If your answer is No, then such an almighty entity does not exist.
Any convincing answer to my question will be much appreciated.
2007-04-20 17:57:19 · 29 answers · asked by Anunnaki 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
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.
- God is perfectly Good and can only do Good, therefore God cannot create nor do evil.
- 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.
2007-04-20 18:02:16 · answer #1 · answered by Ask Mr. Religion 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
That sounds like a challenge. Are you worthy enough of a person to pose a challenge to a deity?
And not much of challenge. The Almighty is not bound to laws of gravity, thermodynamics and elliptical orbits. These are forces keeping the physical world in balance. They have absolutely nothing to do with spirituality. Faith and belief provides individuals with a means of living a life beyond heavy rocks and rainstorms. Faith allows people to focus on self improvement as a means of contributing to the greater good. That sounds like a much more noble use of time than claiming one knows more about life than God.
2007-04-21 01:16:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
More importantly, could God create a burrito so hot even she couldn't eat it?
There is, of course, no convincing answer to the question, since the traditional god concept is inherently flawed (aside from being a stupid idea to begin with). Theologians have long loved to say that God can do anything, and by that she can do anything a person can say (with the occasional astute theologian noting that logical contradictions are off limits), but then you get into the fact that things like lifting are only a matter of words and perspective.
Of course God doesn't exist, but more importantly, if she did exist, she wouldn't be able to execute any old command. Not even C++ can do that, and unlike God, C++ is not bound by logic. (Both appear to be largely free of common sense, however.)
2007-04-21 01:03:07 · answer #3 · answered by Minh 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No. God cannot do the logically impossible, any more than He can act out of character with Himself. God cannot, for instance, create a square circle, stop being good, or cease being God. God can do everything that is possible to do, which includes those acts for which there may be no simple, immediate, apparent, human explanation, i.e. miracles. For further study, see Jeremiah 32:17, Matthew 19:26, Hebrews 6:18, and 2 Timothy 2:13.
For an essay exploring this question, see the following link(s):
http://www.carm.org/questions/rock.htm
http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5160
2007-04-21 01:00:26 · answer #4 · answered by Chris B 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
He could create a rock of infinite tonage. He could also lift a rock of infinite tonage. You see weakness in a being this powerful??
This is more an issue of basic logic than anything else, however. And even God, I don't believe, can do the illogical.
2007-04-21 01:00:40 · answer #5 · answered by whitehorse456 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If a God would exist, then he obviously created a rock that He completely forgot about. It's called earth.
I don't believe a God exists. So, my answer would be: He can't even create a rock that He _could_ lift.
2007-04-21 01:15:22 · answer #6 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no rock too heavy for god. So as you expand infinetly the weight of the rock, God will still be able to control it.
Why would you think that weight would be a problem for god?
He's not exactly carrying us on his shoulder
I believe my answer is convincing enough :D
2007-04-21 01:01:20 · answer #7 · answered by something crazy 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Yes. God could create not just a rock but a whole planet so big that he could not lift it but he wouldnt need to lift it because he could just destroy it and start over.Or he could supernaturally appoint someone like Samson to have that ability.
2007-04-21 15:59:05 · answer #8 · answered by alphaomegadisciple 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi Anunnaki. By asking this type of question what you are trying to do is temp God. God warns us of these temptations in Luke 4:9-13:
"Then he (the Devil) brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: ‘ He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ 11 and, ‘ In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God."
2007-04-21 01:15:28 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is like asking what if an unstoppable force meets an immovable wall. There can be no right answer.
One way I have heard it put is God can create that rock, but since he is God, he can lift it anyway.
2007-04-21 01:02:49 · answer #10 · answered by kitty21 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋