مسئلۀ «اختفایِ الهی» به روایت تئودور درنج و نسبتِ آن با مسئلۀ « تنوّع دینی»

This article explores and analyzes Theodore Drange's reading of the "problem of divine hiddenness," also known as the "problem of nonbelief." According to Drange, unlike Schellenberg's interpretation, the focus of nonbelief is not on the existence of the God of Abrahamic religions but on the "salvific truth" as it is believed within a particular religion/faith. For instance, in evangelical Christianity, doctrines such as the Trinity, Incarnation, and Atonement are part of the salvific truth (the Gospel message). Consequently, according to religious exclusivism, the "problem of nonbelief" asks how God could allow the vast majority of humanity tos remain deprived of the “Gospel message”—and thus of divine guidance, and eternal salvation—simply due to the "accident of birth" into non-Christian families. If the God of evangelical Christianity truly existed, He would employ methods such as direct implant, miraculous heavenly voices, the inclusion of clear prophecies in the Bible, and other means to ensure that all people believe in the Gospel message. Therefore, it is likely that such a God does not exist. Drange discusses and refutes responses to the "argument from nonbelief," including the free-will defense, the divine testing defense, the afterlife defense, and the skeptical theism defense. Drange’s main point revolves around the dependence of "guidance and eternal salvation" on the "accident of birth," which remains a complex issue in religious soteriology that even Plantinga's responses fail to resolve. Thus, Drange’s argument will only find a reasonable answer through the abandonment of religious exclusivism and the acceptance of religious pluralism.