The Concept of Gods Omnipotence - Essay Example

The analogy of a stone created by the divine that is too heavy for even God to lift suggests limitations to God and, therefore, refutes his omnipotence. When suggesting that God is incapable of creating a stone too heavy for himself to lift, then he was never omnipotent, to begin with. In so many ways, using the Paradox of Omnipotence to suggest that God maintains limitations is a scientific or secular attempt to refute the possibility of God’s existence.

Mackie argues that whether or not men are the creator of evil by their own consciousness, the paradox of omnipotence is still valid, thus it cannot be avoided. It would seem to suggest that Mackie believes that God would be incapable of removing evil from the world or from the hearts of men, thus he should be considered without omnipotence for it proposes a limitation. If God is said to be inherently good, then a failure to remove evil deeds from the word suggests he has created a situation out of his absolute control.

I disagree strongly with Mackie’s position, perhaps with some level of personal bias, in suggesting that there are limitations to God’s omnipotence. Not all actions performed by God can be rationalized, and it is commonly cited in society that God works in mysterious ways. Since none in modern society have met God to discuss his motivations and opinions, it would be impossible to suggest that God is unable to provide contradictions. His testaments speak of considerable love and forgiveness, but at the same time, there appear to be no actions undertaken to remove evil.

It would be illogical to assume that God is not without complicated and complex reasoning, thus he could be standing idle allowing evil to exist for a specific purpose. Perhaps the evil occurring today is a means toward an end, which does not by any practical lens suggest that he is limited in omnipotence. Ascribing evil to the free will of humans in no way validates the pragmatic view of the Paradox of Omnipotence. Out of God’s own mouth, he stated that through him all things were possible, which would by design indicate absolute omnipotence and no limitations inability or confines of what God can establish or perform.