God is supposed to be absolutely powerful. Does that imply absolute freedom too? Is God free to do 'whatever'?

Question

For example.... can He do something evil? Can he do anything unjust? Can he change the governing rules of the Universe? Can he punish the good and reward the bad ones? Can He lie? Can He be unforgiving?

Answer 1

the answer is YES He can do whatever.

but the logic says : why should He do something evil ?

God doesn't feel pain...God doesn't feel sympathy...God does not react...God only acts.

God is only an observer of what's going on and He will be a fair judge.

love

Pluto  

Answer 2

Hypothecating that such a God exists; then his omnipotence actually means that he can do everything and anything outside of logical contradictions. I am sure you are familiar with what I mean by logical contradictions, but just in case other readers are not, I will use examples that are used ubiquitously throughout philosophy. God, for instance, cannot create a circle square. That would be a logical contradiction because the properties that make an object a square (i.e. four right angles) and the properties that make an object a circle(i.e. something without right angles that has an equal radius from its center to any point along its outer edge) are not compatible. Another example of a logical contradiction that is used often is that God cannot create a stone so heavy that he could not lift it.

So outside of logical contradictions God, in his absolute power, is free to do anything. He can be purely evil, or purely good. He can love infinitely or hate infinitely. He can forgive every transgression or forgive none of them, etc. The possibilities are endless, with the exception of logical contradictions.

Yet, if we look at the universe, and life here on this planet, as evidence of God’s presence and action, we see that IF he does exist (which is a very big and uncertain if), he DOESN’T seem to use his omnipotence towards any one end. Sometimes things go good, and sometimes things are not so good.  Furthermore, since what we perceive to be good and bad is purely based on our subjective assessment, we have no way of OBJECTIVELY stating whether God is infinitely good or bad.

I personally share the view that the world is such a hodgepodge of SEEMINGLY good and evil precisely because there is no absolute ruler governing the universe. Randomness in the  events that are “good” and in events that are “evil” is precisely what you would expect if there was no God.  Suppose you were rolling a pair of dice. If there was someone benevolent dictating how the dice would roll, the dice would always roll in your favor. If there was someone malevolent manipulating the dice roll, then it would always roll against you. However, if there is NO ONE choosing the outcome of the roll of the dice, you would expect it to sometimes roll in your favor, and sometimes not.

I frequently quote Richard Dawkins, because I think he sums up the argument against an omnipotent God nicely when he said:

“The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond all decent contemplation. During the minute that it takes me to compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive, many others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear, others are slowly being devoured from within by rasping parasites, thousands of all kinds are dying of starvation, thirst, and disease. It must be so. If there ever is a time of plenty, this very fact will automatically lead to an increase in the population until the natural state of starvation and misery is restored. In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.”

Answer 3

It dependss if you believe in god.

Answer 4

he can do whatever you believe he can do.

i on the other hand, doubt he can do whatever, because.. i highly doubt his existence.

basically... its up for interpretation. if you believe in god then i guess you decide what he can and cant do/has and hasn't done.

Answer 5

the same rules that apply to man do not apply to God. your questions implies that God is a person with no limits. God is not a person and therefore maybe he can do all those things but will he? God is absolutely powerful and free... but that doesnt mean he will think like Man... hope this makes you think =]

Answer 6

Well I think Lawrence is on the right track but he jumps off at the end. If god was simply omnipotent then he could do anything short of the logically impossible. But he’s not. God has, as one of his many properties, omnipotence but it is not his only property.

If that’s the case, then the logical constraint is going to affect his ability to change his manner as well. So if god is, by definition, omnipotent and omnibenevolent, then he can’t be evil all of the sudden. It would be logically impossible for him to do so. Just like the square circle.

So this is really going to boil down to your definition of god. If he is purely omnipotent (and I don’t think any theist is going to say that that is his only property) then he can be the bad guy in the next Bond film. However, if god is defined by some other properties then those properties are going to limit his power.

Omniscient so he can’t make himself forget things or ‘close his eyes’; whatever that would mean for god. Omnipresent so he can’t leave the room. And the list probably goes on.

So, short answer; no, god cannot do ‘whatever’.

Answer 7

From a philosophical point of view, before you can talk about the attributes of something you must first demonstrate that that something exists.

Now, what is your proof or verification for the existence of God?

So far no one has come up with one.

Answer 8

seems to me that if God were absolutely powerful, the basis for that mathematically would be something like  "A does not always equal A"  and logical inconsistency too would be an open field.

Answer 9

This depends on how the concept of God is built.Confirm which  God u r talking about whether it is monotheistic , pantheistic ,deistic...or of process theology !

Answer 10

God IS absolutely powerful force and it is flowing through you and me and every atom in this universe all the time. So what are the implications of that for you and I. It is clear that we are absolutely powerful as well. And yes free... free to do 'whatever' but when one comes to this level of understanding through living his/her unique life experience then he/she cannot do anything that he/she perceives as wrong or bad.

The mind of God is absolutely non-judgmental. That implies that there is no punishment or reward for any action whatsoever. So there is no question of being forgiving or unforgiving. But every life experience is very dear to God and it wants to flow all the love and goodness in your life if you let all that to flow to you.

So isn't this a wonderful world that we live in.

Answer 11

God set the bounds on Himself.  He can not lie.  

Answer 12

Well, in Christianity, Baptist at least, God is all powerful and there is no one before him or of higher authority or power, so yes, I guess you can say he is free to do "whatever", from a religious stand point...