The God Paradox

The God Paradox is stated as:

"Can God create a stone so heavy He can't lift it?"

It is postulated that God is omnipotent, so we deduce that He can: (1)
create a stone of any weight, (2) lift a stone of any weight, and, by
interpreting the paradoxical statement, (3) create a stone He cannot
lift.

But deductions 2 and 3 are logically inconsistent, since they suggest
that God is both able to lift a stone and not able to lift the same
stone.

Since we have an apparent logical paradox, let's examine the logical
structure of the paradoxical statement, which contains two propositions
(p1 . p2):

God can create a stone of any weight?
and
God can lift any stone He creates?

But the second proposition is presented negatively, so the statement
should be represented as (p1 . ~p2):

God can create a stone of any weight?
and
God can not lift any stone He creates?


From deduction 1, p1 is true, and from deduction 2 we further deduce
that p2 is false, so we conclude that

p1 . ~p2 = F

without logical contradiction.

Indoarsman

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: The God Paradox
    ... "Can God create a stone so heavy He can't lift it?" ... It is postulated that God is omnipotent, so we deduce that He can: ... Other famous supposed paradoxes follow this same format. ...
    (sci.logic)
  • Re: The God Paradox
    ... "Can God create a stone so heavy He can't lift it?" ... It is postulated that God is omnipotent, so we deduce that He can: ... create a stone of any weight, lift a stone of any weight, and, by ...
    (sci.logic)
  • Re: The concept of god is a logical contradiction
    ... God is all powerful. ... he can do such a stone then... ... indeed, one could say that being able to create or uncreate the stone renders god still all powerful, even if he is unable to lift it temporarily. ... certainly if god can create a stone too massive to life, he can make the mass less while lifting, restoring the mass after, and no one would be the wiser. ...
    (sci.skeptic)
  • Re: Any answers to these questions? Religious Literalism???
    ... The Writings are quite clear that God is an Unknowable Essence and His ... We are not all powerful and thus we can create things we cannot lift. ... stone that he cannot lift. ... they, resolve the paradox of the stone that cannot be lifted, or the ...
    (soc.religion.bahai)
  • Re: The concept of god is a logical contradiction
    ... > The concept of ann all-powerful god is a logical contradiction. ... > Can god make a stone so heavy that he himself can't lift it? ... > No, he can't make such a stone, then he is not all powerful. ... > The concept of an all powerful being is a logical contradiction. ...
    (sci.skeptic)