Sorry in advance for the long reply.
What do you think of this illustration? (this is not my belief, just a brief point of view I have come up with)
I think it portrays a possible perspective and baits another into argument. I'll explain:
The Christian meaning of life is like being in a family, but you've never met your dad.
No Christian has not met God, I would respond. At some level, to become a Christian, there has been a significant heart change beyond the control of the person, God directly exerting force to change the perception of the heart, allowing it to receive the gospel. Then, and only then, is a person even able to choose God; after God has already worked in them. The conversion
experience is the recognition and understanding of the gospel, which teaches the changing of heart and the Person [God] who is the cause of the change. It is meeting God that begins the Christian life, I think.
You're told he's off in some desert fighting a war for your freedom, but he never answers your letters.
We are not told that God is some distant entity with whom we have not related. It seems to me
you've been told that, believed it, and are projecting it onto those with faith. (Most) Christians believe that God is present, and interactive.
Say the father does exist. Then we the inexperienced, incompetent children are supposed to form the whole relationship with him with no obvious participation on his part, using methods that are just plain vague and inconsistent.
Quite the oposite. The vast bulk of the relationship is on
His part, and His is the most obvious and necessary, to a Christian. In the beginning, God created us to have a relationship with Himself; being thus created, our ultimate purpose and satisfaction is to be in that relationship. We chose another god (ourselves) instead of Him. That's what sin is... choosing something else over God. Since to choose God is to choose life, to choose other than God is to choose death. Now, it is human nature to sin... we choose to sin by default, and are unable, except by the influence of God, to do good. Everything
good in the world has God behind it. Even those who don't believe in Him do good
by His influence, for they have no good intentions of their own.
Having sinned, we aren't able to have a relationship with Him, and we aren't able to atone for our own sins, only the shed blood of a perfect sacrifice can atone for our sins, and we are far from perfect. So... again we are helpless to act, and this is where the Christ steps in. He did
not sin, and was therefore in perfect relationship with God, a pure, unblemished sacrifice. The ball at this point is squarely in God's court, our lives are wholly in His hand. If God chose not to sacrifice His son to pay for our sins, we would die in our sins. He did act of His own accord, though, and Jesus was mutilated in sacrifice so that our sins would be covered.
It doesn't stop their, either.
We are not able to comprehend the truth of what I have just written without God's participation, for our minds are naturally darkened to such an understanding. God must, as I have said earlier, change our hearts to be able to understand these truths.
Finally, a Christian fights a constant battle throughout his life to put to death his old nature. I have been a Christian for many years, but I still sin. If I were left to my own, I could not deny myself the short pleasures that sin offer, I do not have the internal fortitude to deny every single sin by myself. As I allow the further influence of God in my life, though, He gives me the strength to fight those battles. It is “not I, but Christ” (a famous quote from Roy Hession) that is fighting the battle, for I, a simple man, cannot.
So we have a few foundational things that God does that are inseparable from the core of Christianity:
1.God created us to be fulfilled in Himself, so interaction is necessary.
2.God provides and is the facility for us to move beyond our depravity.
3.God causes the recognition of his facility in the Christians heart.
4.God is continually the saving power (salvation) in a Christian's heart.
So... you probably don't agree with a lot of that, but that's okay. You can see in my explanation, though, that Christians are dependent on persistent active participation from God. Of course, one can question the perception of that interaction.
But we were told through his book that this would work!
Hmm... if “father” exists, then what I explained above is completely dependent upon
Him. This is faith: we must trust that He is who He says He is.
This book that the supposed military man gave us is full of wonderous excitement. Dad can fly? My father can walk through walls?
I've seen people's bones and tendons grow back together in seconds before my own eyes, with scores of witnesses. That's wondrous, too.
He even gives a list of things he would take offense to, and he wants me to obey, otherwise mom will deliver righteous punishment.
He gave you the list so that you know you will only fail to live up to His standard.
Everyone, including Christians, fail a sickening, pathetic sort of failure when it comes to God's standards. The point isn't to keep them all and hope you get into heaven. The point is to realize that you can't keep them all, beg God for mercy, and ask for help. He's more than willing to help, and he does not take any pleasure in punishing people, He would much rather bless you more than your heart can handle, but He isn't willing to do that if your'e glorifying yourself. Give credit where it's due.
I'm not sure you know who mom even is.
I see your point but I was trying to follow up Metzudas post that we are here to glorify God. The part about punishment was only a hint that maybe the churches subtle goal is to control.
I will not deny that there are parts of the church that desire control: experience tells me this, and history tells me this, and the Bible warns that it will happen. However, no truly God-fearing Christian has such notions.
Glorifying God
defeats lust for control, it is opposed to it. Glorifying God doesn't take control of other people, it gives all of one's control to God. Glorifying God means
not burning people at the stake; but rather presenting good teachings that defend against those that are errant. Glorifying God means
not going to LGBT events merely to bash, protest, and mock gays and lesbians; but rather to demonstrate love, acceptance, and reconciliation towards them, even if we cannot condone their lifestyle. Glorifying God means
not mocking someone because they speak in ignorance, but gently correcting them at a proper time. Glorifying God means
not demanding that people worship God a certain way (and ostracizing them if they do not), but demonstrating a heart that is humble in it's adoration of the beauty of God.
Whatever some in the Church portray as Christian, the only way to define Christian is to define it God's way. The Church's actions do not always glorify God, sometimes they serve to dirty the world's view of Him. That does not change the nature of a true believer, though, nor does it reflect the nature of God.