If the God is almighty, can he create a stone that he can not lift?

Answer 1

Your observations ignore the proper, formal understanding of the concept of omnipotence.

The philosophical rationale is that a supreme being, God, cannot act in an illogical manner with respect to that being's divine and perfect attributes. Hence, God cannot make a rock so big that He could not move it, nor could God do anything that would be a logical contradiction to His divine nature.

Omnipotence means God can do everything **that is possible** within the boundaries of a supreme being. Omnipotence doesn’t mean that God can do anything. The concept of omnipotence has to do with power, not ability per se. In fact, there are many things God can’t do, for example,

- God can’t make square circles.

- God cannot lie.

- What God has created in His image, God cannot annihilate (to erase from existence, to destroy completely).

-**God cannot create a morally free creature that couldn’t choose evil or the creature would not be morally free to choose.**

None of these, though, have to do with power. Instead, they are logically contradictory, and therefore contrary to God’s rational nature.

See also:
"Whatever implies being and nonbeing simultaneously is incompatible with the absolute possibility which falls under divine omnipotence. Such a contradiction is not subject to it, not from any impotence in God, but because it simply does not have the nature of being feasible or possible. Whatever, then, does not involve a contradiction is in the realm of the possible with respect to which God is omnipotent. Whatever involves a contradiction is not within the scope of omnipotence because it cannot qualify for possibility. Better, however, to say that it cannot be done, rather than God cannot do it." (T. Aquinas Summa Theologica p. 163-164 , Volume I, ques. 15 ans. 3)

One needs to have a formal knowledge of philosophy and logic to understand the nature of omnipotence. Just claiming Go is all powerful so he can do anything is nonsensical to the trained person. Here are some references for your further study:

Omnipotence:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/omnipotence/

Omnipresence:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/omnipresence/

The Problem of Evil:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/evil/

Epistemology of Religion:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/religion-epistemology/

Pascal’s Wager:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager/

Ontology:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/logic-ontology/

Answer 2

The answer is "no".
There is only one thing God can not do. God cannot be "NOT God".
Being almighty and all knowing, God can create a rock.
Even before the moment of creation, God knows the rock's future for all eternity. If it is part of God's will that the rock should move (whether by His hand or by another's) then the rock can be made so that it can be moved/lifted. If it is part of God's will that the rock will not be moved/lifted, then He will not make an attempt.
To pose the concept that God would create a rock that should not be moved/lifted and then decide to do so, implies an error on the part of God which contradicts the nature of God.
The long and short is that if God creates a rock, it will be what He intends it to be and there will be no error. Either He intends to lift it (in which case it will be liftable) or He intends not to lift it (in which case it's liftability is moot). Because He is God, He will never make the mistake of making a rock that He intended to not move and then realize that He needs to have it moved.

Answer 3

Yes. My question to you is: how?

Or maybe:

Can God create a being, who is fully Himself, but not Himself, instead His Son, and fully human - not half God and half human, but fully God, and fully human?

Can He walk on water and contradict laws of physics?

Ascend to Heaven and contradict laws of motion and gravity?

Can He cause a fire to burn and not be consumed, and then speak from it?

Why is it you have to die twice, to live once; or give up your life and gain your life?

Do you choose God or does God choose you, does he pick a few and leave others for damnation? How could He?

Or the best question ever, are you saved and are you assured of your salvation, and if you aren't: does that worry you at all, that you have sinned against a perfect and holy God who must punish all sin? Tell me, which question is more important?

Can God life a stone so large that he can not lift? God can do anything that he so wills to do. I think creating such a stone would be a test of his Godhood and His omnipotence; because we are not to test the Lord our God, doing such a task would be impossible for God.

Does that make Him less God? No. There's lots of things God cannot do. He cannot sin, lie, steal, etc... So in other words: God cannot do anything that is in contradiction to His character or will. Therefore, He does only that which is in His will and is godly. Testing His strength and proving His Godhood uselessly isn't what He would do, you see this acted out in scripture plenty of times by Jesus turning down the requests for certain miracles. Therefore, the answer would be no.

Answer 4

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.

Could God think of a time when He was not omnipotent? If He can't think of it, He isn't omnipotent, but if He does think of it then there was a time when He wasn't omnipotent? This question is quite similar to the rock question above. The answer, of course, is that God can never think of a time when He wasn't omnipotent. God has always been omnipotent. His inability to contradict His divine character does not mean that He isn't omnipotent.

ConclusionThe atheist distorts the biblical definition of omnipotence in order to "prove" that God cannot exist. Contrary to their claims, omnipotence does not include the ability to do things that are, by definition, impossible. Neither does omnipotence include the ability to fail. By defining omnipotence as requiring one to have the ability to fail, atheists have defined omnipotence as being impossible. Of course, an omnipotent God would never fail.

These kinds of arguments are clearly illogical and even silly, although they are commonly used by inexperienced atheists. Most intelligent atheists have dropped these kinds of arguments long ago.

Answer 5

"If the God is almighty.."

It is "If God is Almighty.."

Your question assumes that God can or will do anything/everything - that is a flawed perception of God.

Can/Will God do everything?

No.

God cannot sin.
God will not answer prayer that is not in accordance to His will.

And to answer your question...

God IS Almighty.

But is it possible for God to create something that exceeds His infinite power?

Tell me, how can something exceed infinite power?

It can't.

So your question:

"If the God is almighty, can he create a stone that he can not lift?"

Is illogical.

Answer 6

Jigoku, of path G-d can not create a stone that he can not carry. this would properly be a classic occasion of the cut back of G-d's potential. which potential, he's only constrained via his lack of ability to cut back Himself. i be attentive to in the past each little thing that sounds slightly humorous, yet once you think of approximately it for a at the same time because it would start to make extra experience. wish I helped, The Mouse

Answer 7

No, because God exists outside the laws of the physical world.

Answer 8

since g-d isn't human, I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to lift it the sense that you are imagining.... BUT, yes, I believe he could. You also have to think, g-d has that much free time that he can just make a rock really big just to see if he can lift it???

Answer 9

A stone He cannot lift -- I have no idea what you are referring to!

Answer 10

Ask God.