response 245 of 432:

Feb 14 23:41 UTC 2006

Re #243: I consider it a case of: God would rather let us choose to ignore him
(resulting in eternity in Hell) than force us to love him. He wants us to
freely love him rather than forcing us to love him -- would *you* value the
love someone gave you if they didn't have any choice in the matter? -- and the
very nature of a choice means we have to have the ability to choose otherwise.
Revealing himself "in an obvious way" sufficient to silence everyone no matter
how skeptical wouldn't leave us any choice.

The decline in "evidence" is due in my opinion to two factors: a) an increase
in attribution to other causes ("this was actually caused by X so it couldn't
have been God!") and b) a decline in the number of people willing to cooperate.
God, based on what is recorded in the Bible, prefers to work through people --
and I can only think of two instances where his chosen instruments were
coerced.

The Christian church doesn't teach that logical thought about God is dangerous
(unless you mean dangerous in the same sense that fire, automobiles, and every
other part of human existence is dangerous). Similarly, as I understand it
doubt is no more a tool of Satan than anything else.