“Can God create a rock so heavy, even He can’t lift?
This is probably the dumbest question anyone can ask. Yet, how in the world is it still being discussed on forums? Has this not been sufficiently addressed by theists time and time again? And yet, it keeps coming up–and it comes from people who pretend to be intellectual and scientifically informed.
They use this argument to argue that an all powerful God is impossible and thus cannot exist. “If God can do everything, but He cannot create a rock he even can’t lift, then he can’t do everything. If God can create a rock that even He can’t lift, then there is something God cannot do! Checkmate, theists!”
This is called the “Omnipotence Paradox” for anyone who is interested in searching for this online.
One Minus One equals Zero:
Let’s discuss a difficult concept, that if you subtract something from something, you no longer have that something. In other words, 1-1=0.
The format we are going to use to discuss this particularly controversial topic is the following:
[1] – [1] = [0]
Anyone with simple math knowledge knows this can also be reformulated this way:
[1] + [-1] = [0]
We are going to (God Willing) apply these to concepts. A concept minus another concept equals zero–that means you are not describing a concept anymore, you are describing nothing (zero). In the (1-1=0) format we are going to use, it is going to look like this:
A square has 4 corners; a circle has 0 corners. So asking “can God create a square circle” is asking “can God create something with 4 corners that also doesn’t have 4 corners”
Can God create something that [has 4 corners] and [doesn’t have 4 corners]?
What exactly are you asking? What concept are you stating God cannot do? They’ve negated the same concept they allege to be describing. They are not describing anything at all. Mind as well say “Can God do asdlfkjasdoifdjsa?”, “Well, can he?”. You are not describing anything. God is capable of all things, but what is the thing are you describing that you are claiming God cannot do? You subtracted the concept you are describing with itself and are left with nothing, zero–no concept at all. Zero concept is described in that sentence of a “square circle”–there is nothing being described here. 1-1=0.
A pain medication that does not relieve pain:
Imagine a patient asking you “can you please give me a pain medication that doesn’t relieve pain?”–this is not a description of anything. They negated the same thing they are describing. 1-1=0. This is a non concept. They are not describing anything at all:
[Medication that reduces pain] – [Medication that reduces pain] = 0 or [Medication that reduces pain] + [Medication that does not reduce pain] = 0
This idea of a medication that reduces pain and doesn’t reduce pain is a negation of the concept you were describing. 1-1=0 and thus, you have no concept that is being described here. This is not a coherent statement, it is a meaningless statement. Words put together, and ultimately, they fail to describe anything because they negate the thing they are describing.
Can God increase in knowledge?
Increasing in knowledge entails there is something that God does not know–so you are negating the fact that God knows everything by stating “God can increase in knowledge”. “God increasing in knowledge” = “There is more knowledge for God to know” = “God does not know everything”. So, in essence, you asked the question, “Can a God who knows everything, not know everything”?–what kind of question is that? You are negating the same concept you are describing, and thus you are not describing anything at all:
(God who knows everything) + (God increasing in knowledge) However: (God increasing in knowledge) = (God does not know everything) Therefore,
[God who knows everything] – [God who knows everything] = [0] or [God who knows everything] + [God who does not know everything] = [0]
Therefore, “God increasing in knowledge” is not even a concept. It is a sentence made up of words that make sense, but put together, they do not describe anything and are complete nonsense. 1-1=0. It is the same as saying “a being who knows everything and also doesn’t know everything at the same time”–that is a non-concept. It doesn’t describe anything. You are negating the thing you are describing. 1-1=0, you have no concept that you are discussing. You’ve got 0 concept to accuse God of not being able to do? 1-1 = 0. So what exactly are you accusing God of not being able to do?
Can God create a rock that he cannot lift?
Their argument is essentially: P1: If God can create everything, then there is nothing God cannot create P2: God cannot create a rock that he cannot lift C1: Therefore, God cannot create everything (God is not Omnipotent).
So let’s discuss whether such a “rock that God cannot lift”, is even a concept. Is it even a thing that God cannot do, or does it negate itself like the other examples above and thus is not describing anything at all? In other words, Is this phrase (“A rock that God cannot lift”) describing a real concept, or is it negating the same thing it is describing?
Let’s ask the question: What is a rock? A rock is a contingent thing that God created. God by definition is capable of everything and is powerful over everything. All possible creations of God are contingent and subject to God’s power. So before we ask whether God can create this rock, we ask, is this rock (with the property of not being able to be lifted by God) a real concept?
To repeat: God by definition is all powerful, thus he has power over all things that exist. Thus all things have a relational property to God of being able to be overcome by God. So by describing “a rock that He cannot lift”, you are describing something God does not have power over, and thus, you are not describing anything, since all things God necessarily has power over: so your argument is essentially:
[All things are things God has power over] – [All things are things that God has power over] = [0] or [All things are things God has power over] + [not All things are things that God has power over] = [0]
This is similar to a patient asking for a “pain medication that does not relieve pain”? What even is that sentence describing? It negated the same thing it is describing. The same applies to this “rock God cannot lift”? So what thing are they claiming God cannot have power over? Such a thing is not even a concept. It is a negation of the concept, since by definition–all things relate to God in such a way that God can overpower them…So where exactly is the paradox? Where is the dilemma? What conceptual entity are they claiming God cannot overpower? It is a description of things, that put together does not mean anything and does not describe anything. It is like the square circle example above. All things necessarily are under God’s complete power, and thus no thing is not under God’s complete power. So what exactly is the thing that God is supposed to create that He does not have power over, if all things necessarily by definition are under the power of God? You have negated the same concept that is being described. It’s a nonsense statement, with no meaning. It’s not even a concept. It is like the square circle–a contradiction of terms; a negation of terms. 1-1=0.
Thus, the understanding of God–and His Omnipotence is perfectly valid and perfectly consistent with itself. There is no contradiction of terms; there is no dilemma; there is no paradox.
So can God do it or not? Well, that’s the wrong question to ask. There is a modality that you can answer that question and we understand what you are saying. For example, if you ask a physician “can you give me a pain medication that is also not a pain medication?”–the physician can reply “no, I cannot”. Even though that whole statement was nonsense, saying “I cannot do this” does not mean the physician is limited in prescribing medication, but that the statement itself is complete nonsense so he cannot fulfill the nonsense/meaningless request.
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