3

Some people think that God cannot exist because he would be paradoxical, for example "If God is omnipotent, can he create an object he cannot move?" How should this question be answered? Thanks.

Ovi
  • 778
  • 1
  • 8
  • 19

1 Answers1

8

The question is based on a false premise, that omnipotence means the ability to do anything. Rather omnipotence means posessing infinite power:

  1. almighty or infinite in power, as God.
  2. having very great or unlimited authority or power.
    source

Having infinite power does not give one the ability to do anything. It only gives them the ability to do anything which is possible by force. No amount of power allows one to do the logically impossible: Draw a spherical square, or create an object so large it cannot be moved, sing the color purple, or any other logical impossibility.

See my answer on Philosophy.SE to a simliar question (which was originally here, but migrated).

Community
  • 1
Flimzy
  • 22,191
  • 20
  • 105
  • 212
  • Just for the record: if you use the proper metrics (distance function), the circle can be drawn as a square. – Charlie Jul 22 '13 at 17:12
  • 1
    @Charlie: Answer updated to be more impossible.. ;) – Flimzy Jul 22 '13 at 17:13
  • Yes. God has infinite power to do. Not the power to fulfill demands that don't mean anything! +1 ... even though I'm voting to close. – svidgen Jul 22 '13 at 17:17
  • If He has infinite power, He also has power to do senseless things. – Charlie Jul 22 '13 at 17:24
  • @Charlie: No amount of power allows one to do that which is logically impossible. It is logically impossible to draw a sphericial square. The definitions of "sphere" and "square" do not overlap such that it is possible, regardless of the amount of "power" one has. The same is true with the word puzzle of "create an object so large it cannot be moved." Both of these scenarios are word games, which describe impossible concepts. Power is irrelevant. – Flimzy Jul 22 '13 at 17:26
  • 3
    @Charlie Don't think of it as that which is logically impossible, but that which is linguistically meaningless. It's akin to asking whether God can ingslurp dinglebottoms. The only reasonable response from any intelligent being is, "that doesn't mean anything." – svidgen Jul 22 '13 at 17:30
  • @Flimzy: We don't know. We're assuming God can't do something illogical, but it doesn't mean He couldn't do it.

    It is true that a spherical square can't be drawn nor imagined. But the problem here is that we have finite understanding too. To conclude: 37 But nothing is impossible for God. Luke 1:37

     – Charlie Jul 22 '13 at 17:32
  • 2
    @Charlie Yes, but what the word-problem is asking God to do isn't something. It's not illogical. It's inherently meaningless. It's a collection of words that cannot be interpreted in a correct manner. – svidgen Jul 22 '13 at 17:35