" The Bible never tells us that God reveals Himself to us when we dare Him to, but only when we repent and put our faith in Christ. Requirement for what, exactly? Faith in God? Certainly not!"
The way I see it is if God only reveals himself after you put faith in him, then blind faith is a requirement
I think the tension level is getting a little high and it's time to slow down a little.
One can interpret "faith" in something that is (as yet) unproven by scientific methods as blind faith. That much is true. However, the bible also says that unless we come as little children (that means the faith of a little child) we will not understand. Have you ever watched a little child when they see something for the first time? Or mom, or dad, tells that child that this is the TRUTH?
That child will accept what it sees, or what its parent tells it without question. That is how God tells us that we have to approach the gospel. There is a place in the bible that clarifies why God uses such simple things to prove His point, but I don't remember it right now.
The point is that the whole of creation exists to prove God and His existence. The universe cries out to the glory of God and His creation.
If one wishes to use scientific methods to show that God, or some creator, created the universe it can be done with a pretty solid basis in statistics. The probability of a single cell creature coming together out of the primeval slime is so small as to stagger the imagination. Tomorrow I will dig up the explanation and post it. However, from memory it seems to me that the probability of the spontaneous creation of a single cell organism (capable of life and reproduction) is on in (10, followed by some 28000 zeros.) That only considers the evolution of one, single celled, organism. It does not consider where all the primeval ooze came from, etc etc. Not a discussion of evolution or creation, but a disclosure of the mathmatical impossibility of anything other than a CREATOR who created all this on which we live.
Does it require blind faith in the God who created it all? I would say that the answer is no, it does not. Especially when you consider the probabilities involved in the universe having just popped into existence without a divine creator.
Has anyone of every seen God? Not yet. But we will. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of Lord and King of Kings. That includes athiests. We will all stand before Christ some day at which time we will each receive our new, eternal address.
I pose an experiment for you.
Study the complexity of your hand. I mean really study it from all aspects, the skin, muscles, bones, blood flow, nerves, flexibility, strength, mobility, etc. Then see if you can imagine how improbable it is that the design of that marvelous instrument "just happened". Not to mention the complexity of the human body.
I have a real hard time understanding how anyone can examine the incredible complexity of our world, and our bodies, etc and not understand that it was created by a divine being/creator.
None of us can make anyone else believe anything. We can only present our views, and hopefully some evidence, with the prayer and hope that it will help bring those who do not believe to salvation.
Please do not misunderstand the tone of my posting. I mean it only from the most positive sense and not as criticism, rather as a help to you in understanding.
Fred
