Why is the Christian God shy?

Question

Let's see how many read the question ;-)

Considering that in the OT God shows up as burning bushes, towers of smoke, plagues of locust, first-borns drop dead, parting the Red Sea, world-wide flood, booming voice from the sky, stops the sun, etc etc, one might deduce that God doesn't have a problem showing Himself.

And yet, after Paul's vision, God seems to disappear altogether.

God wasn't too concerned about faith back in the OT. He even allows Himself to be tested against another god (whose priests can't get the wood to burn so they can offer sacrifice, Moses staff turning into a serpent and eating the serpents of Pharoah's wizards, etc). So why has God grown so shy?

Seems there are no valid religious explanations (curing cancer patients "every day" is evidence of medical science, not godly miracles - godly miracles would be the result of the laying on of hands, etc).

Seeing God in nature, etc, is no different than the evidence available during OT times, yet God appeared repeatedly as described in my question. So this claim doesn't explain anything.

And claiming only the faithful could see Him discounts the fact Pharoah's soldiers were drowned in the parted Red Sea, that Egyptians saw the result of God's curse on the first-born, etc

In the absence of a valid religious answer to this question...

Answer 1

Because back in the Original Testament times, science was not advanced enough to test any claims, so everything was believed without an alternative theory.

Once science progresses, and it becomes easier to explain things naturally instead of supernaturally, it becomes harder and harder to make up the typical stories that accompany God.

Answer 2

OT , Ywh...was a god that got directly involved with his people...'cause Ywh was an up-close and personal deity...he micromanaged BIG time. OT believers were expected to DO things to express their belief...their deity had to DO stuff to fulfill their covenant....[ OK , I'm making this overly simplistic..bur essentially accurate]

NT...maybe not Pauline but more accurately Greek thought was favored...and the godhead/deity/PR image was changed to that of the immanent yet ineffable godhead


"A History of God" by K.Armstrong is an easy read

If you get in a little/lot deeper,,,,,Bultmann

Answer 3

Maybe He's simply frustrated with those who question His existence instead of simply having faith.

If you recall, only a few people were actually witness to God's power and presence in the Old Testament. It is the same today. He's performing miracles all the time, but only those select few that choose to belief in Him get to witness these miracles. If you're really looking, it sounds like you haven't been in the right place.

Answer 4

nicely, as a borderline agnostic, i be conscious of that Jesus Christ's message has been written down, and adjusted many, and an excellent sort of situations over the 2011 years. Islam and Judaism agree on many stuff, Islam is of a similar opinion on Jesus being a prophet. reason the interest of Christ has been replaced? for political and fiscal income. think of approximately it, why the hell do human beings think of approximately procuring stuff for another on Christ's birthday?

Answer 5

God hasn't grown shy. He, for some reason, decided to show himself in other ways. You ask any believer, when God wants to get ahold of them, he does it in such a way that you KNOW its God. I see your point that God seems to have disappeared...but I think He knows the best way to get ahold of this generation, and he is doing it. But there are still amazing miracles, we just don't hear about them as much becuase we have to be "tolerant" of all religions. For example, in Afghanistan, when a bomb blew up, no one in the platoon that was next to it was hurt. The reason? Footage showed a man who was NOT part of the platoon standing before the explosion shielding it. THAT is God.

Answer 6

I've heard it's because his preasence is too great for mortals to stand. In the OT it says if Moses were to look at his face, he would have dropped dead, which is why God covered his face when he showed himself. I'm not sure if this answers your question, but that's what I think.

Answer 7

Oh, He's showing Himself. Maybe you're just not looking hard enough. He shows Himself in a surprise bonus for a single mom with five kids. He shows Himself in the smile of an orphan who is overwhelmed with excitement for getting socks for Christmas. He shows Himself by healing people with cancer everyday. He shows Himself by letting you catch a shooting star out of the corner of your eye. Your just too busy trying to prove that He doesn't exist to notice.

Answer 8

Nothing shy about God. He is represented by the New Testament "Body of Christ". This is the age when God works through men who faithfully follow Him.

Answer 9

Kathy pretty much answered it. God said to Moses that flesh could look upon Him and live. That is pretty much the big and small of it.

Answer 10

Because he only shows him self to crazy people. We lock them all up now a days, or just pass them in the streets thinking to our selves, get the hell away from me.