can god create a rock he cant lift?

Answer 1

Is the God of the Bible omnipotent?The word "omnipotent" is never used in the Bible, but has been inferred primarily by one of God's Hebrew titles, "Shadday," which is most often translated "almighty."1 However, the Bible never claims that God can do all things. In fact, the Bible makes a point that there are things that God cannot do. The Bible says that God cannot commit sin.2 God cannot lie.3 Therefore, biblical omnipotence does not mean that God can do all things. God cannot do anything that is contrary to His holy character. However, God can do anything that He determines to do. This is a true meaning of omnipotence - the ability to do anything that one sets out to do.

Specific arguments against omnipotenceSome of the arguments against omnipotence are plain silly and stupid. Can God create a spherical triangle? Saying that omnipotence requires the ability to do logically impossible things is stupid. God cannot turn truth into a lie. If humans define a triangle as a two dimensional object formed by the intersection of three lines, it makes no sense to ask if God could make one that was spherical. When one says that God is all-powerful, one means that God is able to accomplish all that He desires to do. Even an all-powerful being cannot do what is impossible by definition. God can do many things that are humanly impossible. However, there are some things that even an all-powerful being cannot do.

Can God create a rock He cannot lift? Since an all-powerful being will always be able to accomplish whatever He sets out to do, it is impossible for an all-powerful being to fail. The above atheistic argument is arguing that since God is all-powerful He can do anything - even fail. This is like saying that since God is all-powerful He can be not all-powerful. Obviously, this is absurd. An all-powerful being cannot fail. Therefore, God can create a rock of tremendous size, but, since He is all-powerful, He will always be able to lift it. The ability to fail is not a part of omnipotence.

Answer 2

The question is not stupid, it's just a popular way of expressing frustration with the incomprehensibility of attributes of God. A similar question would be "Can God create a square-circle?"

These and questions like them relate to the attribute of omnipotence, or all-powerfulness, that is frequently used to describe God. It is a subset of the question "What does omnipotence mean?" "Can god do literally anything?"

The logically impossible (square-circles, married-bachelors, etc) cannot exist, and therefore any being with the supposed capacity to create the logically impossible also cannot exist. Most theologians know this, so they maintain that God cannot do the logically impossible (create square-circles, create rocks so big he can't lift them), but that this does not detract from his all-powerfulness. Most theologians maintain that anything we can imagine, or that a skilled artist can draw, God can do.

There is not enough space here to detail all the problems and self-contradictions inherent in this concept of omnipotence, nor is there space to display the glaring contradictions once the trait of omnipotence is combined with other traits such as omniscience (all-knowing) and omnibenevolence (all-loving). Any reader interested in further study should consult the book references on this page: http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/omnipotence.html or the excellent treatment of the topic by George Smith in Atheism: The Case Against God.

Answer 3

No, because He is omnipotent. While I do realize the paradox of your question, I would have to say that if He did create such a rock, it would go against the grain of His omnipotence. He would create the rock, but not be able to lift it? That's almost like saying if a tree falls in the forest and no one is present to witness it, does it still make a sound? Therefore, despite His omnipotence, I'd have to say that no, he couldn't create one that he couldn't lift.

Answer 4

How does this one keep getting asked? God can create a rock of infinite size and weight but also can lift and infinite amount of weight! how's that for an answer?

Answer 5

it is an awesome question!!! because if God can't create a rock that he cant raise, hence there's a reduce to his skill. yet, If he can create a rock that he can't raise, then there ought to also be a reduce to his skill, as he can't make himself solid adequate to boost the rock. In answering that question, someone is putting forward that god isn't "all skill-finished", hence has limits and could no longer be as "grand" as some believe he's. Congratulations!!! =)

Answer 6

1. Yes. then He would create a crane to lift it for Him.

2. No. God controls gravity, weight and mass mean nothing to Him.

Answer 7

No, God made, He can lift it. The thing made is always weaker then then the Creator, but will He want to lift it is the question!

Answer 8

My first response was no...but come to think of it... If He is all powerful and WILLED the rock to be too heavy, then He would not be able to lift it, as long if it is His will..so my answer is yes.

Answer 9

Yes and God has already created it: it's a human's ability to come to the realization that he or she needs to repent before Him. A human being's false pride is one heavy stone!

Although God calls all of us (even atheists) to repentance and belief, he will not force us; it's against His very nature.

Answer 10

why would he want to? is the more important question. for kicks? to say, hey look! a rock! and i can't lift it!