Quick thoughts
I have a couple of more in-depth posts on the way, but in the meantime I've been watching YouTube user TheraminTrees' new video series "There Are No Gods", of which two of three parts have been released. He's essentially tackling the idea that deities are logically impossible beings, and as usual he's doing a damn fine job arguing it.
One idea stuck out in particular that I think is worth revisiting: the omnipotence paradox. Y'know, the old questions like, in the words of Homer Simpson, "Could God microwave a burrito so hot that he couldn't eat it?" TheraminTrees asks a similar question: Can God destroy himself?
The de facto theological answer is this: God is omnipotent, yes; but he cannot do things that are illogical or contrary to His nature. William Lane Craig, for example, in his recent debate with Sam Harris, argued that God cannot issue moral commands that are inconsistent with his loving, holy nature.
Here's the problem though: by that definition, I am omnipotent. Isn't it true that I can in fact do anything that I want, as long as it is not logically impossible (I can't draw a four-sided circle) or contrary to my nature (I can't fly or predict the future)? Once again, "sophisticated theology" is shown to be a contradiction in terms.
I'll repost all three videos once the third is released. In the meantime, you can catch the first two parts on his YouTube channel.
One idea stuck out in particular that I think is worth revisiting: the omnipotence paradox. Y'know, the old questions like, in the words of Homer Simpson, "Could God microwave a burrito so hot that he couldn't eat it?" TheraminTrees asks a similar question: Can God destroy himself?
The de facto theological answer is this: God is omnipotent, yes; but he cannot do things that are illogical or contrary to His nature. William Lane Craig, for example, in his recent debate with Sam Harris, argued that God cannot issue moral commands that are inconsistent with his loving, holy nature.
Here's the problem though: by that definition, I am omnipotent. Isn't it true that I can in fact do anything that I want, as long as it is not logically impossible (I can't draw a four-sided circle) or contrary to my nature (I can't fly or predict the future)? Once again, "sophisticated theology" is shown to be a contradiction in terms.
I'll repost all three videos once the third is released. In the meantime, you can catch the first two parts on his YouTube channel.
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