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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Stating a contradiction	Charles	Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Question: There is this old time question that some people ask: "Can God create a rock so big that he cannot lift it?" I briefly read a small article in a Catholic magazine a few months ago but regretably I cannot remember which it was and I have looked in some of my back issue of This Rock where I thought I had seen it but to no avail. The explanation had to do with a contradiction and how a contradition is not a truth. I'm sure you subscribe to some Apologetic magazine and I was wondering if you knew what could be a good answer. Somehow the answer said that the above question actually equals to "nothing" and "...nothing is impossible to God." Thank you for your reply. God Bless and may our Blessed Mother be by your side always.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+ Dear Charles: Unfortunately I do not subscribe to any apologetics magazines, or any magazines at all. Subscriptions are too expensive. As for this typical nonsense argument used by atheist to "prove" God does not exist, it is a false analogy. While the argument appears logical... God is supposed to be omnipotent. If He is omnipotent, then He can create a rock so big that He can't pick it up. If He cannot make a rock like this, then He is not omnipotent. If He can make a rock so big He can't pick it up, then He isn't omnipotent either. Either way demonstrates that God cannot do something. Therefore God is not omnipotent. Therefore God does not exist. ... it can only come to its conclusion by omitting important facts from its formula. First, there can be no rock infinitely big. Such a rock, by definition, would not be a rock. The rock, as it is with all things inanimate and living, are created according to a particular nature. The definitions of things are based upon the object's nature. A mountain is not "a rock" as it is not a singular rock, and a rock is not "a mountain". Thus, by definition it is false logic to assert that God can make a rock into a mountain. God can certainly take a rock and "make from it" an entire mountain, but should He do this the "rock" ceases to exist as "a rock" and becomes only a small piece of a larger entity made up of millions of rocks. This all comes down to the fact that God's omnipotence is not independent of His nature. He operates within that nature. It is not in His nature to "make a rock so big that He could not lift it". This is self-contradictory to Truth. It is not in my nature to be a ballet dancer and no matter how much I try it will never happen. As a 400 pound old man, can anyone imagine me prancing around the stage in tights? All things operate within their natures, including God. Although God is not created, He does have a nature -- a divine nature. To try to separate out the faculty of nature from the faculty of God's omnipotence is false. Matthew Slick has a pretty good explanation of this on his website, Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Stating a contradiction

Charles

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Question:

There is this old time question that some people ask: "Can God create a rock so big that he cannot lift it?" I briefly read a small article in a Catholic magazine a few months ago but regretably I cannot remember which it was and I have looked in some of my back issue of This Rock where I thought I had seen it but to no avail.

The explanation had to do with a contradiction and how a contradition is not a truth. I'm sure you subscribe to some Apologetic magazine and I was wondering if you knew what could be a good answer. Somehow the answer said that the above question actually equals to "nothing" and "...nothing is impossible to God."

Thank you for your reply. God Bless and may our Blessed Mother be by your side always.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+

Dear Charles:

Unfortunately I do not subscribe to any apologetics magazines, or any magazines at all. Subscriptions are too expensive.

As for this typical nonsense argument used by atheist to "prove" God does not exist, it is a false analogy. While the argument appears logical...

God is supposed to be omnipotent. If He is omnipotent, then He can create a rock so big that He can't pick it up. If He cannot make a rock like this, then He is not omnipotent. If He can make a rock so big He can't pick it up, then He isn't omnipotent either. Either way demonstrates that God cannot do something. Therefore God is not omnipotent. Therefore God does not exist.

... it can only come to its conclusion by omitting important facts from its formula.

First, there can be no rock infinitely big. Such a rock, by definition, would not be a rock. The rock, as it is with all things inanimate and living, are created according to a particular nature. The definitions of things are based upon the object's nature. A mountain is not "a rock" as it is not a singular rock, and a rock is not "a mountain". Thus, by definition it is false logic to assert that God can make a rock into a mountain. God can certainly take a rock and "make from it" an entire mountain, but should He do this the "rock" ceases to exist as "a rock" and becomes only a small piece of a larger entity made up of millions of rocks.

This all comes down to the fact that God's omnipotence is not independent of His nature. He operates within that nature. It is not in His nature to "make a rock so big that He could not lift it". This is self-contradictory to Truth.

It is not in my nature to be a ballet dancer and no matter how much I try it will never happen. As a 400 pound old man, can anyone imagine me prancing around the stage in tights?

All things operate within their natures, including God. Although God is not created, He does have a nature -- a divine nature. To try to separate out the faculty of nature from the faculty of God's omnipotence is false.

Matthew Slick has a pretty good explanation of this on his website, Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum