Originally posted by thesonofsaul
Are you saying that God is limited by something as entirely mortal as definition?

I'd venture to suggest that God's limit is its imagination.

Originally posted by LordOfTheChessboard
Then how can he create a stone that is unliftable?

The question is illogical, and foolish. How do you define "almighty"?
If you are looking for what God cannot do, it's simple.
He cannot lie.
He cannot go against His Word, that is, He cannot contradict Himself.
He cannot do unrighteoussness.
He cannot be tempted.
He cannot do evil.
There are probably other things He cannot do, the list is not exhaustive.

Originally posted by LordOfTheChessboard
Then how can he create a stone that is unliftable?

Could God make blue sleep faster than Tuesday? (assuming that all those words are used in their most common sense)

Originally posted by kingdanwa
Could God make blue sleep faster than Tuesday? (assuming that all those words are used in their most common sense)

I guess God isn't so strong after all.

Originally posted by kingdanwa
I guess God isn't so strong after all.

Pretty clever way of putting it 😉

Originally posted by The Chess Express
Pretty clever way of putting it 😉

Could God be so clever that he'd no longer be clever?

Perhaps he's not as all-knowing as some of you suppose either.

Originally posted by kingdanwa
Could God be so clever that he'd no longer be clever?

Perhaps he's not as all-knowing as some of you suppose either.

If God can't make blue sleep faster than Tuesday, and he can't be so clever that he'd no longer be clever, it looks like the Christians are all a bunch of blind followers of a corrupt cult who has a blemished past and thinks it's the only way to god. Have they any evidence to support their demands to worship such a clearly faulty deity?

Originally posted by kingdanwa
If God can't make blue sleep faster than Tuesday, and he can't be so clever that he'd no longer be clever,

Again, this just goes to show that God can't be explained by silly word games.

Originally posted by The Chess Express
Again, this just goes to show that God can't be explained by silly word games.

Well spoken.

Originally posted by kingdanwa
Could God make blue sleep faster than Tuesday? (assuming that all those words are used in their most common sense)

Consider Matthew 19:26
"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

How would you describe the set of things denoted by 'all' in this verse, and how would you describe the property 'possible' that the things in that set possess?

Surely there must be some restrictions on these if Jesus is speaking the truth. Jesus isn't claiming that with God, 4-sided circles and similar logical contradictions are possible, is he? If not, then the 'all' set must not include logical contradictions; at most, it can include all logically possible things.

But then what does the predicate 'possible' mean? It must mean something stronger than logically possible, otherwise Jesus is speaking in tautologies and saying nothing: "With God, all logically possible things are logically possible."

Should 'possible' be interpreted in the nomological sense? I think that would be too restrictive if one believes the account of the battle of Jericho, for it is not nomologically possible for the sun to stand still in the sky; if that happened, then God's power extends beyond the nomologically possible [this is what characterizes miracles - the manifestation of a nomological impossibility]. But I don't know how to characterize the middle ground between these two sorts of possibility - logical and nomological - and the God-specific issues such as inability to do evil muddy the waters a bit further.

What would be your best succint but accurate characterization of 'all' and 'possible,' taking these ideas into consideration?

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Consider Matthew 19:26
"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Jesus knew his audience.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Jesus knew his audience.

True, but not everything Jesus said applies only to his audience.

Originally posted by LordOfTheChessboard
Then how can he create a stone that is unliftable?

He sure can make a stone that is unliftable by you. Have you tried lifting Everest? 😀

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Consider Matthew 19:26
"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

How would you describe the set of things denoted by 'all' in this verse, and how would you describe the property 'possible' that the things in that set possess?

Surely there must be some restrictions on these if J ...[text shortened]... ut accurate characterization of 'all' and 'possible,' taking these ideas into consideration?

What would you say Matthew 19:25-26 is about? Is Jesus here making an argument about large stones and faster colors, or is he making a point about man's salvation?

Is he giving a propositional statement about God's being, or is he offering comfort to helpless people?

Another passage to consider is Genesis 18:9-15. In verse 14, God asks if anything is too difficult for the Lord (expecting a negative answer). Is this statement primarily a general truth about God's power, or is it specifically related to the trustworthiness of his promise?

I don't think these texts relate to God's ability to perform logically inconsistent tasks.

I suppose you can talk about a generic god's ability to do certain tricks (like making something "be" and "not be" at the same time). But I don't think such questions relate to the Christian scriptures. Perhaps I'm missing your point, but I fear that this discussion is quickly becoming a theoretical discussion about a possible god besides the God revealed in history and in the Bible.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Consider Matthew 19:26
"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

How would you describe the set of things denoted by 'all' in this verse, and how would you describe the property 'possible' that the things in that set possess?

Surely there must be some restrictions on these if J ...[text shortened]... ut accurate characterization of 'all' and 'possible,' taking these ideas into consideration?

There are two words for "all" in the bible. One is all without exception.
The other is all without distinction. I don't know the greek words off hand, but the difference is obvious.

🙂