Do people require their distance from God....?

Question

Those who believe in God are often chided for belief in a being that seems to hold aloof. I wonder, though, if this very distance is one of the necessary ingredients to strong religious faith.

See, I have always held to the belief that God, if he is to be sought out, is to be found in our fellow man. I've often used the phrase that "God must look like my friend, or I won't recognize him." Mind you, I am an Atheist, but I have in my contemplation of life tried to connect to a feeling of deity, and have always gone after the human component. I've seen it as a strength, the familiarity of divinity expressed through the best of human behaviour: charity, kindness, comforting one another, etc. My idea of "God" has been an expression of human action, a positive verb.

I wonder, though, if those who maintain God as aloof have that very distance as a strength to their faith. When God is too human, he is disappointing at times, just as humans are. Perhaps distance is good? Thoughts?

Answer 1

Thanks for sharing that thought with us. Maybe the distance is needed , and is usually caused by a temporary disappointment(s), and especially at this time of year, the hype of Christmas time increases our expectations of joy and universal love, and then we see the reality of our lives and we are disappointed, or universally we see our soldiers dying in Iraq, and ask "Where is the universal love?" It seems the same with God*, some, if not most religious leaders, and even religious authors, even in the Bible, have defined God according their agenda, and the result is a hyped up God, and yet we don't always see an all powerful, all the time, everywhere God* in the realities of our God. On the other hand, Jesus rarely talked about God, or even referred to God as God, but as our Heavenly father. And rarely did he do even that. Mainly Jesus talked about the things you talked about in your question. --- sorry for rambling ..

note: I miss the Jack B with his ironic humor. But I am slowly starting to appreciate your deeper more somber side. - chagrin

Answer 2

There's a huge difference in degree of faith. To say that a belief in the theory of evolution requires faith, is to stretch the definition of faith to the point where it has very little meaning. It's like saying it requires faith to believe that the entire world is real and not an illusion. To say there is no concrete evidence of macro-evolution since it can't be observed isn't correct either. That kind of reasoning would mean we can't be sure of anything since it wasn't observed. We don't need to observe the shifting of tectonic plates to know that they created mountain ranges. We can easily deduce the cause and effect relationship. However, to believe in an intelligent designer, we would have to use a double standard in evaluating reality. Just because Christmas presents appear under the tree on Christmas morning doesn't mean Santa Claus exist, does it ? There are better, more logical explanations, that have a much higher probability of being correct.

Answer 3

A very deep question and many believers would not even have a clue what are you speaking about because some are blinded from the start.

The distance is so much important between the creator and his creation, it just shows who's in control. If God was so close and familiar to his creation, then the characteristics of invincibility and ambiguity would become feeble. The respect and fear is greater when you don't know and you can't reach something or somebody. It gives God much more importance and greatness. Yeah the distance is an essential component of faith in believers, you can't prove something wrong for invisible actions.

Answer 4

No, it's actually the very opposite for me. I don't find aloofness in God at all. I feel Jesus/God as being near to us, close to us just as a good friend would be. I believe that is what brings strength to the faith, knowing he encompasses our lives in a real almost tangible way when we are mindful of his presence. 'When' being the key word.

Now, do I ALWAYS feel this way? No, sometimes he does have the appearance of being aloof to me but, in retrospect, it was because of my state of mindfulness, and years go by when I don't bother praying and then it dawns on me that my spirit is dwindling and I recognize that it's affecting me and then I thoughtfully seek the comfort of feeling my "friends" love again and I feel the spiritual warmth embrace me with a welcome.

You may not understand this but I figured you may appreciate a different perspective....

Answer 5

Actually it's not an aloofness as much as an understanding of The Creators position on the food chain!
I find it inspirational that the Creator of everything knows me better than the mayor of my city.And yes, I too, find that sense of deity through friends and the smile of strangers at a right moment and even my so called enemies.

Answer 6

I remember in my Philosophy of Religion discussing the concept of the priesthood (any religion, ancient or modern) is to maintain a go-between position between God and man, because meeting God up close and personal would be too overwhelming. This is consistent with those who figure either a sun god sort of deity or that "awe-full" clear light that demands ones full attention. Mystics have commented on the overwhelming aspect of meeting God face-to-face, as it were.

Most people need that distance to remain sane.

Answer 7

Biblically the distance between man and God is sin. God walked the earth with Adam and Eve until they sinned…man can never equate in the terms of walking a parallel path, but rather a path to God. If we are so familiar with our God than how is it we can bow to him.
The distance is in obedience.

Answer 8

Perfect question, I feel your connect with God is what you make and your degree of being indroctrinated into a belief system. It's all where the heart is.

Answer 9

God is very disappointing if you are expecting any help with your life.

We are on our own here.

They only way I know how to connect with God is during dreams or meditation. Even so, the experiences could be logically explained away. So, just go by what makes sense to you.

Answer 10

Anyone believing in an omnipresent being should find it impossible to get any distance from it.