(August 20, 2012 at 1:30 pm)spockrates Wrote: Mister Agenda:
I appreciate your pointing out that the idea of an omnipotent being is absurd, given definition (1) of the word, as cited above. Any Christian who believes that God can do anything at all, no matter how illogically nonsensical is irrational, and isn't thinking clearly. So we've made some progress, as my signature suggests. We've eliminated one understanding of omnipotence as being impossible. But our task is not finished, I think. For there are still four other understandings of the word omnipotent that challenge us to prove them wrong. If a soldier takes down one opponent on the battlefield, is the battle won? No, not if there are more opponents still standing against him! So let's take up the sword against the other four and bring them down, too. Then we won't be mocked by Christians when we tell them confidently that omnipotence (according to all their popular conceptions) is illogical and not worthy of our belief.
Ultimately, discussions of omnipotence are to the benefit of theists: they get to refine their definition down to a nub that isn't absurd on its face; which is fine. Once they've gotten down to the point where it's impossible to say if anything has it or doesn't (Can you prove I'm not omnipotent? No. It's not in my nature to provide evidence), we're still left with them claiming they know things they have no way of knowing and believing in things for which the evidence is weaker than what's available for Bigfoot. But better they advance some 'sophisticated' theology than believe in the guy who drowns worlds and orders the execution of infants and is right because he says so and that's how God rolls.
