The Problem
While God is like a father in many ways, He is not a human parent. He’s holy. The word holy means separate, unique—unlike anything else. God alone is God. There is no other. And the big problem is this: sin separates us from God. He is so perfect, and we are so imperfect, that we cannot be in a good relationship with Him. Sin is just another way to say self-centeredness. We don’t worship, serve, or love God. We worship, serve, and love ourselves. We don’t do what we were created to do, and this is the root of sin.
Maybe you’ve spoken to people about God, and they’ve said things like:
God wouldn’t let people suffer. God loves everybody—well, maybe except murderers and rapists. If there is a hell, which I doubt, a loving God doesn't want to see anyone permantly suffer. There are many paths to God; I can’t believe that God would only have one way.
Some people are so put off by a God whom they are unable to fit into their own image, that they refuse to believe one exists.