Does being a 'Father' limit God?

  • Thread starter Thread starter CatholicHere_Hi
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

CatholicHere_Hi

Guest
If God is all-powerful, why is he confined to the role of Father? That means he can’t be a Mother or any other supernatural parent/creator.
 
God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is by no means “confined.” This is the way God has chosen to reveal himself to humanity while at the same time being eternally the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
 
God is everything. Immutable. Immortal. All powerful. Source of all love. He is not limited to our human perceptions of Him.
 
Then maybe we humans made him a father because that’s a familiar authority figure.
 
This is one of those questions that would be better solved by prayer and devotion, rather than academic study.

I believe one of the reasons our Church offers so many private devotions and so many examples of saints is to help reveal to our limited minds more of God’s nature. The impression I get from contemplating the Divine Mercy image is much different than that from contemplating the Incarnation, which is much different than contemplating the creation narrative in Genesis. Of course a good reading of Scripture should show us that the Lord is not only Father, as others have pointed out. But I’ve found these sorts of questions are best answered on our knees.
 
Yes, it’s for the kingdom of heaven. And the kingdom of heaven is experienced while living in the flesh.
 
Being a Father to the Word can’t limit the Father any more than being able to speak your mind limits you.
 
I agree with you and of course the human brain/dualistic mind cannot fathom an unlimited God. The bible even states “no eyes have seen and no ears have heard and no mind has conceived what the Lord has prepared for those who love him”

I was just saying that the trinity can be experienced by going beyond the flesh/ego (deification) which is the heart of theology in the orthodox church.
 
God is all good. This means He cannot be evil. Does this limit His power, His godhood?
 
Last edited:
There is nothing that God can’t do. Evil translates to flesh/egotistical behaviours which is something humans can choose to entertain with free will. God is everywhere and within everything. God transcends the concept of action and evil doing implies action. There isn’t anything God can’t do but you can’t look at that with dualistic mind.
 
As a parent, he can love each and everyone of us as he loves himself.
 
The concept of “Father” is a model for humans to understand God. God in reality is not limited to any particular role. He can be anything and everything. He is Father and Mother and Sibling (remember Jesus is our “brother”) and everything else you can think of.
 
Last edited:
If God is all-powerful, why is he confined to the role of Father? That means he can’t be a Mother or any other supernatural parent/creator.
Obviously He cannot be the same person as the Son or HS.
But as personhood does not limit the divine nature why would that be a problem?
 
Last edited:
Evil only exists within the realm of ordinary perception and the realm of ordinary perception is a basically a synonym for duality. God is oneness (non duality) and our human brains that only perceive in the realm of ordinary perception thinks in terms of duality. So basically in other words there is something that God can’t do, and that is to have an ego. God can’t have an ego, but the ego itself isn’t real, it exists but it isn’t real, meaning it doesn’t have any substance(it is illusory) so I would say the only thing God can’t do is not have the ability to not be able to do anything. Haha! You are smart!
 
Ask Jesus if it limits His Father… Jesus is the one who taught us to call God Father…
 
If God is all-powerful, why is he confined to the role of Father? That means he can’t be a Mother or any other supernatural parent/creator.
God created the stars and planets, so he is also a builder, he created plants and that makes him a gardener. He created children in his own image, and that makes him a Father.

God described himself as ‘I am’, So God is who he is, how can any of us mere mortals understand him fully?
 
This is an interesting yet complex topic. “Realm of ordinary perception” is that animal you, the flesh, and the default setting on your brain. Evil and sin comes from this carnal/animalistic mind because it is influenced by satan and subject to temptation. That’s why Jesus tells us to not live according to the flesh. However God exists beyond the realm of ordinary perception so here we have human brain = finite and God = infinite, that’s why we can’t neccarily fathom God’s infinite qualities. Of course in mysticism we have the cloud of unknowing and deification/theosis which is the direct transformation and spiritual development that allows us to begin experiencing God’s infinite precence. But that is an entirely different subject.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top