Where is God?

[Hieronymus]

I don't need a God who is aloof, who hides his face, who is invisible. A God who is real to my senses like you and I, would be better.

As a Christian, i'm sorry too, that God is in Heaven and we're stuck on this wicked planet.
It is written that i have the Holy Spirit dwell in me because i confess John 3:16 with my mouth and i (obviously) believe that too.
Still, i don't 'feel' God is near, but far.
I can't have a conversation with my Father, ask Him questions and get answers.
I can not see God, He is hidden from us on earth.
We (on earth) will all see Him when He returns though.

Why is this not the case.

I don't have an answer to that question, but apparently it is about faith in things we can not (yet) see, that makes us Christians.
As Jesus said to Thomas: Blessed is the believer who has not seen Me. (paraphrasing).
I'm still frustrated about the distance though.

 

[Liza B.]

How can I have a relationship with an invisible creator, what do I base my perspective on? How do I ascertain the facts around my understanding, if understanding this god doesn't require any.

You're talking about "Facts". "Facts" is clunky language. It's not that God doesn't operate on "facts", it's that facts is just the beginning.

You don't really contemplate the "facts" of your existence every single day, do you? Or even for one minute of every single day. Or for hardly one minute of your life. If you did, you would likely be on your knees in that moment.

So let's get straight what you mean by "facts".

 

[afishamongmany]

How can I have a relationship with an invisible creator, what do I base my perspective on? How do I ascertain the facts around my understanding, if understanding this god doesn't require any.

Hello Primarymay - welcome to CF.
Of course our (I speak of Christians) understanding of God and our knowledge of Him (from which grows our relationship with Him) require facts.
The Creator is invisible but his creation is not. The creation is a fact

Consider this, as well. The Bible has this to say about God's divine nature being revealed through the senses in Romans 1:20:
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Paul the Apostle writing to the the Christians at Corinth gives several facts that support the factuality of Christ's resurrection.
"3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time."
1 Corinthians 15
For the unbeliever the problem is rarely a lack of facts. God's promise is that, to all who in sincerity and humility seek Him, He will reveal Himself.
Oh that this might be your experience.
><>

 

[primarymay]

As a Christian, i'm sorry too, that God is in Heaven and we're stuck on this wicked planet.
It is written that i have the Holy Spirit dwell in me because i confess John 3:16 with my mouth and i (obviously) believe that too.
Still, i don't 'feel' God is near, but far.
I can't have a conversation with my Father, ask Him questions and get answers.
I can not see God, He is hidden from us on earth.
We (on earth) will all see Him when He returns though.I don't have an answer to that question, but apparently it is about faith in things we can not (yet) see, that makes us Christians.
As Jesus said to Thomas: Blessed is the believer who has not seen Me. (paraphrasing).
I'm still frustrated about the distance though.

Yeah well you know how I feel.

 

[primarymay]

You're talking about "Facts". "Facts" is clunky language. It's not that God doesn't operate on "facts", it's that facts is just the beginning.

You don't really contemplate the "facts" of your existence every single day, do you? Or even for one minute of every single day. Or for hardly one minute of your life. If you did, you would likely be on your knees in that moment.

So let's get straight what you mean by "facts".

Facts, as in substantated evidence, that doesn't leave room for doubt.

 

[primarymay]

Hello Primarymay - welcome to CF.
Of course our (I speak of Christians) understanding of God and our knowledge of Him (from which grows our relationship with Him) require facts.
The Creator is invisible but his creation is not. The creation is a fact


Paul the Apostle writing to the the Christians at Corinth gives several facts that support the factuality of Christ's resurrection.
"3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time."
1 Corinthians 15
For the unbeliever the problem is rarely a lack of facts. God's promise is that, to all who in sincerity and humility seek Him, He will reveal Himself.
Oh that this might be your experience.
><>

I see where you're going here, but what makes you think that the evidence in creation ties into Jesus. There may be a creator, but how can I know which god is responsible for creating the universe.

 

[Phil 1:21]

I don't need a God who is aloof, who hides his face, who is invisible. A God who is real to my senses like you and I, would be better.

Why is this not the case.

God did that 2,000 years ago. He was nailed to a cross for it. Point is that no amount of "proof" will ever be sufficient for those who choose not to believe.

 

[Hieronymus]

Hmmm... I can imagine people just don't have the reasons to believe what in our day and age is thought of as outrageous.
I think primarymay wants sound evidence for taking the Bible (which is afteral the source of information about Jesus Christ and the theology that comes with it) seriously.

I can only say that i myself ended up in a situation of desperate need of real truth, and so i set out to seek it.
In short, the evidence lead me to Jesus Christ and the Bible being the truth.
And i don't mean young earth creationism apologetics, my angle of approach was trying to learn how the world works, who runs it and what are their ambitions.
I have gone through many many documentaries, open source journalism, web pages, conspiracy theories, unpopular history and what not.
And then you find it is not even a secret which 'god' owns the world, and what they think of the plebs.
You will also learn what they are fervently opposed to: Jesus Christ.
This is how Christianity is always subject to attack in any form imaginable basically.
And that's when i started to look into Christianity, and investigate the trustworthiness of the roots and fundamentals of the Christian Faith.
This is how the evidence lead me to the unthinkable.
Well, it was unthinkable to me anyway..
Before that i believed the Zeitgeist nonsense (astrological Jesus etc..)
I had always believed the Bible was a product of the Roman Catholic Church and Christianity was just a constructed means to enslave people.
So it's a huge controversy.
But this controversy in and of itself is perhaps one of the most compelling pieces of evidence for the Bible being true.
Later on i learned that the Biblical history from Genesis 9 or 10 onwards (but also the flood actually, but opinions vary) is supported by archaeological evidence and extra Biblical historical records.
It turns out the New Testament writings all originate from the first century AD, and the so called gnostic gospels are all from a later date, some much later.
It took years though to be able to accept the conclusion and submit to it, and have actual faith in God.

 

[afishamongmany]

I see where you're going here, but what makes you think that the evidence in creation ties into Jesus. There may be a creator, but how can I know which god is responsible for creating the universe.

Hi again Primarymay,

The fact of creation and the evidence in creation show clearly God's invisible, eternal power and demonstrate its workings. Thus also demonstrating the real existence of Him who has this power and exercises it.

How does this tie into Jesus? Christ declared himself to be God - “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; ....”
John 14:7-9

John his disciple tells us - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:1-3

In your OP the immateriality/invisibility of God is your focus, so to keep focused, lets leave aside your idea of having to choose The Creator from an array of gods.

That God has entered into time and space and matter, in the flesh and blood (factual) person of Jesus Christ, is his greatest and clearest showing of Himself, much much more than in the creation. One can know something about the painter of pictures from just studying those pictures but when the painter is there in person to talk and walk with that's another level altogether.
As John his disciple says -
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, ...”
1 John1:1-3

Go well, go wisely,
><>

 

[ViaCrucis]

I don't need a God who is aloof, who hides his face, who is invisible. A God who is real to my senses like you and I, would be better.

Why is this not the case.

I would like a million dollars.

-CryptoLutheran