-Stephen- > I would be surprised if any man or woman can name something that > God cannot do, whether because of the limitations of "natural > law" or anything else, that doesn't fall into this class of > false-by-definition.
-Chet- > He cannot lie. > He cannot disobey any of his own commandments. > He cannot go back on his word. > These are not false-by-definition On the contrary, they are false by definition, or else false by wording choice. Here is the logic: "God cannot lie" means either 1) God is incapable of lying, that is, he does not possess the moral capacity to tell an untruth or lead others astray through false communication; or, 2) God constantly and unfailingly chooses not to lie, at the peril of his very existence as God. In the former case, this is not an "inability" with God. Rather, it is a linguistic trick acknowledging God's perfect status; he is a Being in whom all truth independently dwells. He *cannot* lie, because whatever he says is, by definition, true. Saying in such a situation that God is "unable to lie" is clearly a verbal joust along the lines of saying that God is "unable to make a stone so big he can't lift it". In this case, the idea is certainly false by definition -- God's word itself being defined as truth. In the latter case, saying "God cannot lie" is really another way of saying "God will not lie", since those who hold to idea #2 impute to God the ability to sin. It's not correct to say he "can't" in the sense of "it's outside his ability", but merely means he "can't" in the sense that "he will cease to exist as God if he does". This, then, is not an example of something God is actually unable to do, but rather an example of something God merely refuses to do. (I personally do not hold to this latter line of argument, but the point is, even if you do, you can't use it as an example of something God "can't" do, except in a verbal sleight-of-hand.) Stephen ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
