Can God create a stone so heavy he cannot roll it?

I can’t remember where I heard that line last, although I do know it was on television. I want to say it was in an episode of Bones I watched last night, perhaps it was.

But, that is not the point.

The point is, the topic of this post is about the qualities of God (for the purpose of this blog, I shall be using “God” to mean the Christian interpretation of God).

For those of you who are unaware of the traditional qualities of God, they are as follows:

1) Omnipotence - All powerful

2) Omnisicience - All knowing

3) Omnibenevolence - All loving

4) Omnipresent - Everywhere

So this question relies on the first quality. Can God create a stone so heavy he cannot roll it? Well, his omnipotence is challenged regardless of which answer you give. In my opinion, the only correct answer would be “Maybe”, or more accurately, “I don’t know”.

These qualities have been ascribed to God by humans, and as such we do not know them to be correct. If God could create the stone, then he isn’t all powerful, and in the same way, if he cannot create the stone then he is also not all powerful. For some, this shows a logical inconsistency in God, however I believe it is a case of humans misinterpreting the qualities which God possesses. To put it another way, God cannot live up to our expectations.

The concept of God which many people hold is fallible, not because humans are imperfect, but rather because humans have no direct knowledge of God. We’re effectively guessing what qualities he has.

If you were to be on facebook or an online dating site, and you guessed at the qualities of a person you have never met based on things others have said about them, there is a high chance that your conclusion will be wrong. However, when it came to experiencing that person first hand, you wouldn’t complain that they weren’t living up to your expectations, but rather you’d adapt your view of them.

This is what must be done, in my opinion, in regard to God. Some people do already do that; they see suffering in the world and believe that a God should intervene. If he doesn’t, then they may lose their faith, or they will alter their opinion. Just as you would with any other person.

Whether there is indeed a God is something that has puzzled not only philosophers, but humanity as a whole. I may touch upon that topic in another post, I do not know yet if I wish to cross that minefield.

What I do know however, is that you are reading this blog. That tells me that you have an interest in philosophy.

Approach all issues with an open mind, and forget all your previous opinions and what you believe to be true. If you do that, then you may find new and intriguing results coming from your own philosophical investigations.

Think about the question which this post is based on, and comment below with your thoughts. Philosophy is not something to be done on your own. You cannot ask yourself a question and get anything other than one answer back.