A paradox

[razeontherock]

Hi there
Im currently studying philosophy at college and we have come to the point where we start to look at the idea of God and the origins of the ideas.
One philosopher ponited out a paradox as follows,
If God is all powerful, could He creat a stone so big that he can not lift?
this causes problems which ever answer us Christian would give, if he can, then He is not powerful enough to lift it, if not then He doesnt have enough power to create it.
how would we as Christians over come this?

p.s we will be looking at responces soon

Tell your Prof to get a real job doing something productive. Sorry, but this is the lamest excuse for time spent in class ever. Who are we to presume to command G-d what He should and should not do? Posing the question in your post proves only that everything relevant is out of whack. Shame on your Prof!

 

[Lily_Among_Thorns]

Hi there
Im currently studying philosophy at college and we have come to the point where we start to look at the idea of God and the origins of the ideas.
One philosopher ponited out a paradox as follows,
If God is all powerful, could He creat a stone so big that he can not lift?
this causes problems which ever answer us Christian would give, if he can, then He is not powerful enough to lift it, if not then He doesnt have enough power to create it.
how would we as Christians over come this?

p.s we will be looking at responces soon

The solution is simple. God is master over his creation. Not his creation master over him. There is no stone he cannot lift.

 

[Yekcidmij]

Hi there
Im currently studying philosophy at college and we have come to the point where we start to look at the idea of God and the origins of the ideas.
One philosopher ponited out a paradox as follows,
If God is all powerful, could He creat a stone so big that he can not lift?
this causes problems which ever answer us Christian would give, if he can, then He is not powerful enough to lift it, if not then He doesnt have enough power to create it.
how would we as Christians over come this?

p.s we will be looking at responces soon

I would say "no", he cannot. He cannot do that anymore than he could create a married bachelor, create a square circle, make the number 2 a person, or make himself not-exist.

 

[daydreamergurl15]

Hi there
Im currently studying philosophy at college and we have come to the point where we start to look at the idea of God and the origins of the ideas.
One philosopher ponited out a paradox as follows,
If God is all powerful, could He creat a stone so big that he can not lift?
this causes problems which ever answer us Christian would give, if he can, then He is not powerful enough to lift it, if not then He doesnt have enough power to create it.
how would we as Christians over come this?

p.s we will be looking at responces soon

Wouldn't the idea that God is "all powerful" tell us that there is nothing to heavy for Him? So, if you ask the question "if God is all powerful, could He create a stone so big that He cannot lift?" doesn't that contradict the notion of "all powerful?" If so, then isn't the question flawed? Even if He did created such a thing, you would think that because He is all knowing, He would be able to create that stone to do His will and in the end it would still work out. I'm sure God would use His God logic and completely blow this question out of water, sadly, I don't know the answer and I don' know God's logic but I trust in it and know that if it ever came to that, He would know exactly what to do.

These questions doesn't make me deny God, it makes me question my definition of "all powerful." Even if the answer is "No, He cannot create a stone that is too heavy for Him to lift", I still would think He's powerful...because He has strength enough to create this whole world by His word and He keeps it going by His will...so He has power enough to save me and with that, I am satisfied.

 

[plmarquette]

kinda like.....can hillary and barrak get their foot out of their mouth
and do some thing 4 the country before their terms expire...???

 

[Hairy Tic]

Hi there
Im currently studying philosophy at college and we have come to the point where we start to look at the idea of God and the origins of the ideas.
One philosopher ponited out a paradox as follows,
If God is all powerful, could He creat a stone so big that he can not lift?
this causes problems which ever answer us Christian would give, if he can, then He is not powerful enough to lift it, if not then He doesnt have enough power to create it.
how would we as Christians over come this?

p.s we will be looking at responces soon

## That depends on what is meant by "all-powerful":

• what is omnipotence ?
• what is it for ?

Words do not gain meaning when they prefixed with "God can" - what follows the words does not, in such a case, become a description of something that "God can" do.

FWIW, God cannot eat cheese, or stroke a cat, or make a cup of coffee - but can do these things by creating creatures able to do them. From one POV, all creatures are means by which God acts; they have being (& its effects) only because God has created them.

 

[Armistead14]

Anything God makes he can unmake...If he could make something so big he couldn't undo it, then he wouldn't be God.

 

[Socratic Spelunker]

Hi there
Im currently studying philosophy at college and we have come to the point where we start to look at the idea of God and the origins of the ideas.
One philosopher ponited out a paradox as follows,
If God is all powerful, could He creat a stone so big that he can not lift?
this causes problems which ever answer us Christian would give, if he can, then He is not powerful enough to lift it, if not then He doesnt have enough power to create it.
how would we as Christians over come this?

p.s we will be looking at responces soon

Can God create a rock so big that he cannot lift it? Yes, and he can lift it. Sounds weird, right? It has to do with situational ethics. I cant post links yet. PM me if you care for an explanation.

 

[wayseer]

Can God create a rock so big that he cannot lift it? Yes, and he can lift it. Sounds weird, right?

Not so much weird but illogical.

This is what happens when you play around with philosophy - you end up believing that the premise, despite its illogic, becomes the bases for further speculation.

If the premise is illogically conceived any answer will likewise be illogical.

You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

 

[Yekcidmij]

If the premise is illogically conceived any answer will likewise be illogical.

You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Even worse, given the rules of logic and 2 inconsistent premises, I can prove anything.

 

[wayseer]

Ha .. Ha.. Ha ...

I like your logic.

 

[OzSpen]

rozerz,

Hi there
Im currently studying philosophy at college and we have come to the point where we start to look at the idea of God and the origins of the ideas.
One philosopher ponited out a paradox as follows,
If God is all powerful, could He creat a stone so big that he can not lift?
this causes problems which ever answer us Christian would give, if he can, then He is not powerful enough to lift it, if not then He doesnt have enough power to create it.
how would we as Christians over come this?

p.s we will be looking at responces soon

Your philosopher has a false understanding of the nature of God. One of God's attributes is His immensity, which is related to his non-spatiality.

God cannot be limited by space. God is not spatial, so to talk of God creating a stone that He cannot lift is to get into a wrong category for the existence of God.

Only material things, limited to space and time, can be considered for lifting a large stone.

"God is spirit" (John 4:24). Because God is spiritual, He is not material and cannot be spoken of in anything to do with space and large stones.

This relates to God's nature of transcendence. He is outside of time and space.

Your philosopher's philosophy of God needs to be brought up to speed. He/she is right off base in understanding the nature of God to even be asking this kind of question.

Regards, Spencer

 

[wayseer]

rozerz,

Your philosopher has a false understanding of the nature of God. One of God's attributes is His immensity, which is related to his non-spatiality.

God cannot be limited by space. God is not spatial, so to talk of God creating a stone that He cannot lift is to get into a wrong category for the existence of God.

Only material things, limited to space and time, can be considered for lifting a large stone.

"God is spirit" (John 4:24). Because God is spiritual, He is not material and cannot be spoken of in anything to do with space and large stones.

This relates to God's nature of transcendence. He is outside of time and space.

Your philosopher's philosophy of God needs to be brought up to speed. He/she is right off base in understanding the nature of God to even be asking this kind of question.

Regards, Spencer

Valid points.

Most philosopher are materialists. That is, their philosophy is dictated by the natural world.

John Hick makes some valid observations when he writes:

The right approach for a religious interpretation of religion is, I believe, not an argument directly for the existence of such a reality, but an argument for the rationality of trusting religious experience as a mediated awareness of that reality.

In other words, if we we accept that within this universe there is a reality beyond the material and naturalistic world then one cannot dismiss God a priori. To do so would be bad philosophy. Yet, paradoxically, this is exactly what most philosophers do.

While it is a general tendency to trust our experience of the material world such experience does not necessarily end there.

For a more elaborate explanation have a read through this by John Hick.

 

[SeraphimsCherub]

This question assumes God looks like a human and so we visualize in our heads a human form trying to lift a huge rock. If God however is truly limitless (such as being all powerful) he is without form because some sort of form would suggest a limitation in space and time. So then how can something without form be limited by something with form like a large rock? How can something without form even lift? It is a flawed question that assumes God is limited to human attributes.

we all can create circular reasoning for any perspective but the only thing they prove is our own limited minds and assumptions.

For example I can make my own circular reasoning for this very argument. This argument is suggesting there is no God but if there is no God there is no absolute truth and if there is no absolute truth than what this argument is suggesting is also not absolute. See how circular logic really accomplishing nothing at all.

Yes it is very possible that GOD could create a stone that He could never lift! He could create the stone what ever size you wish. From as large as the sun, or as small as a pebble! With the stone right there before His very face,and then decree: "I Shall Never Ever For All Eternity Lift This Stone" !!! And by the OmniPotent Power of His Will Decreed, Hath He Also The OmniPotent Power To Perfectly Obey It Forever!!!

 

[SeraphimsCherub]

He also could make a stone and decree: " Out of all the stone's that I shall ever create, this one shall be to heavy for Me to lift!!! Therefore I shall Humblely Except the fact of My Own Decree,and be Perfectly Content with this for all eternity,that I also Shall Never be tempted too try and lift it; and I Will also Allow Satan to come along one day and he Shall lift this stone right before My Face,so that his head shall become swollen with pride!! So much so that he shall begin to believe that he is God, which and I Will also Let him come across this "Great Forbidden force" Which I Shall Write upon it! "This Force Is Off Limit's For Every One, Except Me ; But anyone may choose himself to become the will of that great power thereof, but the day that one should ever in his mind be so bold to transgress my decree!! The Consiquences thereof shall be called "his evil" will,and war against Me!!!" Just an interesting thought! Lol..