If God is omnipotent, then he is not constrained by logic.
We are not omnipotent. Asking if something is "possible" needs qualifiers. Possible in what situation? If you're asking me if 1+1=3 is possible in the world we live in currently, the answer is no. But God does not live in the world we live in, and so God is not bound by the laws of nature. God makes the laws of nature. So, if God is omnipotent, he could change the laws of nature to make 1+1=3, if he wanted to. It would be within his power. — JustSomeGuy
I was wondering whether there is an argument in favor or against this statement: "God can defy logic".
This issue raised up in another thread. I was questioning whether 1+1=3 is possible.
Can God defy logic? — bahman
I don't even think that 1+1=3 is even intelligible. What would it mean? What would it look like? What would it represent? — Brian
This is a symbolic convention. It is not logic. — Rich
As a an aside, there are no two things that are exactly alike so we are doing arithmetic everything out of convention. — Rich
I don't think even an omnipotent being could defy hard rules of logic. 1+1=3 is not possible in the traditional system of mathematics and it would not be any more possible for us than for God. — Brian
However, I don't think any legitimate definition of omnipotence would require a deity to be able to defy the laws of logic. I don't even think that 1+1=3 is even intelligible. What would it mean? What would it look like? What would it represent? — Brian
I am arguing that 1+1=2 is symbolic equation which tells something we can assign to reality — bahman
If you don't know what I mean, imagine somebody pouring one liter of water into a container with one liter of water and it resulting in three liters of water. That does not happen in our world, but that does not mean that there are not other worlds where it happens. — WISDOMfromPO-MO
Consider the classic refutation of God's omnipotence.
Could God create a rock which was so heavy that even he could not lift it? If he can't then he is not omnipotent because there is a logically possible object that he cannot create, if he can, then he can't be omnipotent because there is a logically possible task he cannot do.
The counter argument to this is that such a rock is not logically possible because a rock which is so heavy it cannot be lifted by an omnipotent being could not exist, it would have to be more than infinitely heavy.
So the problem arises, if God is not bound by logic, then where does that leave the refutation of the limits to his omnipotence. If he is not bound by logic, then he could create such a rock which would instantly disprove his omnipotence. — Pseudonym
We defy logic all the time. See Zeno's paradox. Moving between two points is logically impossible but we do it without a batting an eye. — TheMadFool
We defy logic all the time. See Zeno's paradox. Moving between two points is logically impossible but we do it without a batting an eye. — TheMadFool
Another thing is even our thoughts aren't "constrained" by logic. We all have some inconsistent beliefs floating around somewhere in our minds. — TheMadFool
I don't see why God, an omnipotent being, should be limited by logic. — TheMadFool
If you believe God is limited by our universe, he cannot be omnipotent, and he cannot be the creator of it — JustSomeGuy
A God who can defy logic would be more powerful than a God who cannot, and omnipotence means "all-powerful". — JustSomeGuy
He might have had the power to create it but not have the power to do whatever he likes with the result. — Michael
If defying logic is nonsense then to say that a God who can defy logic is more powerful than a God who can't is like saying that a four-sided triangle has more sides than a three-sided triangle. — Michael
It's not at all like that. Claiming that a God who can do something that another God cannot is more powerful, would be equivalent to saying that a shape with more sides than another shape has more sides. It's essentially a tautology. — JustSomeGuy
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