Is God all powerful, all knowledgeable and all loving in a literal or figurative sense?

[Robert_Sock]

While in graduate school, just after returning to religion, somebody questioned me on whether God was infinite. My immediate response was to say that just as a mother and father are to be thought of as being “infinite” on these three attributes in relation to a new born infant, so too is God over us. In other words, just as the parents are not infinitely more powerful, knowing and loving over the new born, so too with God over the world.

I would interested in hearing people’s reply. As it stands now for me, all I can say is, “I honestly do not know.” I attached an anonymous poll just to see what people think on this, and I’m not sure what to expect.

 

[Bahman]

Only infinity could exist in presence of infinity, otherwise you are an illusion.

 

[Robert_Sock]

I do know that He exists and that there is a world-to-come, and I will love and worship Him either way.

 

[Usagi]

Classical Christian theology would hold that God does literally possess the qualities you cite in infinite measure.

There is nothing that is beyond His power. There is nothing that He does not know. His nature is entirely good with no admixture of evil.

God is an entirely different order of being than any creature. If it were not so, we might as well worship an extremely powerful but still creaturely being, like Q from Star Trek.

That said, there are some variant Christian theologies that propose a God that does not actually possess all the “omni-” qualities. I have not studied them in any detail, but I know of one called process theology that seems to put forth that God is in a state of becoming right alongside His Creation. Some people find that idea comforting, I suppose in much the same way that we find the idea of God as the man Jesus comforting. As might be noticeable from my “God is not just a super-powered alien” statement, my comfort comes in believing that I am worshipping something infinitely above me, not something that just happens to be bigger.

Usagi

 

[truetofaith]

While in graduate school, just after returning to religion, somebody questioned me on whether God was infinite. My immediate response was to say that just as a mother and father are to be thought of as being “infinite” on these three attributes in relation to a new born infant, so too is God over us. In other words, just as the parents are not infinitely more powerful, knowing and loving over the new born, so too with God over the world.

I would interested in hearing people’s reply. As it stands now for me, all I can say is, “I honestly do not know.” I attached an anonymous poll just to see what people think on this, and I’m not sure what to expect.

If God is not infinite…then He is not God. Simple as that.

 

[Robert_Sock]

If God is not infinite…then He is not God. Simple as that.

OK, our Creator then.

 

[Servant19]

.

Anything that is used to “describe” God is not God. In Scripture, these terms are used so as not to ascribe any imperfections onto Him.

Descriptors such as “All-powerful” and “All-knowledgeable” and “All-loving” are used to describe the Person of the Primal Will or the Word…in Christianity’s case, that would be Jesus.

.

 

[tonyrey]

Classical Christian theology would hold that God does literally possess the qualities you cite in infinite measure.

There is nothing that is beyond His power. There is nothing that He does not know. His nature is entirely good with no admixture of evil.

God is an entirely different order of being than any creature. If it were not so, we might as well worship an extremely powerful but still creaturely being, like Q from Star Trek.

That said, there are some variant Christian theologies that propose a God that does not actually possess all the “omni-” qualities. I have not studied them in any detail, but I know of one called process theology that seems to put forth that God is in a state of becoming right alongside His Creation. Some people find that idea comforting, I suppose in much the same way that we find the idea of God as the man Jesus comforting. As might be noticeable from my “God is not just a super-powered alien” statement, my comfort comes in believing that I am worshipping something infinitely above me, not something that just happens to be bigger.

Usagi

46 When he listens to the message of creation and to the voice of conscience, man can arrive at certainty about the existence of God, the cause and the end of everything.

47 The Church teaches that the one true God, our Creator and Lord, can be known with certainty from his works, by the natural light of human reason (cf. Vatican Council I, can. 2 § 1: DS 3026)

48 We really can name God, starting from the manifold perfections of his creatures, which are likenesses of the infinitely perfect God, even if our limited language cannot exhaust the mystery.