Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Nerdy Keith on June 21, 2013 at 10:40am

A very good argument and very good point. The entire concept of most concepts of a deity is purely illogical

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by max stirner on June 21, 2013 at 4:33pm

-- it's as old as theology in the middle ages

God-meets-stone: God gets dethroned

Can a negative existential statement like -- God can not exist -- be proven true? Of course — happens all the time in science, mathematics, logic, and everyday use of language.

It is up to the person who claims to be talking about some god to supply also a coherent concept of god. The xian can not sling about the word ‘God’ without telling what concept he’s playing with. It’s at the boundaries of logic and rational discourse generally where negative existential claims go to die — there can not be an X which is like this.... Can God -- the all-powerful -- create a stone too heavy for him to lift?

• Under the guise of simple logic comes this dilemma from the middle ages. It destroys any concept of “God” as “Pantocrator” = the can-do-it-all ruler.

More, the simple looking dilemma destroys the xian (jewish, moslem) claim that a "negative existential statement about “God” can not be proven". The answer is “God does not exist” can be proven -- assuming, as xians (jews or moslems) do, that “God” has absolute attributes -- all-knowing, perfectly benevolent, or...

Q: Can God -- the all-powerful in this case -- create a stone too heavy for him to lift?

A. 1. If God can do so; then he is not all-powerful. 2. If God can not do so; then, likewise he is not all-powerful. Thus , God can not be all-powerful.

Why? An adjective-phrase ‘is too heavy to lift’ can not be used meaningfully in the absolute -- it must be limited to a definite context. In which case, God can not be all-powerful, not as a matter of fact. But as a matter of conceptual (linguistic) incoherence.

Amusingly, if you imagine that the phrase ‘all-powerful’ can be used absolutely without a context, you run up against the very same brick wall. The phrase ‘all-powerful’ is incoherent; it too must be contextually limited.

• The phrase ‘God-the-Almighty’ has crossed the border into linguistic incoherence. No matter how theologians wiggle, this God-concept ends up being incoherent. Xians fundamental dogma, the first of xian credal statements, the “godma” — “I believe in God the Father Almighty...” fails to make sense.

Can the existence of “God” be disproved -- that is, can a claim that ‘God exists’ be shown to be logically incoherent -- not just false, but necessarily false? It all depends upon what characteristics "God" supposedly has.

What concept of God will the true believer try to defend -- once known, it can be attacked. Sometimes “God” simply can not exist. The xian God can not exist.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Lance Angus Miles on June 22, 2013 at 11:48am

this is similar to Dr Neil DeGrasse Tyson's argument on the concept of "stupid design"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4238NN8HMgQ

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Wesley on July 19, 2013 at 5:10pm

Here are some other questions along these lines...  If God is all-knowing and all-powerful then why..

 

1. If fundamentalist Christians are the only ones to go to heaven, why did he KNOWINGLY create so many beings that were doomed to hell-fire?

2.If God is more loving, more compassionate, more forgiving than any human being then why did he create a universe with a built-in demand for blood sacrifice?   Why did he create a universe that was punitive only.. instead of rehabilitative?  Why is it One and done for all eternity?  Seems like the Hindu version of god is much more fair and compassionate in this respect.

3. If Adam and Eve were truly innocent then why judge them so harshly?   especially if he already knew what they were going to do?

4.  If a perfect God makes imperfect beings.. doesn't that imply an imperfection in Him?  I mean if before anything else existed ... HE WAS...  Then where does imperfection come from?

There are just tons and tons of questions that nobody really has a decent answer.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Stutz on July 20, 2013 at 1:56am

Good summary.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on July 20, 2013 at 3:35am

These are persuasive reminders that xianity requires people to be uneducated or gullible. Thanx.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on July 20, 2013 at 8:05pm

Makes sense to me.

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 3
• 4
• 5
• Next ›
• Page