There is one question that I have not seen satisfactorily answered in any of the forums I have seen for a discussion of this sort.
If God is omnipotent, can he make an object so heavy he cannot lift?
The answers I have seen so far are:
1. That is an illogical question and a contradiction. It's like asking if god can make a circle with corners, or other impossibilities.
2. God is beyond logic.
3. God can only do what is logically possible.
Rebuttals:
1. It's only a contradiction for an omnipotent being. None of us can make a circle with corners because that is a contradiction in terms. But each and every one of us can make an object so heavy that we cannot lift it. Does that make me more powerful than god? So that's in effect saying, "God can do anything, except that which he cannot do", which is a waste of words.
2.
"God is beyond logic, and can therefore not be discussed using logic." Even this statement is derived by simple logic. Logic drips through every implication, and every inference made. Nothing "transcends" logic.
3. Yeah, and making a whole universe out of nothing is really logical. See rebuttal 1 as well.
If you have any other replies to this, please do post.
Also, god cannot be omnipotent and omniscient at the same time. It's explained by this handy little verse I picked up from "The God Delusion":
Can omniscient God, who
Knows the future, find
The omnipotence to
Change His future mind?
Any input on this would also be appreciated.
And of course if anybody would care to answer the "What created God?" question, that would be nice too.