes in mind than you do as far as “showing himself”, and is it possible you have not considered all the parameters?
If God exists, then he should make himself so obvious there is no unbelief
This would be a valid complaint if belief that he exists (propositional acceptance) is all God was after. If God’s goal is for everyone to say, “Whoa, there is a God”, then yes, God’s approach would be stupid, he should put flaming crosses in the sky, or the crucifixion and post-death appearances and miracles done by Jesus should be on HD simulcast to all stations around the world, and also perform all the miracles consistently today as we expect to give us the certainty we feel we need.
However,
not forced by recognition of the existence of a being whose presence, if obvious, would likely be overwhelming.
Just believing an almighty creator exists, does not lead to a life-transforming, personal relationship with that creator, which only occurs when we choose to buy into his plan and trust and love God for what he is to us. This much deeper goal requires deeper processes, and the shallow process of simply making one’s presence obvious can be irrevocably counterproductive.
Søren Kierkegaard provided a good comparison in his story of a king, who ruled a nation with absolute power and while out in his kingdom saw, and was instantly captivated by a peasant woman. The king, knowing if he approached her in all his royal coverings and surrounded with knights and other trappings of his immense power, would be unable to know whether the woman truly loved him. So, he approached her as a commoner. Philosophers recognize this approach, and call it keeping an “epistemic distance”.
Here are a couple more examples. I heard a story relating the hiddenness issue to a guy in a cabin and some nearby birds. One night, when the temperature had fallen dangerously low, a handful of birds landed and huddled against a windowsill to reach any warmth possible. Feeling for the birds’ plight, the man went to the window thinking the birds would just enter as they were already pressed into the window. But, of course, they flew off into the biting cold. This process repeated itself a few times, and the man found himself wishing he could just be a bird for a moment to allow communication or familiarity to remove the separation that kept the birds from entering safe haven.
Part of Jesus’s purpose was to show us the Father (illustrated by the man and the robins). It seems God unfolds knowledge about himself as we are able to take it in, and the more we seek him the more we get.
In addition, if I could entirely understand God, then I would think that God must be man-made. I don’t think we will ever entirely understand a being like God, which is why trust is required, as it is with any good parent.
Cold case detective, J. Warner Wallace, added another example, using “gold diggers” in a good blog. Here is an excerpt:
Many of us have moments in our life when God’s presence and providence seem obvious, but there are also many times when God seems far away and “hidden”. In fact, the “hiddenness” of God is a common objection to His existence. As a skeptic, I often wondered why God didn’t make Himself known in a visible, tangible way. Why doesn’t God appear to us in a public setting to end all doubt about His existence . . . This goal of producing something beautiful (a genuine, well-intentioned, loving response), requires Him to hide from us.
Let me try to offer an analogy. Most of us, would be offended if someone described us with the colloquial term: “gold digger.” This expression is typically used to describe “women (predominantly young and attractive), meeting wealthy men in hope to get monetary gains and increase their social status.” When someone uses this term, it is nearly always as a pejorative; it’s not good to be a “gold digger”. Why is this the case? Because “gold diggers” are in relationships for the wrong reasons. Rather than truly loving the men whom they’ve married, they love the wealth, power and position these men can offer. If I were a wealthy, powerful, or famous man, I would be very careful when selecting a mate . . .
The Bible provides several examples of men and women who have been in the presence of God, only to realize His true power, majesty and glory. In fact, in every case, those who were exposed to God, even for only a moment, were overwhelmed:
Jacob was also so stunned by his meeting with God that he was surprised he survived at all (Genesis 32:30)
Moses was so physically altered after meeting with God that the people were “afraid to come near him” (Exodus 34:29-30)
Samson’s parents were so terrified after meeting with God that they thought they would “surely die” (Judges 13:22)
Isaiah was so overcome by his meeting with God that he exclaimed, “Woe is me!” (Isaiah 6:5)
In each of these cases, the men and women who entered God’s presence were immediately aware of their status before Him. They were overwhelmed with awe and holy fear, exposed to the power and majesty of God Himself. They were immediately humbled and reverent. Who, when exposed to the direct presence of God, could react any differently?
But if God wants His children to love Him without being overwhelmed in this way (note: the people mentioned above all already accepted God), He would have to approach us in some form of “disguise.” He would have to hide his power and glory for a time. Christianity affirms this kind of effort, as Jesus Himself came to us in the form of lowly man, voluntarily accepting the limits of a human being and hiding the full capacity of his glory and power.
If God’s goal was to reveal self in the most personal way (as a person), instructive (showing he understands the emotions we go through), to show our value to him (value is determined by what one is willing to pay), but still leave room for our free will, then the way God reveals himself provokes us to a genuine love and trust.
What do you expect God to do?
Come to earth to model how to live, perform miracles and demonstrate his authority, sacrifice life for us to show the seriousness of sin, and his love for us, then do what has never been done, what would expose his claim, if not true, by predicting, then rising from the dead and verifying for forty days to many, many witnesses (over 1000 at just one of the instances) providing “many convincing proofs,” incredible historical evidence (see website section on Jesus), then rise into the clouds right before the direct witnesses, leaving people, who knew for fact exactly who he was, who were willing to then hold that belief right through the point of execution, which is unparalleled in all history – Oh wait, he did do that.
Or maybe provide reasons to believe through science, history, philosophy and every applicable field of study, through some of the greatest discoveries ever made, consistently overturning critics objections through continuing research, trending of greater support as research continues and the opposite trend for opposing beliefs, and providing endless examples in creation to amaze the mind – this has been done too.
The Critic has their Own Burden of Proof, and it’s not looking good for them
The questioner is making a claim, and their claim is only worth considering if it can carry its burden of proof.
There is considerable evidence for God’s existence, and it is not hidden, just absent from the minds of those who refuse to look. It is hard to see something when one continuously looks away, and instead focuses on things, which they do not like or understand as reasons to avoid the evidence.
Ask the questioner: “Why do you believe God is ‘hidden’?” & “Do you know the evidence available supporting God is not hidden?” If the person cannot provide a good coverage of the support you can find throughout even this website, and then provide better reasons to believe all those evidences are not valid – a spotlight shines hot and bright on a problem with their claim.
It is not an appropriate response to complain you want more, when not fully considering what you have been given.
What Type of Evidence Would it Take?
Some ask for a ridiculous requirement of evidence, which shows the person is not open to evidence, just the particular type they want, which shows very poor research method and not being open to all evidence.
Many, including the president of a graduate atheist group at U.C. Berkeley, and other leading atheist speakers in debates have been asked what evidence they would accept. And answers included very telling remarks, such as, there was no evidence that would ever make them believe in God, to such things as “the stars lining up to read ‘I am God and made the universe’”, or Jesus appearing when asked and performing miracles before their eyes. When asked if they did see the stars read as asked or Jesus appear and do miracles before them, would they accept Christ as God, these same people said “No”, they would check themselves into an insane asylum. When trying to reach a reasonable conclusion, you want to be open-minded to all evidence available, and clearly some people are not.
Too often people are carried by emotions, not genuinely seeking answers, and are then especially susceptible to fall into logic errors, such as this example given by one writing a question to William Lane Craig:
“What kind of maximally great being hides from his creation and expects blind allegiance in order to make it into the next world wherein we are told it will actually reflect his maximal greatness?”
Craig responds correctly: “What a perverse understanding of Christianity you have! God doesn’t hide from creation or demand blind allegiance; He reveals Himself both in creation and in human history through the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not only has He given evidence of Himself in creation which is sufficient for all persons (Romans 1.20), but more than that, through His Spirit He seeks to draw all persons to Himself (John 16.8). If God hides, it is only from those who willingly shut their hearts and pridefully refuse to seek Him with due humility.”
Craig also mentions he endured watching his own father die of Parkinson’s disease, so I assume the questioner also lost one or both parents, who themselves followed God, in a similar way. And the last part of the response addresses how emotions can sweep a person off an intellectual road, which could have led to a better destination:
From your closing comments, David, it’s evident to me that you are really suffering from what I call the emotional problem of evil, not from the intellectual problem of evil. So let me lay aside the philosopher’s mantle and offer you some pastoral counsel. Your parents staked their lives on the truth of the Christian faith. Do you think that they would be happy to see you walk away from Christian faith because of their suffering? They believed that the suffering of this life was but an infinitesimal moment compared to the eternity that they would spend with God in heaven. If asked whether they would endure their years of suffering on Earth in order to gain eternity, they would reply without hesitation, “Yes! A million, million times over!” What comfort, what hope, does atheism have to offer you instead? Why reject the solace that is to be found in Christ and the hope of the resurrection? Where will you turn instead? What hope do you have for your parents? By turning away from God, you turn away from the only answer to your parents’ suffering.
Now, of course, if you had good intellectual reasons for thinking the Christian hope to be false, then you would have to bite the bullet and embrace despair. But you don’t, David! Your arguments are confused and misconceived. I fear that they are intellectual concoctions to justify your emotional rejection of God. Don’t be deceived by these unsound arguments. Confess your sin, seek God, and find comfort in Him. Your parents would be pleased.[1]
Relationships are Complex, this is Why Trust is Essential
If someone is asking the “hiddenness” question because they are in pain, see evil in the world, or just feel God is distant, this should be expected from time-to-time because we are not interacting with God the same way we do with people, and even relationships with people here are complex. This is where trust comes in, and we have all the reason in the world for that trust.
Nevertheless, this feeling, or question is both important, and also really a secondary question. The primary question is: Does God exist or not?
When someone is suffering from some kind of pain, this brings to the forefront the fact we don’t really have control. Any of us, even those who seem to have it all, can have nothing in an instant, or can suffer something horrible, which is scary and may lead people to seek one with the authority, or control, maybe for the first or only time. And if God exists, but does not answer or control the pain in the way a person expects (see “Why would a loving God allow pain?”), God can seem hidden. But here is why the answer to the primary question is required before you have an answer to the secondary “hiddenness” question …
If a personal God doesn’t exist, then the reason why God seems distant or hidden is answered: “God” seems distant because he does not exist.
If, on the other hand, a personal God exists, then there is real reason for hope in facing any pain as there is One in a position to have control, and who has significant purpose for you.
If a personal God doesn’t exist, then there is no true “evil,” or “right and wrong.” Explained in detail in the “Why would a loving God allow evil?” section.
If a personal God does exist, then it isn’t just a matter of personal opinion, real evil, right and wrong exist, and one day evil will be removed, and justice will be conclusively applied.
For those who have experienced the relationship with God, but are going through a time where there seems to be distance: there will be times of ebb and flow, and whether it is due to a passing feeling, or because there is work that needs to be done in the relationship, seeking One who loves you and deepening that relationship can only lead to good for you.
What would Prove God to You?
Ask: “What would prove God to you? If God showed himself the way you think he should, would you become a Christian?” If the person hesitates, it exposes a problem in their thinking.
Brett Kunkle, who consistently brings new groups of students to U.C. Berkeley, in order to discuss different worldview beliefs with skeptic authors, professors and students, has a lot of experience hearing people blame God for unbelief by claiming God should inscribe every atom “made by God, tested by Jesus,” or produce a neon cross in the sky. Brett noted: “The demand for such a sign assumes the individual is certain as to how they would respond to such a sign. After all, any assumption that a clear sign will lead to a full surrender of one’s autonomy over to their Creator is quite presumptuous.”
When one graduate school debater from U.C. Berkeley posed his complaint, he was asked if the neon cross did appear, or something comparable, would you believe, and he paused to think, then stated, “No, I would probably check myself into a mental institution.” I liked his response as it was funny and tells us something important.
I think it was an honest statement, and a common response, only rivaled by others who say they would attribute it to aliens. Such a response tells a lot. If a person hesitates at all, that’s a problem, as they set a standard up, which they expect God to meet, and even if meeting their standard, the person then just pushes the standard further away. Always putting up another obstacle is not being open-minded.
The Bible notes that God reaches to each of us through his Spirit to ours, so it is not a matter of only mentally realizing he exists, but a willful choice to accept what God offers or not. And regardless of what evidence or miracles are provided, if people want to reject God, then they will and will grasp onto reasons. Nothing will convince those whose emotions and wills overcome all judgment – and we have all witnessed this happen through life – maybe even in ourselves in different areas, and even in some Christians, who have not properly grounded their belief.
God seems to give more than enough evidence to convince, but not enough to compel.
Have you Accounted for all the Parameters? Most Likely, No.
Have all possible aspects of reality been accounted for? There are other reasons why God may not show himself as we may expect.
May be counterproductive
Has already been shown to be insufficient
If a world was set up where Jesus constantly appeared, giving consistent signs of his authority, it’s possible that the accompanying annoyance, intrusion and other negative feelings would push even more people away. It’s possible this world is as it needs to be to lead the greatest possible number of people, who would find the best relationship with God, to do so.
The Bible provides examples of this to demonstrate making himself obvious is not the issue. Wonders were done, and these did not necessarily produce lasting heart change in everyone. Some choose to accept and follow, and others did not. Many still refused to believe even though the disciples made it plain and simple by saying the equivalent of, “You know the wonders he did, and can check out the facts yourselves.”
So, when some complain God should have made creation where we could see God directly, the Bible directly notes the answer to that question is already in, as the angels have seen God directly, but that didn’t stop a significant portion of them choosing to go their own way instead – just as occurs with people now.
The spiritual interaction is more important, but may be less obvious and isn’t measurable.
Usually personal, subjective evidence is not brought up here because such evidence, while maybe having serious significance for the person or subject involved, is usually not as helpful to everyone else. But if God exists and is a spiritual being, isn’t it possible, and probably should be expected, that God would reach out to us on a spiritual level?
Discovery
While we may get frustrated when the Bible doesn’t clearly spell out details we want, aside from the fact you would need a forklift to carry a Bible if it had even a small fraction of the information all people wanted to know over time, there may be another beneficial reason.
There is a verse in the Bible, which got me thinking because it annoyed me so much: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” (Proverbs 25:2)
What?! Why is this in the Bible, as it makes God look annoying (at least to me)? Why would God want to conceal something from us, and how in the world is it a glory to have to search it out? Never made sense, until becoming a parent.
There is something truly special about discovery. When your child searches into a question or a curiosity, maybe how to stack the blocks a certain way to achieve a task, something you already know the answer to, but the child, on their own, discovers something new, it is awesome, and you can see how it affects them in their lit-up eyes. It is glorious to them and to you as the parent.
Parents even manufacture circumstances to foster a child’s discovery, an Easter egg hunt is a simple example. Yet even as adults, I have seen people work in science become as giddy as any child when discovering something new. The journey develops us, and the discovery delights.
Direct interaction with such a being as God may be too much for us.
No way we can know what exactly would happen to us physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually, but looking at biblical accounts provides some ideas.
I am still waiting for someone to demand that God should have inscribed “Made by God” on every creature, so I can answer, “Well he did on this turtle . . .
I have heard God should inscribed his name on every atom, and the answer for that is more amazing than the turtle: if you know enough about the atom, components of the atom, and molecules of life, then the inscription of a personal designer is displayed (discussed in The FINE-TUNED Evidence blogs and videos).
[1] https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/gods-permitting-horrific-evils