Can god prove "he" has a penis? If so, what does "he" do with it?
Could God create a rock so heavy He could not lift it?
by nicolaou 23 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Elsewhere
Oh... oh... I know.... He does naughty things to virgins! [Ba Doom, Psssss]
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John Doe
That's a self cancelling question, sort of like a logical double negative. It's the equivalent of asking "Can god do something he can't do?" The hangup is in the linguistics, not the subject.
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VoidEater
First establish a rock-lifting God
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villabolo
John Doe is right. It is a semantical thing. But as far as four sided triangles are concerned there is such a thing in three dimensional space without any perceptual or optical illusions. It's called a tetrahedron and it doesn't require a god to make it.
villabolo
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villabolo
Nicolaou; omnipotence does not necessarily mean doing anything that pleases you. It simply mean that you have all the power in the universe(Or all of reality) to create and divest yourself of your creation.
villabolo
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Deputy Dog
This is the same as talking about what happenned before the big bang? Or what's outside the universe? Was there ever a time when there was no time?
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NeonMadman
Here's a short essay I wrote some time ago on the topic (though it may largely reflect what others have already said here):
Can God Make a Rock So Big That He Can't Pick it Up? It always gets under my skin a bit when people try to challenge the concept of the omnipotence of God by asking, Can God make a rock so big that He cant pick it up? The implied conclusion is usually that an omnipotent God cannot exist because the quandary is not resolvable. However, I believe that the concept of omnipotence requires that God can do whatever can be done, not that He can do things that are impossible by definition. Asking this question is like asking whether God can make a square circle. Circles, by definition, are not square. Anything that God could make that would be shaped like a square would not, by definition, be a circle. Could God so order the universe so that the definitions of squares and circles are different than we understand them to be such that a circle could be made square? Undoubtedly He could, however that thwarts the intent of the question. One who asks whether God could make a square circle is using the terms as we understand them, and not as they might exist in some other potential universe.As far as making a rock so big that He couldnt pick it up, the question is really asking whether God can create a situation in which He is not omnipotent. The answer to that is, I believe, no. And a negative answer to that question in no way limits Gods omnipotence. Like the square circle, it is a question of definitions: can an entity be omnipotent and non-omnipotent at the same time in the same way? Obviously not. But the omnipotence of God does not require Him to be able to produce a situation which is semantically contradictory.
Now, someone might object that Christianity posits exactly what I have described. In the Incarnation, it may be argued that God stripped Himself of His omnipotence in order to assume human flesh. In a sense, that is true. But we must remember the teaching of the dual nature of Christ; He was the Fullness of Deity in human flesh (Colossians 2:9). He had the full nature of God and the full nature of man. In His divine nature, his omnipotence was reduced not at all, as He demonstrated in His miracles. In His human nature, He was, of course, limited as any man. So to apply the rock question, we might posit that God could indeed make a rock so big that Jesus, in His humanity, could not pick up; but in His divine nature, He could do all things that are possible to do.
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NeonMadman
Ok, I have no idea why the essay posted itself at the TOP of the page...
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OnTheWayOut
Much of this is endless debate. I just go with the simpler stuff.
If the complexity of things demonstrates a need for a creator, then the creator needs a creator. If you say he was always here, then I say the matter/energy was always here in one form or another.If the earth is on the back of an elephant standing on a turtle's back (or tortoise's back), what's the turtle stand on? Another turtle? And that one is on what?
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_downSuch endless debate offers a turtle with no means of support. It's great if you enjoy it. Have fun.