Friday, March 11, 2011

Can God make a rock so heavy he cannot lift it?

Copyright
September 20, 2010
Carl Janssen


What would be a proper answer to the question, “If God is infinitely-strong can God make a rock so heavy he cannot lift it?”

There are many ways to answer this question.  Some people might say this question is invalid because God does not have a body.  I will simply reply to this question with an allegory.

Imagine you are at a weightlifting contest between two men.  One contestant is a weak man, and the other a strong man.  The weak man cannot lift more than 20 pounds, doing a specific type of lift.  The strong man cannot lift more than 200 pounds doing the same specific type of lift.  The weak man tells the strong man, “You cannot be unable to lift the 30 pound weight doing this type of lift, where as I can be unable to lift the 30 pound weight doing this type of lift therefore I am stronger than you because there is something I can do that you cannot.”  The strong man replies, “I can choose not to lift the 30 pound weight, so this does not actually make you stronger than me.”

Which man measured strength correctly?

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