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Author Topic:   Free will vs Omniscience
mick
Member (Idle past 4986 days)
Posts: 913
Joined: 02-17-2005


Message 5 of 1444 (372612)
12-28-2006 4:08 PM
Reply to: Message 3 by New Cat's Eye
12-28-2006 3:29 PM


God capable of logical impossibilities?
catholic scientist writes:
If God exists and is omnipotent then he is capable of anything, by definition. He is even capable of that which is logically impossible
If God is capable of things which are logically impossible, then we cn make any claim about him which we see fit.
We might say that he created the universe in six literal days and also that he created life over billions of years, and that he did not create life at all.
We might claim that he effected a global flood which wiped out all humans other than those on the ark, and also did not effect a global flood and did not wipe out all humans other than those on the ark.
We might claim that he created the mechanism of evolution to carry out his plan for life on earth, that he did not create the mechanism of evolution, and that he has no plan for life on earth.
Anything is possible for an omnipotent God, right?
More to the point, he might have created us with free will but the inability to choose to harm each other. If God is capable of logical impossibilities then he is capable of creating this kind of free will. The fact that he did not do so suggests that he is not a God of love, because he chose to introduce the capacity for violence into human beings (and being omniscient he knew well that this would ultimately result in Hitler's gas chambers). Of course, God might be both a God of love and simultaneously a God of evil, since he is capable of logical impossibilities...
Is this just some kind of generic get-out clause for Christians to make nonsensical claims about God?
Mick

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by New Cat's Eye, posted 12-28-2006 3:29 PM New Cat's Eye has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 7 by New Cat's Eye, posted 12-28-2006 4:23 PM mick has replied

  
mick
Member (Idle past 4986 days)
Posts: 913
Joined: 02-17-2005


Message 8 of 1444 (372621)
12-28-2006 4:43 PM
Reply to: Message 7 by New Cat's Eye
12-28-2006 4:23 PM


Re: God capable of logical impossibilities?
catholic scientist writes:
Omnipotence is rediculous.
If omnipotence is ridiculous because it entails logical impossibilites of the type outlined in the opening post, then does the existence of free will necessitate that God is impotent? (Granting for the sake of argument that free will and God both exist).
Just curious as to what you think.
Mick

This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by New Cat's Eye, posted 12-28-2006 4:23 PM New Cat's Eye has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 9 by New Cat's Eye, posted 12-28-2006 5:23 PM mick has not replied

  
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