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If he is able to create such a rock he is impossible to lift such a rock.
If he is not able to create such a rock he is impossible to create such a rock.
In both case God is unable to do one thing.

2006-12-26 20:41:02 · 29 answers · asked by The atheist revolutionary 2 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

29 answers

Hmmm, smart question, I hope religious people think it well.

2006-12-26 20:48:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0 5

You say in both cases God would be be left unable to do one thing, thus rendering him less than omnipotent. They key is would he? that is a conditional, it would be if that were so. That would be the case if that were the case, but it is not the case, unless he makes it.Because he is the one being required to render his own omnipotence less than omnipotent.So the final analyisis will be that , in this case, being less than omnipotent woud prove his omnipotence.

I f he is omnipotent of course he is able to make suc a rock, but remember it does not exist on its own, he would have to create it, this new reality in which he is not omnipotent. It only exists in both cases if he chooses to make the rock exist, that would make the case you speak of.

So naturally speaking there is nothiing he cannot do, he would have to create a situation(case) where there is something he cannot do, it doesn't exist unless he makes it.


But what needs to be created does not exist.
If he were to make it, then yes that woud be such a case in which there was something that he could not do.
But what comes before that decision to make that case exist, is omnipotent choice to do so.So you need omnipotence to create the lack of omnipotence.

It would be His omnipotent choice to create a condition in which he would willingly give up omnipotence or become less than omnipotnent.
In this case his lack of omnipotence would prove his omnipotence.
And he can certainly will that and create that condition if he desires it..
So it is through omnipotence that he becomes less than omnipotent,thus proving his omnipotence.

So he could create the condition that would leave him unable to do one thing, as you say, because he can do all things.
So the only question left is:

Would God willingly give up his omnipotence by creating a situation in which he was less than omnipotent for a while, in order to prove his omnipotence? He certainly can do it, he can do all things, even that, but would he?
So the case you describe doesn't disprove Gods omnipotnece or deny it but sets the stage for a way God can prove it

2006-12-26 21:40:09 · answer #2 · answered by Socinian F 3 · 0 0

Ofcourse God can do that! - But Nothing can be Greater than God, cos even if He did create such a rock, He will still have the power to undo it - Do you understand? This is what it means when we say The Almighty!

2006-12-26 21:04:41 · answer #3 · answered by U2 1 · 0 0

The Irresistible force against the immovable object.

A sophomore kind of question.

Look up the Middle Age debate about the nature of God. Is He the Self Moved Mover or the Prime Mover Unmoved.?

Or the more modern version... The First Cause Argument.

2006-12-26 20:59:17 · answer #4 · answered by forgivebutdonotforget911 6 · 0 0

You sound like an ignorant thinker who is out to try and prove that God is not real. Sounds like to me you have a hard time believing God isn't real. Make up your mind and don't be so double minded. Well he GOD is able to send you to hell so I guess that would be the lift part. and he has sent us Jesus so there is the ROCK. Since your question is a little anti-Christ I have some news for you. You are either HOT or COLD. If warm then you will be spit out. So why not take the bible that you never read out from under your couch open it up to 1st John 1:9 Confess your sins for he is faithfull and just to cleans us from all unrightiousness..

2006-12-26 21:10:31 · answer #5 · answered by Anointed71 4 · 0 0

The key to the resolution of this apparent conflict is to recognize that when we say God is all powerful, we do not imply that He is capable of doing anything imaginable. True, Scripture states that "with God all things are possible" (Mt. 19:26). But Scripture also states that there are some things God cannot do. For instance, God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2). Neither can He be tempted to sin, nor can He tempt others to sin (James 1:13). In other words, He cannot do anything that is "out of character" for a righteous God. Neither can He do anything that is out of character for a rational being in a rational world. Certainly even God cannot "undo the past," or create a square triangle, or make what is false true. He cannot do what is irrational or absurd.

2006-12-26 20:51:34 · answer #6 · answered by Pilgrim 4 · 1 1

there is not any paradox. If He could no longer elevate it He would not be all-powerful, and as a result He would not be God. as a result the question is surely asking if god can create a difficulty wherein he's no longer God. NO, because of the fact via His very nature he's eternal. the lack to act opposite to His nature would not point out any loss of capability.

2016-10-28 11:07:49 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

It sounds to me that this is your version of Pascal's Wager.

God is supposed to be omnipotent. If he is omnipotent, then he can create a rock so big that he can't pick it up. If he cannot make a rock like this, then he is not omnipotent. If he can make a rock so big he can't pick it up, then he isn't omnipotent either. Either way demonstrates that God cannot do something. Therefore God is not omnipotent. Therefore God does not exist.

Is this logical? No. The problem is that the argument omits some crucial information and draws an inaccurate conclusion.


What the above "paradox" lacks is vital information concerning God's nature. His omnipotence is not something independent of his nature. It is part of his nature. God has a nature and his attributes operate within that nature, as does anything and everything else.


For example, I have human nature. I can run. But, I cannot outrun a lion. My nature simply does not permit it. My ability to run is connected to my nature and I cannot violate it. So too with God. His omnipotence is connected to his nature since being omnipotent is part of what he is. Omnipotence, then, must be consistent with what he is and not with what he is not since His omnipotence is not an entity to itself. Therefore, God can only do those things that are consistent with his nature. he cannot lie because it is against his nature to do so. Not being able to lie does not mean he is not God or that he is not all powerful. Also, he cannot cease to be God. Since he is in all places at all times, if he stopped existing then he wouldn't be in all places at all time. Therefore, he cannot cease to exist without violating his own nature.


The point is that God cannot do something that is a violation of His own existence and nature. Therefore, he cannot make a rock so big he can't pick up, or make something bigger than himself, etc. But, not being able to do this does not mean he is not God nor that he is not omnipotent. Omnipotence is not the ability to do anything conceivable, but the ability to do anything consistent with his nature and consistent with his desire within the realm of his unlimited and universal power which we do not possess. This does not mean he can violate His own nature. If he did something inconsistent with his nature, then he would be self contradictory. If God were self contradictory, he would not be true. Likewise, if he did something that violated his nature, like make a rock so big he can't pick it up, he would also not be true since that would be a self contradiction. Since truth is not self contradictory, and neither is God, if he were not true, then he would not be God. But God is true and not self contradictory, therefore, God cannot do something that violates his own nature.

2006-12-26 20:57:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

ya man don't put god to the test. god is such an infinitely complex being. god has been here since forever. we can't comprehend that. all we need to know about god is in his holy word

2006-12-26 20:51:01 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

I thought vengeance was kidding about his link- http://www.god.com/ but it is a real link. It is online religious books.

oh yeah, about your question, you need new material. that one is over a hundred years old. I am not sure how much older but it is a logic problem anyhow. I think it was created when they were arguing about wether God was omnipotent or not back in the middle ages. Not much of what we discuss hear is new. The atheists were arguing their points ever since the religious started spouting off about their Gods.

2006-12-26 21:14:29 · answer #10 · answered by Barabas 5 · 0 0

Catch 22

Yes, he can.

But later on he can also make himself even more powerful then lift it or he may just lighten the load.

Your question did not imply that God can never ever lift the rock.

God may have created that rock in YOU, sir.

2006-12-26 20:58:31 · answer #11 · answered by nemesis 4 · 1 0

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