(January 5, 2013 at 3:31 pm)Tiberius Wrote: "Can God make a rock so heavy he cannot lift it?" is a loaded question, and a logical fallacy.
At the very most, it only denies an absolutist version of omnipotence that almost nobody believes in in the first place. The question could really be asked this way: "Can God make square circles?". Most theists I've talked to believe in a version of omnipotence in which God can perform every action that is logically possible.
I don't see that as a loaded question.
Square circles is simply another example.
"Can god lie"
"Can god make a square circle"
"Is god capable of murder"
Any one of those examples creates a contradiction.
If he can lie, then you could never know if he is good or bad or anything about his intent. If he cant lie, then he is not all powerful.
"Square circle", flat out contradiction and physical impossiblity and logical impossibility.
"Capable of murder"
If he can, then he cannot be considered moral. (murder, meaning criminal, not self defense). Murdering out of jealousy seems to be the OT God and Revelation character's motif.
If he cannot murder out of jeolousy, for example, again, you could not call him all powerful.
All of those are examples of why, as a concept, as a claim, not as a real thing, but as a claim, makes the idea of "all powerful" as an atribute an absurd claim.
The reason it works for theists is purly because they have assumed "he can do what he wants", and as soon as a person swallows that they can shift the goal posts all over the place and avoid the contradictions.