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If God exists, and wants to be known, how is it possible that some open-minded people don't believe in God? In my case, if God existed, I would want to know. Is a theist committed to saying that either I don't really want to know of God's existence, or that God doesn't really want me to know?
Accepted:
June 27, 2010

Comments

Eric Silverman
June 29, 2010 (changed June 29, 2010) Permalink

I suppose there are sophisticated theologies that would take either of the options you suggest. Yet I think a third position is possible. Someone could claim that 'being open-minded' is a necessary but not sufficient condition for discovering God's existence. Perhaps, it requires some more aggressive effort or a step of faith to come to believe in God. There is considerable literature in philosophy of religion circles on 'The Problem of Divine Hiddenness' that asks (from the believer's viewpoint) why the existence of God is not more evident.

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