God's Paradox

It's impossible to get some people to debate in a civil fashion, but Craven did it...LOL

How about; it is impossible for man to know the mind of God. But he certainly must.

If we were created in God's image, I would assume that the image was used figuratively and that we would have the same thinking processes as him.

I do hope you got my PM Individual. Aside from limiting tasks to all but God, I will have to accept it for the paradox it is.

I did, sorry for the misunderstanding.

And yes, I suppose there is a reason why they call it a paradox.

Re: God's Paradox


First, I have to take the leap to assume there is a god.

However, if I do that in this same world I live, there is only one answer.

God takes no action. Otherwise, why would god accept such pain, suffering and inequality?

To me, the only paradox is why do people choose to believe in such a cruel god.

Speaking of angels and pinheads....

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16641&highlight=

As for why there is so much suffering in the world, my opinion is that on some level, most people enjoy suffering, otherwise we would not have created the world we did. From the global to the personal, we tend towards putting ourselves in a position of enslavement or suffering, and then chalk it up to "that's how the world works." Well, we started it, not some creepy god.

Most people enjoy suffering?


romance, okay :wink:

lust, okay :wink:

chocolate, okay

but, real suffering? No, even if you do fancy cavs, I just can't accept that


...I choose to believe I am not included under "most" then...

I's filosophizin' Amelia. Let me put it in a different way....we'll switch the word "enjoy" for terms like "going to work every day to a boss you hate", "making sacrifices", "constantly falling for the wrong people", "complaining to all your friends about your crappy life", you know, that sort of thing. It seems that some sort of suffering is common to the entire human race. I never said anything about how the degree of suffering changes depending on where you are on the globe. I'm also not saying that it's a bad thing either. Suffering is a learning process, if you choose to accept it as that. Romance and lust....lovely stuff The French call an orgasm 'Le Petit Mort', 'The Little Death', pleasure, pain, suffering, all at once. Just food for thought.

I like chocolate too.

, cavfancier; I can be so literal...sometimes I think I have dain bramage!

I sure like that petit mort deal - maybe you'll be able to bring me up from my earthbound thoughts

'Tis okay Amelia, I could use a good dose of common sense. Perhaps we can learn from each other.

I believe that the rock has free will
and would refuse to become immoveable,
no matter how whiny and impetuous God became.

That's funny Pat, thanks.

I would have to agree with cav on that one, why else would people allow suffering? And, why would there ever be masochists or sadists (or sadomasochists) out there?

Pat, that would make it so that god was not the most powerful being. Correct?

Also, in many biblical references, god is referred to as a rock. Could there be any connection between god being referred to as a rock and this age old paradox?

Think of Job's story. God wanted to know if Job would still hold on if he wouldn't be such blessed. I wonder if he really didn't know - thus he isn't not omnipotent - or if He has His reasons a human being isn't able to understand. Well, I think this very individual God really isn't understandable.^^

Well, God has absolute power. Thus, if he would like to share His absolute power with anybody or anything on earth, He could. Consequence: there are two "absolute" powers e.g. no absolute powers but two very strong ones.
But me, I think God doesn't fit into our physic terms like time, space, small, unbeneath. The question is out of place.

Amelia wrote:
God takes no action. Otherwise, why would god accept such pain, suffering and inequality?
So you think God has the same morality than we have? This is really a very humanoid god...

Actually the paradox sounds a little bit like a koan riddle to me. So let's try it like a koan riddle.

God is asked to create an immovable rock, and he does.
Then he is asked to move the immovable rock. And he does.

-- Maybe an illogic question needs an illogic answer.

The on-line Catholic encyclopedia covers this kind of thing very thoroughly. I've provided a link below to the appropriate area of the encyclopedia. The section starts with the words:

"Omnipotence is the power of God to effect whatever is not intrinsically impossible."

It is an interesting essay for anyone interested in this issue.


http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11251c.htm

Here is the answer Individual
Well this question does get those who believe in God. But it is only because they have different meanings of God. While God is all powerful and all everything, the answer lies in the Quran. I happen to find it there.

It says, God is absolute. And he created everything but IS NOT COMPARABLE TO ANYTHING IN HIS CREATION.(Chapter 112, Verse 4)

So the question u are asking is irrevelant from the start. You cannot say that God made a rock so big that noone can lift it because you are putting Him in His own creation. If He comes into his creation to try to lift up a rock then He is belittleing Himhelf. So He is not and does not come into His own creation.