Omnipotence and the problem of evil

Related posts: Opposition in all things; Creation ex nihilo; The Fall of Man: The Doctrine

Classical theism affirms that God is omnipotent. But the meaning of this varies from person to person. Can God do only what is logically possible? Are there only non-logical limits to God’s power? Is God’s power limited by our free will? If God has all the power are we powerless? If we have some power then to what extent is God limited?

Most people don’t believe that God can make 1 + 1 + 1 = 1, but do believe God can cure the sick and prevent accidents. But understanding omnipotence to mean God can do only what is logically possible isn’t enough: It’s logically possible God doesn’t exist. Consequently, some Christians define omnipotence as having all possible power, or maximal power. Continue reading

Attributes of God: Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent

Related posts: Omniscience and Fate; Omniscience and divine learning; The Fall of Man: Defense of the Doctrine; Whence God? Talking about God

Immutable; Omnipresent; Impassible

In this six part series I explore Mormon conceptions of the attributes of God and compare them to traditional Christian beliefs. By conceptions I mean that Mormonism has no prescribed conception of the attributes of God. There are guidelines but few specifics. We don’t adhere to the traditional belief that God has one essence and three personal distinctions; we don’t accept God’s plurality and unicity. Not in any traditional sense at least. We believe the Godhead consists of three separate persons, each a God. (See Godhead: God or Gods?) Though we believe they share an intimate unity such that they may be spoken of as God, our language is along the lines of social trinitarianism; generally, that is the sense of our unqualified monotheistic language. In the posts comprising this series, when I use the word God in an LDS context it is in this generic sense. Continue reading