God is all-powerful, or as theologians put it, “omnipotent”; there is nothing that he cannot do.?

Question

This is part of the definition of “God”.
Can God create a stone that is so heavy that he cannot lift it? Either he can or he can’t.
If God can’t, then he isn’t all-powerful. If God can’t create a stone that he can’t lift, then there is something that he can’t do: create the stone. If God can create a stone that is so heavy that he can’t lift it, though, then he also isn’t all-powerful. If God can create a stone that is so heavy that he can’t lift it, then there’s something that he can’t do: lift that stone.
There is, therefore, no way of answering the question above that preserves God’s omnipotence. If there is an omnipotent God, then he neither can nor can’t create a stone so heavy that he cannot lift it. This, though, is absurd; he must be either able or unable to perform this feat.
This is the paradox of omnipotence. Many critics of theism have used it to argue that the concept of omnipotence is self-contradictory, that there can be no omnipotent being, and so that God cannot exist

Answer 1

Do you think this proves anything? Just because you can't conceive of an answer to it hardly makes it a problem from God's point of view. Man is by nature...pretty dumb. We do some dumb things. That's why we are considered the "children" in this relationship and He the Father. Because He has grown out of doing dumb things.

Here is a question for you, see if you can answer it.

Imagine I am from a world like yours except we have no salt or salty substances. You are stuck in my world forever and your trying to explain to me what it tastes like. Tell me, what does salt taste like using terms I can understand? (Remember you can't refer me to any substance like blood or food since nothing here has salt.)

While your trying to answer that question (good luck by the way)
you will realize that just because you don't have an answer for something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. That is... unless you stop believing in salt just because you can't answer the question?
God Bless.

Answer 2

Some philosophers maintain that the paradox can be resolved if the definition of omnipotence includes Descartes' view that an omnipotent being can do the logically impossible:

An omnipotent being can do the logically impossible.
The omnipotent being creates a stone which it cannot lift.
The omnipotent being then lifts the stone.
Presumably, such a being could also make the sum 2 + 2 = 5 become mathematically possible, or could create a square circle. In this case the being's omnipotence is defined by its power to overcome the inherent contradiction of such statements. In the words of Harry Frankfurt, "If an omnipotent being can do what is logically impossible, then he can not only create situations which he cannot handle but also, since he is not bound by the limits of consistency, he can handle situations which he cannot handle."

Answer 3

You decrease God. he's not constrained to our little brains. movie modifying isn't something for God. Say existence is nearly a large previous movie roll and when you consider that it truly is rolling out God can decrease, paste, opaque, upload, deduct, and so on. He may even step into history and grow to be an actor Himself. inspite of the undeniable fact that, it does say that He grow to be slain from the start position of the international. The Bible says all issues are a possibility with God. So even inspite of the undeniable fact that each thing is pre-ordained God and God in uncomplicated words can make transformations and the prayer of a righteous guy avails a lot. The unbeliever can pray all day and he remains heading in the right course, yet a believer can pray and God will regulate the entire international for the believer. Joshua 10:12-15 The solar behind time table occurring about an complete day - the day in history even as the solar STOOD nevertheless. God stopped the cataclysmic outcomes tht might want to have evidently befell which includes important tidal waves and gadgets flying. placed that on your technological information pipe and smoke it. I worship a Miracle Making God. All issues ARE a possibility With God. might want to the Lord instruct you a Miracle!

Answer 4

The problem here is more with the STONE (at least as you've DEFINED it), than with GOD!

Your question SOUNDS like it makes sense because of how it works when I apply it to ME (or any other mere creature). In other words, the statement "I can make an object that is too heavy for ME to lift" makes sense (and of course happens to be true).

So it appears like you're doing the same thing if you ask about the statement "God can make an object [instead of 'rock' to make it match the first case] that is too heavy for God to lift."

If we say "No, he cannot do that" it creates quite a conundrum -- God cannot do something that *I* can do!

But is that really true? Not necessarily. You see, you've been comparing apples and oranges. To say *I* can do something that God cannot do, I would have to say "I can make an object too heavy for GOD to lift." And that is NOT self-evidently true.

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To see that's going on try breaking it down into two statements.

The first statement is that of God's omnipotence. In this case it is expressed "If God is all powerful, he can lift any object, no matter how heavy." We'll assume that this is a proper deduction, so that the statement "God can lift any object, no matter how heavy." is true.

The second statement is "There is [or 'can be'] an object too heavy for God too lift".

Hmmm. Do you see the problem here? It is NOT, as you have assumed, with the idea of God being omnipotent (at least we cannot assume that it is, since we have not yet proved there is a problem with that idea). Rather it is that you have accepted, if only for the sake of argument, the proposition "God IS omnipotent". And from that you get the statement "God can lift anything." In other words, the DEFINITION of God you are using includes "One-who-can-lift-anything.......

So if that's your definition of God we should be able to plug it back into your second statement above:

"There can be an object to heavy for 'the-One-who-can-lift-anything (no matter how heavy)' to lift."

But that, of course, is nonsense. By the definition we've been using we have already SAID that such an object CANNOT exist-- "by definition!"

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If that isn't clear, try this.

The statement you started with "God [as omnipotent] can lift any object, no matter how heavy" leads, by simple deduction to another statement. => "there CANNOT be an object too heavy for God to lift"

Once you've said that, you cannot, at the SAME time, say "There CAN be an object too heavy for God to lift". You are, quite simply, contradicting yourself." So, however it may appear to you at first (when you haven't spelled out the definitions you are, in fact, using) your statement has no meaning.

Going back the original point -- it is hardly a limitation to God's power to say he is "unable" to do something that is a self-contradiction (and therefore meaningless). And nowhere does the Bible make such a sillly claim.

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Note then that the argument for the concept of omnipotence being self-contradictory is NOT supported by the scenario you've been using. Yes, there is a contradiction, but it stems from EQUIVOCATION by those posing the question -- that is, definitions are switched in the middle of the argument (and those definitions contradict each other).

The problem, in other words, is with the framing of the QUESTION, not with the concept of omnipotence. There are certainly legitimate grounds for criticizing theism, but to simply "define God away" by such confused used of language is not one of them!

Answer 5

You can pose queries as this one until the day you die and you still will have no answer. So, if you wish for wisdom and understanding the only thing I, can hope to illuminate you with is................... Get a phucking life, a family love them enjoy your time here because believe it or not it's very short. If you would please stop pondering questions as these on this kind of forum: for the only answers you shall recieve here are from ones that have no reply for what you seek. KNOWLEDGE CORRUPTS IGNORANCE IS BLISS. I guess that's why children are so happy and you're not.

Answer 6

Now let's talk about the paradox of God being benevolent. If there is evil in the world, it's either in accordance with god's plan or against it.

And further, the mere existence of evil in the world makes the existence of a benign god impossible: if god were omnipotent, he could eliminate evil and if he were benign, he would want to do so...another way of saying this:

If god is able to prevent evil but is not willing to prevent evil, then he is not benevolent.

If god is willing to prevent evil but is not able to prevent evil, then he is not omnipotent.

Evil is either in occordance with god's intention or contrary to it. Thus, either god cannot prevent evil or he does not want to prevent evil.

THEREFORE, it follows that god is either not omnipotent or he is not benevolent. He cannot be both omnipotent and benevolent.

Answer 7

He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He is the creator of everything so no there is nothing he cant do. The Bible speaks of it. Ezekial 38:19-21 for example.

Answer 8

ok well god can lift every thing,he can make every thing,so e could make a stone that would knock you'r socks off just looking at it,in other words,he could make a stone so big,that you could not see the end of it on either sides, and at the same time he could lift it.

Answer 9

If a Bible falls in a church, will an agnostic hear it? You certainly went to a lot of trouble to come up with a question that supports your conclusion. That's reverse logic and it's sometimes referred to as "philosophy" when it is asked as a part of an educational discussion.

Answer 10

Your thought process is much to worldly and logical. God is Pure Force and Energy - negative and positive - how can you have one without the other? All things are perfectly possible and with no limitations.