Question Home

Position:Home>Philosophy> Can God create a door that he can't go through?


Question: Can God create a door that he can't go through!?
Its a strange question , but it needs an answer!.

Can God create a door that he can't go through!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Oooh, in my philosophy course, I was asked a question just like this!. Can God create a stone he can not lift!?
The answer we came to was that such a situation can not happen!. If God makes a door he can not go through, then he would not be omnipotent, which is a quality of God that makes God, God!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The standard version of this question is whether God can make a stone too heavy for god to lift!. The paradox is that if God can do it, then there is some weight stone god cannot lift, and so there is a thing god cannot do and god is not omnipotent!. If god cannot do it, then there is a thing that god cannot do and so god is not omnipotent!.

The standard response is that making a stone that god cannot lift is not a thing to be done, since the existence of a stone too heavy for god to lift is a logical impossibility and not a state of the world!. The idea goes that omnipotence only requires the ability to do loically possible things and things that are not logically possible are simply not things to be done so it is no challenge to god's omnipotence for god not to be able to do them!.

The alternative response is that god is not bound by logical possibility!. In this scenario god can create a stone so heavy that god cannot lift!. Then god can also lift it!. If god is not bound by logic, then this scenario works!. If god is bound by logic, then the first scenario works!. Either way, the paradox is resolved!.

Note that I am not defending the existence of God!. In fact, I am an atheist!. But the question is about the paradox, and the paradox, while clever, ultimately fails!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

This is an old saw!. When I was a teenager in the 1960's they were using this question in Baptist Bible School, and even the teachers were groaning from how old and hackneyed a device it was!.

God is above reality!. God can exist and not exist!. He can do two ABSOLUTE and opposite things!. What that looks like, God only knows!.

Paradox is never a good device for questioning religion!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Why would he want to!?

Here's one for you, too: can science ever create a device that is not scientifically explainable!? Ooooh!.!.!. did I just blow your mind!!!?!? WOW! Science must not be real!

Just kidding!. Science is awesome!. Pointless questions, on the other hand!? Mmmm!.!.!. not so awesome!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

god doesn't need to create a door, people will do that
god doesn't need to go through any door if he is everywhere at once and also not physicalWww@QuestionHome@Com

One day I smoked so much pot, that I couldn't get out of the house even though the door was wide open!.

So what you propose is not really a big deal!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It depends on which god you are currently subscribing to!. Why don't you ask the deity itself!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

now lets ask Happy where he gets the evidence for what he just said!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

Why does this question need an answer!? Www@QuestionHome@Com