Is it logically possible for god to be perfect and omni-max? If we think about it, the answer has to be, "No." There are certain things that we as humans can do that god can not do. For instance, humans can feel fear, while god can not. In order to be afraid, one has to be in a seemingly dangerous situation where one is powerless to act or feel that one is powerless to act. Yet, this can not be with god. god is omnipotent, so god always has the ability to act. Also, god is omniscient, so god will always be aware of his omnipotence and ability to act and will know that he can never be in any danger. Therefore, god can not be in a situation of danger to himself with an inability to act and set things the way he wants them or ignorant of his ability to do so. god can not feel fear.
There are others as well, like bravery, cowardice, etc. Bravery comes from facing long odds and overcoming them or at least attempting to, but the odds are always in god's favor due to his omnipotence, so god can never feel bravery. Etc. etc. etc.
Now, one may argue that the ability to feel fear would make god less than perfect as fear is a negative emotion/feeling, so there is no issue here. But, one should note that bravery is a positive emotion/feeling, which is inaccessible to god. It should also be noted that apologists like to say that pain is necessary because it has good uses, and the same can be said of fear, so fear is not always a negative feeling to have (nor is bravery always positive). So, we are left with god not being able to do things that humans can do, which is not omnipotence. What we are left with is yet another example of the attributes of god being logically contradictory.
1 comment:
Well said.
I'd add that we'd ought to fear such a god, if he existed. Not fear as in "god-fearing" but fear as one might an infant in a giant's body. He'd be a sort of enfant savage, having no human socialization or community. God would be unable to empathize with creatures who *do* feel fear, who can feel pain, because he's never felt these things. If he's anything like us, as is claimed, he's probably still in a childlike state, never having had opportunities to learn from mistakes, which he's unable to make, from having hurt others, to develop conscience. Like an immature parent, his punishment would have no proportion, because he'd lack wisdom, which comes only with experience.
How can God be so unlike the natural and human worlds he allegedly created, which are deeply characterized by learning through trial and error? There's a narrative disconnect, to say the least.
Of course, believers will repaint this contradiction as mere paradox: 'but he knows all nonetheless, eternally'. Sigh.
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