Does God want atheists to acknowledge his existence?

[Cieza]

To what degree is God responsible for some people not believing in God? Does God not want these people to believe in him? If God can do anything and knows everything, then he certainly knows precisely what it would take to get an atheist to believe he exists. Yet he does nothing. Why?

 

[solarwave]

Maybe things are more complex than a black and white. I would say that it is more important to have a changed heart than belief in God, but that's just me.

 

[salida]

People are responsible for their actions and will be accountable for them-its not Gods fault they choose to ignore them-anymore its my fault that a criminal robs a bank.

 

[Cieza]

People are responsible for their actions and will be accountable for them-its not Gods fault they choose to ignore them-anymore its my fault that a criminal robs a bank.

This is not about actions. It's about beliefs. Go back and read the opening post again.

 

[mr73140]

He does nothing because he will not force anyone to love or accept Him. He gives everyone free will to chose this day who they will serve. He could force us to love Him, but He desires for us to love Him freely. He did not create robots...programmed. God doesn't want to force anyone to love Him; just like you would not want to force your children or wife to love you or to kiss you. Hope that answers your question. Love, Peace, and Happiness.

 

[Beautiful Ignorance]

To what degree is God responsible for some people not believing in God? Does God not want these people to believe in him? If God can do anything and knows everything, then he certainly knows precisely what it would take to get an atheist to believe he exists. Yet he does nothing. Why?

God is in want of nothing.

 

[drich0150]

To what degree is God responsible for some people not believing in God? Does God not want these people to believe in him? If God can do anything and knows everything, then he certainly knows precisely what it would take to get an atheist to believe he exists. Yet he does nothing. Why?

Because the responsibility to seek God belongs to us. God will provide exactly what you need for belief, but it is your responsibility to Ask, Seek and knock for the Holy Spirit.


5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

It is the Holy Spirit that gives us our "proof." We ask thru prayer, we seek in the bible, church and places like this, we knock till we get what our heart wants.

 

[Incariol]

To what degree is God responsible for some people not believing in God? Does God not want these people to believe in him? If God can do anything and knows everything, then he certainly knows precisely what it would take to get an atheist to believe he exists. Yet he does nothing. Why?

God does plenty, but considering everything he does is pure grace we don't deserve, I'm not surprised he chooses not to demean himself by acting like a miracle vending machine.

Besides, in the end, everyone is going to abase themselves and give him homage anyways. So moot point.

 

[Cieza]

He does nothing because he will not force anyone to love or accept Him. He gives everyone free will to chose this day who they will serve. He could force us to love Him, but He desires for us to love Him freely. He did not create robots...programmed. God doesn't want to force anyone to love Him; just like you would not want to force your children or wife to love you or to kiss you. Hope that answers your question. Love, Peace, and Happiness.

If God knows everything and can do anything, then he knows who will or who won't love him. So let's say there's someone who he knows won't love him, but he forces this person to love him. Then God's foreknowledge that this person would not love him is inaccurate.

 

[Cieza]

God is in want of nothing.

Does God not want to remain omniscient & omnipotent?

 

[Hakan101]

Does God not want to remain omniscient & omnipotent?

I should think not, at least not in the sense you put it. To suggest God wants to "remain" those things implies he might lose those things. Which he will not.

I disagree though that God wants nothing. I think he wants to see us make the right choices, and to put our faith in him. God needs nothing is what I think that user meant.

Also God does not force anyone to love him, I'm not sure why you think he would.

 

[MetanoiaHeart]

To what degree is God responsible for some people not believing in God? Does God not want these people to believe in him? If God can do anything and knows everything, then he certainly knows precisely what it would take to get an atheist to believe he exists. Yet he does nothing. Why?

God created us with free will. That means we must be free to believe or not believe, to love Him or not love Him. If God did precisely whatever it took to get an atheist to believe, then God would be depriving him of his free will. Without free will, we cannot truly love because love requires us to be free to not love. Otherwise we are nothing more than instruments God created for Himself to love Himself. It doesn't work like that.

 

[Cieza]

God created us with free will. That means we must be free to believe or not believe, to love Him or not love Him. If God did precisely whatever it took to get an atheist to believe, then God would be depriving him of his free will. Without free will, we cannot truly love because love requires us to be free to not love. Otherwise we are nothing more than instruments God created for Himself to love Himself. It doesn't work like that.

I get it. God wants us to each be teetering on the borderline between believing and not believing. Too much information and you fall uncontrollably into the believing side. This makes sense.

But too little information and you fall uncontrollably into the non-believing side. Why would God want people to fall uncontrollably into the non-believing side? If he knows precisely what it takes for each of us to believe - and he can do anything - then he could give us each enough information so we all teeter between believing & not believing. Yet I see nothing.

 

[s_s]

Eh?
No, you get enough info to believe. If you choose to believe, you get more. If you choose to ignore what you've been shown, you don't get the time wasted on you. God will not always strive after people who ignore him. Like you are doing.

Sometimes, it wouldn't hurt for you to read the posts you get from all the nice people on here that provide you with the answers to all of your baiting questions. You've been answered - and ignored the answers.

 

[bling]

I get it. God wants us to each be teetering on the borderline between believing and not believing. Too much information and you fall uncontrollably into the believing side. This makes sense.

But too little information and you fall uncontrollably into the non-believing side. Why would God want people to fall uncontrollably into the non-believing side? If he knows precisely what it takes for each of us to believe - and he can do anything - then he could give us each enough information so we all teeter between believing & not believing. Yet I see nothing.

Only a fool says “There is no God”. God has made Himself perfectly obvious with every living thing. There is no other explanation for how life could start from non living things that would take less “faith”.

If a little “Faith” is need to help humans fulfill their earthly objective, then it would be best for humans and God who is doing everything He can to help willing humans would not make Himself undeniable there.

If an atheist does not want to believe and it would “upset” the atheist to know that the Christian God does exist, then God would not force His presence on the Atheist. Knowing that there is a God is not man’s objective and God is doing everything He can to help those that are willing to accept His help fulfill their objective and faith, helps!

 

[lifeexpectancy]

As stated earlier, a day is coming where everybody will know that there is a God. Now we have a chance to put our faith in Him and choose to believe and we will have eternal consequences our choices. Some people choose to believe God doesn't exist, God is showing them a lot of proof. Sometimes proof doesn't even matter to a person (i.e. Pharoah, many cities during Jesus' ministries) they are just hard hearted and have a made a decision that God isn't real and "proof" wouldn't be proof to them they would just explain it some other way (i.e. if creationism was proven true, if people still didn't want to believe in God, they could believe aliens created us)

 

[Hakan101]

I get it. God wants us to each be teetering on the borderline between believing and not believing. Too much information and you fall uncontrollably into the believing side. This makes sense.

But too little information and you fall uncontrollably into the non-believing side. Why would God want people to fall uncontrollably into the non-believing side? If he knows precisely what it takes for each of us to believe - and he can do anything - then he could give us each enough information so we all teeter between believing & not believing. Yet I see nothing.

God does not want us teetering at all. Teetering means we have little faith. God wants us to stand strong in Him, not reeds blowing in the wind.

Nobody falls uncontrollably into belief. We would fall uncontrollably into knowing. This is why God does not reveal so much of himself that we are coerced into acknowledging his existence. There is just enough evidence so that those who want to have faith in God can be assured, and those who do not want God can reject him. If you see nothing, and so you stop searching, it suggests you do not desire God. If you see nothing yet you keep searching, this means you have a heart after God. And God always answers those hearts.

 

[oi_antz]

How can anyone choose to believe in anything? I can not make myself believe in something that I know is not true.

Hi Thobewill! We have not spoken yet. I would like to challenge what you say here just to get you thinking a bit more about what you do believe. Please read this:

John 5:5-16
New Living Translation (NLT)
5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, 10 so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”

11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

12 “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded.

13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. 14 But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” 15 Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.

16 So the Jewish leaders began harassing[a] Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules.

Now, you say "I can not make myself believe in something that I know is not true." - how is it that you suppose to "know" this story is not true?

 

[oi_antz]

I think if god wanted us to believe in him that badly, he would poke his head from behind the clouds.

Do you really think it is right to expect God to comply with our requirements, or do you think it is right for God to expect us to comply with His?

 

[oi_antz]

<staff edit >

I asked you a question here http://www.christianforums.com/t7580726/#post58139778, please answer this question for me.