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Originally Posted by Vinterland  I was trying to cover the subject with an atheist friend of mine and the question he posed is: "Can anything logical at all be said about God". I said yes, the most important logical statement that can be madea bout God, assuming it exists, it must FIRST be omnipotent; omnipotence is inclusive of other qualities such as omniscience. Once that is established and agreed that God must be omnipotent, it can then be logically concluded that God is illogical. My friend agreed, but it seems too easy to me and I am suspicious.
I ask, is it logical to conclude that if God exists, it must be omnipotent? Can anything be said logically about God? |
The book "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" was my first indication that God cannot both be omnipotent and at the same time all-loving.
Because suffering exists to the degree that it does in this world, it is clear that a God who is both would have not allowed it to happen. Since it is being allowed to happen, this means that either (1) God All Powerful but not all loving because too much suffering exists or (2) that God is all loving but not cannot be all powerful--because in spite of the "fact" that he loves us all, he is doing precious little about it.
This paradox is really (REALLY) bothersome for me and was my first turning point away of the classic God is all loving and omnipotent because the evidence is simply not there to support either.
It forces you choose:
"Is he all Powerful?" or
"Is he all Loving?"
Neither choices are satisfactory to retain the God that I would have wanted to have, which was both.