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Can a xtian god be free?
March 15, 2011 at 1:57 am
Assigning a god the supposed attributes of being the locus of morality, omnibenevolent and freedom to act. Ignoring issues with reality are these attributes contradictory?:
0. If a god exists he is the locus of morality, omnibenevolent and totally free to act.
1. As the locus of morality a god could only ever choose to do good things (such that it is necessarily true that, this god cannot do evil things) as determined by their nature.
2. An ominbenevolent god would only ever choose to do good things (or at lest the maximum amount of good things)
3. A god who is totally free to act must be able to choose to do evil things or not maximise the amount of good things that happen
4. A god does not exist
"I still say a church steeple with a lightning rod on top shows a lack of confidence"...Doug McLeod.
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RE: Can a xtian god be free?
March 15, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Shouldn't this be in Christianity?
Logical flaw on par with making a circle square. God, being the source of all things can only do good. That's how the Xtian God is formulated. therefore God cannot do evil... it's a logical impossibility. Simple fail.
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RE: Can a xtian god be free?
March 15, 2011 at 3:02 pm
So your god isn't entirely free to act, he cannot perform all logically possible actions because he is limited to doing morally good things (like drowning Japanese people...)
He can't have unlimited power if he lacks the power to do evil, so his omnipotence and omnibenevolence are incompatible.
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RE: Can a xtian god be free?
March 15, 2011 at 3:47 pm
(March 15, 2011 at 2:05 pm)fr0d0 Wrote: Shouldn't this be in Christianity?
Logical flaw on par with making a circle square. God, being the source of all things can only do good. That's how the Xtian God is formulated. therefore God cannot do evil... it's a logical impossibility. Simple fail.
Well, when you define "good" as "anything God does", then I suppose your deity can get away with all manner of depravity. Why you would want to worship a being that drowns toddlers is beyond me.
Science flies us to the moon and stars. Religion flies us into buildings.
God allowed 200,000 people to die in an earthquake. So what makes you think he cares about YOUR problems?
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RE: Can a xtian god be free?
March 15, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Total freedom isn't even a coherent concept in my view. Philosopher of religion Richard Swinburne defines it as God's acting without his desires exerting any causal influence, but surely the whole point of desires is that they exert a causal influence.
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RE: Can a xtian god be free?
March 15, 2011 at 4:16 pm
You cannot intentionally act without desires, period.
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RE: Can a xtian god be free?
March 15, 2011 at 7:14 pm
My understanding is that the Abrahamic God is logically impossible IN THAT: People have ascribed mutually exclusive characteristics to him. Viz; omnipotence, omniscience and omniprescence.
However, Abrahamic mystics through centuries have insisted that being infinite,God may not even be discussed in any meaningful way,he just IS. Coincidentally the meaning of his name YHWH ;" I am who am."
He either exists or he does not. I don't believe due to lack of evidence. I reject the notion of an absolute logical inference in the theoretical. In the practical, logic is usually close enough to inform daily behaviour. Sadly, few human beings are capable of consistent logical thought or behaviour.
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RE: Can a xtian god be free?
March 15, 2011 at 7:19 pm
I'm a complete non-cognitivist towards that kind of "I am that I am" God, the whole concept is nonsensical so believing in it makes you an idiot.
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