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the nature and attributes of God - Coggle Diagram
the nature and attributes of God
omnipotence
philosophical explanations for omnipotence
Descartes' definition
though God could do possibly anything - possible and impossible, logical and illogical. this is because God is a 'supremely perfect being'
he argued that God's existence is prior ro the laws of logic (God is eternal - begotten not made), so God is not bound bye those laws. God could make a square circle
Aquinas' definition
according to the rules of logic, it is a contradiction in terms - it is a meaningless question and results in nonsense words. God's inability not to square a circle doewsntr reduce His omnipotence
he thought that omnipotence meant. that God could do anything that was logically possible. the squared circle question - according to Aquinas - is an absurd question because the concept of a squared circle makes no sense; it is not a thing
nature of God
the paradox of the stone
another paradox is to ask if God can make a square circle
a big issue with the idea of omnipotence is known as the paradox of the stone. it poses a question 'can God make a stone that is too heavy for Him to lift?'
if He can create the stone, but can't lift it then there's also something He can't do. So how can we say God is all powerful?
if the answer is no, then there is something God cannot do
emphasised in the Bible
God creates the world ex nihilism (from nothing) and speaks things unto existence in Genesis 1: 'let there be light'
strengths
descartes
this theory might protect God's omnipotence best because God can make a square circle, ride a bike and do evil
Surely a God who can do the logically impossible is greater than a God that can only do the logically possible?
Therefore, this theory meets Anselm’s definition of God which was ‘a being than which nothing greater can be conceived’.
aquinas
makes no sense to accuse God of being less than omnipotent because he cannot do the logically impossible. God made the laws of logic, geometry and arithmetic of nature, so He would not make things that go against these principles (like a squared circle)
weaknesses
descartes
if God can do absolutely anything, then He can allow us to have free will without the consequence of evil
approach might lead to God being seen as arbitrary (random) and tyrannical (abusing His power
aquinas
arguably I can conceive of a greater being than one that can only do the logically possible: one that can do the logically impossible too. thus it doesn't match with Anselm's definition of God