God or "The Good"

[dc65]

a lil background, i am a PK(is there a special section of this forum for us?!?!), well, not a complete PK, i wasn't born one, but became one recently. i am a Christian and very involved with ministry and whatnot, so dont worry my faith won't be shaken by this if i dont get a good conclusive answer. i took a philosophy course a few semesters back and got this question:

Can God make a stone so big He couldn't move it? i guess thats a little "lose lose" situation but i figure theres some kind of answer(even in a smart alec sense) that could be of use.

second, this question. i dont remember how it was worded exactly, but it boils down to the idea that makes one wonder whether God is one worth worshipping. the argument is this(and im sure a lot of you have heard it before): Does God come up with the idea of what is considered "good"? if YES, then the argument is that its like we are worshipping a god that can change the rules anytime he wants, and that any teachings is void because of this. if NO, then this presents the idea that the idea of "good" outweighs even God, because He himself has to abide by it, making the idea of "good" even greater than God himself.

thoughts?

[Shadow Phoenix]

a lil background, i am a PK(is there a special section of this forum for us?!?!), well, not a complete PK, i wasn't born one, but became one recently. i am a Christian and very involved with ministry and whatnot, so dont worry my faith won't be shaken by this if i dont get a good conclusive answer. i took a philosophy course a few semesters back and got this question:

Can God make a stone so big He couldn't move it? i guess thats a little "lose lose" situation but i figure theres some kind of answer(even in a smart alec sense) that could be of use.

second, this question. i dont remember how it was worded exactly, but it boils down to the idea that makes one wonder whether God is one worth worshipping. the argument is this(and im sure a lot of you have heard it before): Does God come up with the idea of what is considered "good"? if YES, then the argument is that its like we are worshipping a god that can change the rules anytime he wants, and that any teachings is void because of this. if NO, then this presents the idea that the idea of "good" outweighs even God, because He himself has to abide by it, making the idea of "good" even greater than God himself.

thoughts?

Hello dc65. Let's look at your question.

First off, your question rests on a misunderstanding of God's omnipotence. God's omnipotence does not mean he can do anything. It means that he can do anything that is logically possible. For instance, Titus 1:2 tells us that God cannot lie. Does this show a weakness in God? No. It shows a strength. God cannot violate his nature.

So how much power does God have? Infinite power. A rock is a finite object though. What is being asked is for God to create a rock that is finite and infinite. Such is a contradiction and thus impossible. C.S. Lewis once said that nonsense does not become meaningful just because we add the words "God can" before it. God can do miracles. He does not do nonsense though.

The other question is what in philosophy is called the Eurypthro dilemma. The traditional Christian answer is that God is the good. There are still some questions here, but this answer serves well for the time being.

Hope this helps!