Answering the classic omnipotence paradox: God and the stone he cannot lift

[Dovekin]

I wouldn’t say God can only create stones he cannot lift, perhaps “will” instead of “can” would be a better way to put it. God does not deal with logically absurd concepts

God will only create stones he cannot lift? Something is amiss there lol.

The point of saying “God can create any stone.” is to assert his omnipotence. If your assertion is “God will only create stones he can lift.” I think you have a problem. “Yeah? My dad only creates stones he can lift! So there.” It doesn’t have the same flair in the schoolyard.

More importantly, the ‘resolution’ always comes down to “God is bound by the rules of logic.” That is the paradox, how can an unbounded God be bound by anything? You have not resolved the paradox, only moved it up a level.

 

[Sbee0]

Sbee0:

I wouldn’t say God can only create stones he cannot lift, perhaps “will” instead of “can” would be a better way to put it. God does not deal with logically absurd concepts

God will only create stones he cannot lift? Something is amiss there lol.

The point of saying “God can create any stone.” is to assert his omnipotence. If your assertion is “God will only create stones he can lift.” I think you have a problem. “Yeah? My dad only creates stones he can lift! So there.” It doesn’t have the same flair in the schoolyard.

More importantly, the ‘resolution’ always comes down to “God is bound by the rules of logic.” That is the paradox, how can an unbounded God be bound by anything? You have not resolved the paradox, only moved it up a level.

Yes, statement F already says God can lift any stone. E+F says “God can create any stone and he can lift it”

God does not deal with logical absurdities as I said. God will not make a square circle or make 1+1=3. I suppose an omnipotent God probably has the ability and power to do so, but he does not by choice for a good reason.

Either way the paradox falls down because it has no logical validity. God can create any stone. God can lift any stone. “There is no stone created by God which he cannot lift” is another way of saying the conjunction of the last two sentences. It should end there.

However if you then conclude “God cannot create a stone which he cannot lift”, that is logically incorrect. It is both argumentum non sequitur and it contradicts both E and F and the conjunction I mentioned above.

 

[IWantGod]

Not sure why people overthink this, to me the resolution is quite easy once you realize the “problem” is entirely caused by misuse of syntax and logic.

The person who invented this argument had a flawed understanding of omnipotence since they are obviously under the impression that being all powerful means one can do anything imagined.

A truly all powerful being can’t create a rock to heavy for him to lift because God can’t create contradictions. The fact that God cannot create a contradiction is not a limitation of power because it is meaningless and it would only be a limitation if it were the definition of omnipotence to be able to do anything imagined.

 

[theCardinalbird]

The question: Can God Create a rock that he cannot lift?

is akin to saying

God is infinitely good and an evil dictator.

Omnipotence doesn’t extend to logical contradictions

 

[porthos11]

It’s actually even simpler than that.

“A stone so big God cannot lift it” is a collection of words with no possible referent in reality. It is words that do not point to a thing that can exist. It’s like asking if God can make a square circle. The words are just nonsense.

-Fr ACEGC

And to top it off, as Father rightly said, this thing that does not exist is quite literally, nothing. And as we know, “nothing” is impossible with God, to put another sense on the phrase.

 

[Dovekin]

“nothing” is impossible with God

Now that is a wonderful rsolution of the paradox! All the others just misplace the issue.

 

[clarkgamble1]

The impossible to exist stone, the square circle, etc, have all been beat to death over the years. Analyze this paradox for awhile, it seems easier.

A) God knows every event that will take place in the future time starting now.

B) God can carve in stone the exact details of any event He knows will happen. (as He did for Moses with the Commandments)

C) People could read His prediction and take measures to assure that the event did not happen exactly as described.

If so, It follows that either A) or B) or both are not correct . How can A) and B) be both correct and incorrect.

 

[Wesrock]

The impossible to exist stone, the square circle, etc, have all been beat to death over the years. Analyze this paradox for awhile, it seems easier.

A) God knows every event that will take place in the future time starting now.

B) God can carve in stone the exact details of any event He knows will happen. (as He did for Moses with the Commandments)

C) People could read His prediction and take measures to assure that the event did not happen exactly as described.

If so, It follows that either A) or B) or both are not correct . How can A) and B) be both correct and incorrect.

A doesn’t really represent the way God has knowledge. Even so, you’re beating this one to death, as it’s the square circle all over again.

 

[GodSpawned]

infinity is greater than infinity, which is a logical contradiction.

Sidenote- in mathematics you can have some infinities bigger than others- see Hilbert’s Hotel

Obviously that’s Mathematics rather than physical objects, so that doesn’t apply to the infinitely heavy stone problem.
I have stated this elsewhere, but will rehash it here.
Can God create an object he can’t move? No.
Can God create an object, and state that object shall not move, therefore it won’t ? Yes. (‘Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my words will never pass away’)