If God were truly all-powerful...?

[Rainbow Mage]

I know this is an old and kind of silly paradox, but really think about it. It's a good question. If your god truly were all-powerful, could he create a rock he cannot lift? If not, he is not all powerful, and if he cannot lift it he is also not all-powerful.

 

[Mr.Lost]

Maybe you can't comprehend his power he is so powerful. I don't think god would even use words to speak. There for a play on words would really be underestimating the creator.

 

[Onkara]

Yeah, this type of argument happens when we imagine limits on an imaginary God. The problem arises when we set out to "prove" God doesn't exist because whether we like it or not we first must imagine or define a God to disprove. This eventually leads to some interesting dilemmas for atheists and Buddhist alike (I am not aiming that at any person).

PS: not sure how to answer this politically re DIR.

 

[Madhuri]

PS: not sure how to answer this politically re DIR.

Good point this should be moved to religious debates. I'm assuming it was an accident to place it here in the first place.

 

[Willamena]

I rather like the solution that allows that, for God, not-a-task takes as much power to accomplish as a task.

 

[chinu]

I know this is an old and kind of silly paradox, but really think about it. It's a good question. If your god truly were all-powerful, could he create a rock he cannot lift? If not, he is not all powerful, and if he cannot lift it he is also not all-powerful.

"He" has not opened any "Great Ramen Circus".

_/\_Chinu.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Yeah, this type of argument happens when we imagine limits on an imaginary God. The problem arises when we set out to "prove" God doesn't exist because whether we like it or not we first must imagine or define a God to disprove. This eventually leads to some interesting dilemmas for atheists and Buddhist alike (I am not aiming that at any person).

PS: not sure how to answer this politically re DIR.

Well it was a mistake putting it in this section. I hope Madhuri will move it. Onkara I wasn't posing this paradox to disprove God, as in the universal cosmic force, that I view as impersonal. I was using it to show that any personal god, even the Abrahamic one, which are facets of this force, cannot be all powerful. The Abrahamic god cannot be all powerful and have a personality, because then he cannot create a rock to heavy to lift and then be able to lift it, or he cannot create a rock too heavy to lift to begin with.

 

[Onkara]

Oh ok, Mr Proud I thought you took it from here and before I knew it I was ranting away at myself about "defining God" and completely seemed to miss your point.

I am not yet clear on what your point is: here, i.e. how can he not create a rock, surely He can limit Himself or expand Himself at His will?

Best wishes to you!

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Onkara what needs to be determined here is if the Abrahamic god is the same as the universal cosmic force behind everything, or if he is different, being a personal god. If he is different, then we need to scrutinize his supposed omnipotence. It's a simple challenge- if one of his followers asks him to create a rock he cannot lift, would he be able to do it? If not, he isn't all-powerful, he's just like my gods.

 

[paolops181]

I know this is an old and kind of silly paradox, but really think about it. It's a good question. If your god truly were all-powerful, could he create a rock he cannot lift? If not, he is not all powerful, and if he cannot lift it he is also not all-powerful.

Can your God do this?

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Can your God do this?

I do not make the claim my gods are all-powerful. You do. So this is your problem.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Try again paolops- Can god make a rock so heavy he cannot lift it? Yes or no.

 

[ninerbuff]

I know this is an old and kind of silly paradox, but really think about it. It's a good question. If your god truly were all-powerful, could he create a rock he cannot lift? If not, he is not all powerful, and if he cannot lift it he is also not all-powerful.

god can't even create a religion that everyone agrees on.

 

[Riverwolf]

***MOD POST***
Thread moved to religious debates
​

 

[PolyHedral]

I know this is an old and kind of silly paradox, but really think about it. It's a good question. If your god truly were all-powerful, could he create a rock he cannot lift? If not, he is not all powerful, and if he cannot lift it he is also not all-powerful.

The answer to this is quite simple: Yes. And then He will lift it anyway.

 

[Civil Shephard]

I don't know... I once read someone who claimed there was no absolute truth. And of course they believed that absolutely.

To me the answer is simple...your heart is the rock that God cannot lift or the door that God cannot open. Part of being made in the image of our Creator is the ability to chose to do good or to chose to do evil. Give God the rock and I AM will lift your heart up, open your door to God and I AM will enter in and show you the love you'll need to do good. God might even throw in a Mercedes Benz...

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Yeah, this type of argument happens when we imagine limits on an imaginary God. The problem arises when we set out to "prove" God doesn't exist because whether we like it or not we first must imagine or define a God to disprove. This eventually leads to some interesting dilemmas for atheists and Buddhist alike (I am not aiming that at any person).

I see this dilemma as more pointing how omnipotence is a nonsensical concept than it is about trying to disprove God.

The answer to this is quite simple: Yes. And then He will lift it anyway.

...thereby refuting the idea that it was too heavy for him to lift.

If you abide by the rules of logic, there's no way to resolve the dilemma. And if you throw out logic, you've effectively negated the whole purpose of argument and reasoning anyhow. At that point, the answer "four hedgehogs and the colour of loud" is just as valid as the one you gave, since you've thrown away the mechanism we have to tell what's correct from what isn't.

 

[bobhikes]

He could do anything to your rock of course to him it is not a rock at all and lifting it is not an action. You may actually not see anything happen but it all did. That is how powerful God is.

 

[SLAMH]

It's a good question. If your god truly were all-powerful, could he create a rock he cannot lift? If not, he is not all powerful, and if he cannot lift it he is also not all-powerful.

This is really poor argument, and not even challenging at anyway. It is like to tell a smart one. I challenge you to make up a problem that you can't solve. Well, if you do find one, then you aren't smart. And if you can't find one, you are also not smart.

Do you know what, if that one spend time thinking about solving this. Then, I grant he is not smart at all. !!!

 

[1AOA1]

Isn't a rock which cannot be lifted by something all powerful be a outside existence? Wouldn't it have to cease to be, to be with something un-beable? Are you asking can God be and not be at the same time? If being is all powerful, wouldn't unbeing all unpowerful? Meaning that all rocks which cannot be lifted by an all powerful being are in fact, all rocks? ouch my head