The Problem of Divine Hiddenness: Examining the Argument That the Lack of Clear Evidence for God’s Existence Undermines Belief
(Lecture Hall Ambiance with Polite Coughing)
Alright everyone, settle down, settle down! Today, we’re diving headfirst into a topic that has kept philosophers, theologians, and insomniacs up at night for centuries: the Problem of Divine Hiddenness. 🕵️♂️
Now, before you start picturing God playing a cosmic game of hide-and-seek, let me clarify. This isn’t about whether God is physically hiding behind a particularly large nebula. It’s about the lack of clear, unambiguous evidence for God’s existence, and the challenges this poses for belief. Think of it as a celestial game of charades where God is holding up a sign, but all we see is static. 📺
(Slide 1: Title of the Lecture)
I. Introduction: Where’s Waldo (God Edition)?
The core of the problem is this: if God exists, and is the all-loving, all-powerful being many religions claim, why isn’t God more obvious? Why the vague pronouncements, the metaphorical burning bushes, and the interpretive dance of religious texts? Why the constant need for faith, that precarious leap into the unknown?
Imagine you’re trying to convince someone that your pet unicorn 🦄 is real. But you can’t produce the unicorn. You have blurry photos, anecdotal evidence from suspiciously imaginative friends, and a lot of interpretive dance about rainbows and sparkly manure. People are going to be skeptical, right?
That, in a nutshell, is the Problem of Divine Hiddenness. It’s an argument primarily aimed at theists – those who believe in God – and goes something like this:
- Premise 1: If a perfectly loving God exists, God would want all humans to know about and relate to God.
- Premise 2: A perfectly loving God would be able to ensure that all humans know about and relate to God.
- Premise 3: Many humans do not know about or relate to God.
- Conclusion: Therefore, a perfectly loving God probably does not exist. 😥
(Slide 2: Simplified Argument Structure)
| Premise | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | A loving God wants connection with humanity. |
| 2 | A loving God has the power to enable that connection. |
| 3 | Many people don’t experience that connection. |
| Conclusion | Therefore, the existence of a loving God is questionable. |
Of course, the devil, as always, is in the details. And there are plenty of devils (and angels) arguing about this. Let’s unpack this argument piece by piece.
II. Examining the Premises: Is God Really That Obliging?
A. Premise 1: The Loving God and Universal Desire for Relationship
This premise hinges on the assumption that a perfectly loving God would want all humans to know and relate to God. This seems intuitive, right? A loving parent wants their child to know them, to trust them, to love them back. Why wouldn’t a perfectly loving God want the same?
However, there are counter-arguments. Maybe God’s love is of a different kind than human love. Maybe God values free will so highly that forcing belief would be a violation. Think of it like this: maybe God is offering us a cosmic job interview, but if God gave us all the answers beforehand, would it really be a fair interview? 🤔
B. Premise 2: The All-Powerful God and the Ability to Ensure Belief
This premise asserts that an all-powerful God could ensure that all humans know and relate to God. This seems straightforward. If God is omnipotent, God can do anything, including making Godself undeniably obvious.
But again, complications arise. Does God’s omnipotence extend to doing things that are logically impossible? Can God create a square circle? Can God make 2+2=5? Some argue that God’s power is limited by logic itself.
Furthermore, as mentioned above, maybe God chooses not to make Godself obvious. Maybe God prioritizes free will over guaranteed belief. Consider the analogy of a puppet master: God could control us all, but that wouldn’t be a very meaningful relationship, would it? 🎭
C. Premise 3: The Reality of Non-Belief and Religious Diversity
This premise is arguably the easiest to defend. It’s simply a statement of fact: many people don’t believe in God, or they believe in different gods, or they have different interpretations of the same God. Just look around the world! We have a veritable buffet of religious and non-religious beliefs. 🍜
This premise highlights the phenomenon of religious diversity, and also the existence of sincere and intelligent non-believers. These are not people who simply haven’t heard the "good news." These are people who have considered the evidence (or lack thereof) and come to a different conclusion.
III. Responses to the Problem of Divine Hiddenness: The Theistic Counter-Offensive
Now that we’ve laid out the argument, let’s explore the various responses theists have offered to counter the Problem of Divine Hiddenness. Think of these as defensive maneuvers in our cosmic debate.
(Slide 3: Common Theistic Responses)
A. The Free Will Defense:
This is perhaps the most common and well-known response. It argues that God values human free will so highly that God allows us to choose whether or not to believe. Making Godself undeniably obvious would undermine this freedom.
Think of it like a cosmic parent letting their teenager make their own mistakes. Even though the parent could intervene and prevent the teenager from making a bad decision, they choose not to, because they believe that learning from mistakes is essential for growth. 🪴
B. The Soul-Making Theodicy:
This argument suggests that the world is deliberately set up to be challenging and ambiguous, because it is through grappling with these challenges that we develop our souls. The struggle to find God, the wrestling with doubt, the grappling with the problem of evil – all these experiences are seen as essential for spiritual growth.
Imagine God as a cosmic personal trainer, pushing us to our limits so that we can become stronger. The difficulty is not a bug, it’s a feature! 💪
C. The "Special Revelation" Argument:
This response acknowledges that God may not be universally obvious, but argues that God reveals Godself to certain individuals or groups in special ways. These revelations might come in the form of mystical experiences, prophetic visions, or the inspired writings of scripture.
The problem, of course, is that these "special revelations" are often subjective and difficult to verify. One person’s divine vision is another person’s hallucination. 🤪
D. The "God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways" Argument:
This response essentially throws up its hands and says that we simply can’t understand God’s reasons for remaining hidden. God’s ways are beyond human comprehension. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," as the Bible says.
This argument can be frustrating for non-believers, as it essentially shuts down any further discussion. It’s like saying, "The answer is unknowable, so stop asking questions!" 🤐
E. The "We Are Not Ready" Argument:
This response suggests that humanity is simply not ready for a full and unambiguous revelation of God. We are like children who would be overwhelmed by the full truth of reality. We need to mature and develop before we can handle the full weight of divine presence.
This argument is like saying, "You can’t handle the truth!" It implies that belief is a gradual process, and that humanity is still on a journey towards greater understanding. 🚶♀️
F. The "God is Hidden for a Specific Purpose" Argument:
This is a more nuanced argument that suggests that God is hidden for a specific purpose, such as testing faith or creating a space for genuine love and devotion. It acknowledges the hiddenness but claims it’s part of a larger divine plan.
This is similar to a parent giving a child a surprise. The surprise is kept hidden until the right moment to maximize its impact. 🎁
Table: Summary of Theistic Responses
| Response | Core Idea | Analogy | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Will Defense | God values free will above forced belief. | Cosmic parent allowing teenager to make mistakes. | Addresses the problem of coercion. | Doesn’t explain why some people have so much less evidence than others. |
| Soul-Making Theodicy | Challenges and difficulties are essential for spiritual growth. | Cosmic personal trainer pushing us to our limits. | Explains the existence of suffering. | Doesn’t justify gratuitous suffering. |
| Special Revelation | God reveals Godself to specific individuals or groups. | Receiving a secret message. | Accounts for mystical experiences. | Subjective and difficult to verify. |
| God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways | God’s reasons are beyond human comprehension. | Trying to understand quantum physics with a calculator. | Acknowledges the limits of human understanding. | Can be seen as a cop-out. |
| We Are Not Ready | Humanity is not ready for a full revelation of God. | Giving a child adult responsibilities before they are ready. | Suggests belief is a process. | Can be seen as condescending. |
| God is Hidden for a Specific Purpose | Hiddenness serves a greater divine plan. | Surprise gift being kept secret. | Offers a reason for the hiddenness. | Requires belief in a larger divine plan. |
IV. Critiques of the Theistic Responses: The Skeptical Pushback
While these theistic responses offer potential explanations for the Problem of Divine Hiddenness, they are not without their critics. Skeptics often argue that these responses are ad hoc, meaning they are specifically designed to address the problem without any independent evidence.
(Slide 4: Common Skeptical Critiques)
A. The Arbitrariness Objection:
This objection argues that many of the theistic responses seem arbitrary. Why would God value free will to such an extreme degree that God allows immense suffering? Why would God hide Godself for a "specific purpose" that seems opaque and unclear? These justifications often seem contrived and unconvincing.
It’s like saying, "I failed the exam because the universe wanted me to learn a valuable lesson about humility." It might be true, but it sounds like an excuse. 🙄
B. The Unequal Access Objection:
This objection points out that some people seem to have much less access to God than others. Some people are born into environments where belief is strongly encouraged, while others are born into environments where belief is actively discouraged. Some people have mystical experiences, while others never do. If God truly wants everyone to know God, why this unequal distribution of evidence?
It’s like giving some students a cheat sheet for the test, while others have to rely on their own knowledge. It doesn’t seem fair. ⚖️
C. The Problem of Reasonable Non-Belief:
This is a particularly potent objection. It argues that there are many sincere, intelligent, and morally upright individuals who have considered the evidence for God and found it lacking. If God truly wanted these individuals to believe, why hasn’t God provided them with sufficient evidence?
It’s like saying, "I really want to learn to play the guitar, but I’ve never been given a guitar or any lessons." It’s hard to succeed without the necessary tools and resources. 🎸
D. The "Hiding in Plain Sight" Fallacy:
This critique suggests that some theistic responses commit the fallacy of "hiding in plain sight." By claiming that God’s hiddenness is actually a form of revelation, they are essentially making the problem disappear by redefining it.
Imagine claiming that the absence of unicorns proves their existence because they are so good at hiding. It’s a circular argument that doesn’t actually address the original question. 🎠
V. Conclusion: A Cosmic Mystery Remains
So, where does all this leave us? Well, the Problem of Divine Hiddenness is a complex and challenging issue with no easy answers. It raises profound questions about the nature of God, the purpose of life, and the role of faith.
(Slide 5: Conclusion: A Cosmic Question Mark)
Ultimately, whether you find the theistic responses convincing or not depends on your own worldview and your own experiences. Some people find solace and meaning in faith, even in the face of uncertainty. Others find the lack of clear evidence to be a compelling reason for skepticism.
The important thing is to engage with the problem thoughtfully and honestly. Don’t be afraid to ask difficult questions, and don’t be afraid to change your mind if the evidence leads you in a different direction.
The search for truth, whether it leads us to belief or non-belief, is a journey worth taking. And who knows, maybe one day God will finally reveal Godself in a way that everyone can understand. Until then, the cosmic game of charades continues! 😉
(Lecture Hall Applause)
Alright, that’s all for today! Don’t forget to read chapter 7 for next week. And try not to lose too much sleep pondering the mysteries of the universe! Good day!
