Sometimes we come across people who worship gods who are strangely absent from this world. Like absentee landlords, we philosophise about their existence and just hope we might be right. Many Irish will pray to a old man who they hope is up in the sky, and get very religious when death and other things happen (thanks Dylan Moran!).
And such accusations could have some leverage. Even the prophet Elijah back thousands of years ago was recorded (in 1 Kings 18) as challenging the other prophets in a fire dual, saying about their god:
‘Shout louder!’ he said. ‘Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or travelling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.’
17th June 1957, British mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872 – 1970). (Photo by John Drysdale/Keystone/Getty Images)
Would we want a god who enjoys travel? Well not in this way, always not showing up. Perhaps there are some ways I would like a God who travels, but my question is not so much what you or I would like, but what god really is out there (if any).
And for that I have a choice of many gods/religions who are absentee landlords and leave us saying with Bertrand Russell (one of Britain’s most famous philosophers and atheists) “not enough evidence god, not enough evidence” when asked to believe in them. Or one God who travels right to our doorstep and shows up.
Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself.
al-jabr 