Can An Omnipotent God Embody A Contradiction?
What is Omnipotence
Omnipotence is the ability to do all things, and having all powers. If Person A is said to be truly omnipotent, then all sentences of the form, “Person A can _________” are true, and all sentences of the form, “Person A cannot _________” are false. By this definition, an omnipotent God absolutely can contradict Himself/Herself. The fact that an omnipotent God can contradict himself is undeniable by the definition of the word, so if you do not like the consequences, then use a different word to describe the power of God as opposed to omnipotent.
Many people get too tied up in this issue, and there is a much more interesting issue which should be carefully examined instead. Can there ever be an omnipotent being of any type? We know that an omnipotent being can embody a contradiction (e.g. create a square circle, die and not die, etc), but can there ever be a being that can perform such actions?
I would argue that it is possible to have a being who performs such actions. The Law of Non-Contradiction holds in our world because we cannot imagine certain things. Because I cannot imagine a square circle, the thought is that it must not possibly exist. However, why should we believe that the bounds of our imagination are the bounds of the universe? This is a rather arrogant assumption, and one which many famous philosophers (including Rene Descartes) were not willing to make. I am not willing to make that assumption either.
My website, Andy Keeler - Freelance SEO, contains information on topics ranging from search engine optimization, e-commerce solutions, and copywriting. Unlike other SEO Services Companies, I do not charge outrageous prices or guarantee results, but I will help your company create a scalable marketing plan. Also, check out my SEO blog.
Tags: all powerful, omnipotence, omnipotent god, omnipresent, omniscient