The Stone Paradox Arguement against God a response.

[ReformedChristian]

The reason God can't do these things is because we have not specified a thing to do; we have contradicted ourselves in the description. "A rock too heavy for the Almighty" is a self-contradiction, because the Almighty is...All Mighty! Therefore, by definition, such a rock can't exist. So your question boils down to: "Can God create something which cannot exist?" Of course not; that's a self-contradiction. God's "inability" to do such a thing does not indicate a lack in God; rather, it indicates our failure to define what it is we are asking.

 

[TheElk]

God is sovereign. He will not create anything He cannot control.

 

[baron]

From how I understand it, God cannot due anything contrary to his revealed nature.

 

[Philip]

God cannot create a rock too big for Him to lift any more than He can create a spherical cube.

 

[Skyler]

Be careful not to place God in a subordinate position to the laws of logic--he isn't bound by the laws of logic. Rather his nature defines them.

The problem, fundamentally, isn't the logical contradiction. It's the conception of unbounded omnipotence. "Omnipotence" doesn't mean that God can do anything (as it's often portrayed, especially by caricatures like this one). After all, the Bible says that God cannot lie. Therefore, God's omnipotence is bounded by His nature--He cannot do anything which would violate his nature (lying, contradicting himself, etc.). This is the point where the rock argument fails, in my humble opinion. (I say "humble" because I'm trying to make it humble, not necessarily because it is. =P)

 

[Peairtach]

These "arguments" are just logical word games.

The Q is does God's character allow Him to play logical (illogical) games?

Must the Logos be true to His own logical Nature? Can God be or do what is fundamentally illogical?

The atheists know God well enough that He can't/won't make a square sphere.

 

[cih1355]

Omnipotence does not mean "the ability to do anything." Omnipotence means "unlimited power." Since God has unlimited power, He has no weaknesses.

 

[Philip]

Be careful not to place God in a subordinate position to the laws of logic--he isn't bound by the laws of logic. Rather his nature defines them.

I would rather say that the laws of logic are part and parcel of His nature.

 

[jwright82]

This is what Van Til meant by his famous example of the child being supported by her daddy's lap just so she can slap him. Man uses their God given reason to conceive of ridiculous problems that are desighned to embarass the very God who's nature is the foundation of reason itself! This is autonomy because it is man deciding what is rational or not, and therefore now God must be in the docket so to speak. God must pass the bar of reason that sinful man has put in place.

Now we must use reason to decide what is rational or not but what is in view here is a ridiculous illogical game that the unbeleiver has decided is a rational problem for the beleiver, which it is not. This does not mean that we do not have to answer the question only that we can, as ya'll did, just point out how ridiculous it is and leave it at that. If the unbeleiver wishes to define something like omnipotence in such an extreme fashion so as to make God's very nature look foolish than that is the example that Van Til gave to a tee! This was the insight that Van Til gave us into the psychology of the unbeleiver in such supposedly nuetral fashion.