God and Contradictions

[Black_Swan]

Interesting concept and wanted to get everyone's insight into it. If god is all-powerful can god perform an impossible task? (ex: can god make 2+2=5?, or can god create a rock so heavy that he cannot lift?) Specifically, is god bound by logic and math?

[vhawk01]

I think that most theists would concede that God is bound by logic. I mean, otherwise, the concept of God is more or less meaningless. Nothing we say about him conveys any useful information if he is beyond logic.

[Black_Swan]

If god is the creator of all, then god must have created the logical/mathematical structure itself. It seems odd to me that god would be confined by a system that he created.

[vhawk01]

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If god is the creator of all, then god must have created the logical/mathematical structure itself. It seems odd to me that god would be confined by a system that he created.

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I think thats an unsupported assertion. No reason to think logic or mathematics were ever created.

[Black_Swan]

How would you explain the existence of logic/math? Take it as brute fact?

[retleftolc]

I think God built the structure, and can work outside it as he sees fit. If not, then logic becomes more powerful than an all-powerful being.

We cannot work outside of it, and therefore cannot understand how the above statement is possible.

Ret

[bunny]

It seems to me that most theologians believe that God can't draw a square circle.

A possible interpretation would be that part of God's nature is to be logical - he could in fact have made an illogical world or could choose to behave in a way violating the laws of logic, but that is not his nature, so he doesnt.

[madnak]

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I think that most theists would concede that God is bound by logic. I mean, otherwise, the concept of God is more or less meaningless. Nothing we say about him conveys any useful information if he is beyond logic.

[/ QUOTE ]

If God isn't beyond logic, then he's bound by it. This presents an equally compelling dilemma - if God must obey logic, then isn't logic (rather than God) the true Absolute? This also raises questions about whether God is the "real" God or the "only" God, regardless of whether he created our world (think Demiurge).

Another major problem is that Christian doctrine states that God is a personal being, and while more and more Christians are recognizing the absurdity of this position and revising their beliefs, this one remains a central tenet of the dogma. To equate God with logic is to bring up many questions related to this personal element. For example, how can a person "be logic" in the first place? If logic is simply an expression of God's nature, then why does it seem so "cold and impersonal?"

[Duke]

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[ QUOTE ]
I think that most theists would concede that God is bound by logic. I mean, otherwise, the concept of God is more or less meaningless. Nothing we say about him conveys any useful information if he is beyond logic.

[/ QUOTE ]

If God isn't beyond logic, then he's bound by it. This presents an equally compelling dilemma - if God must obey logic, then isn't logic (rather than God) the true Absolute? This also raises questions about whether God is the "real" God or the "only" God, regardless of whether he created our world (think Demiurge).

Another major problem is that Christian doctrine states that God is a personal being, and while more and more Christians are recognizing the absurdity of this position and revising their beliefs, this one remains a central tenet of the dogma. To equate God with logic is to bring up many questions related to this personal element. For example, how can a person "be logic" in the first place? If logic is simply an expression of God's nature, then why does it seem so "cold and impersonal?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Spock seemed pretty human in the Wrath of Khan, all the while behaving rather logically (from the right perspective).

[vhawk01]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think that most theists would concede that God is bound by logic. I mean, otherwise, the concept of God is more or less meaningless. Nothing we say about him conveys any useful information if he is beyond logic.

[/ QUOTE ]

If God isn't beyond logic, then he's bound by it. This presents an equally compelling dilemma - if God must obey logic, then isn't logic (rather than God) the true Absolute? This also raises questions about whether God is the "real" God or the "only" God, regardless of whether he created our world (think Demiurge).

Another major problem is that Christian doctrine states that God is a personal being, and while more and more Christians are recognizing the absurdity of this position and revising their beliefs, this one remains a central tenet of the dogma. To equate God with logic is to bring up many questions related to this personal element. For example, how can a person "be logic" in the first place? If logic is simply an expression of God's nature, then why does it seem so "cold and impersonal?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Spock seemed pretty human in the Wrath of Khan, all the while behaving rather logically (from the right perspective).

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Yes, if you asked people to list adjectives to describe Spock, 'human' would rank higher than 'cold' or 'impersonal.'