Can God create A Rock bigger than he can lift?
A Response to Dr. Carroll’s Question in Class
at John A. Logan College
August 30, 2010
The following was taken from Dr Norman Geisler’s book, Unshakeable Foundations pages 66-68
Dr. Carroll you asked at the end of class the other day if God could make a rock bigger than he can move? We are grateful for your thought provoking question as it has been used once again by God to help those of us who have faith in a infinite God to have that faith strengthened by your very question.
Let’s assume that you are attempting to be logical in your question give for us to consider, which since you are a professor who has studied in the university we must assume, at least hopefully that is the case. Otherwise we are sitting in a class that is being taught by someone who cannot think logically.
As students who long to learn and study the implications of truth we have decided to think the best of your intentions.
So begins our discovery by studying the question you asked us to consider.
Can God make a rock bigger than he can move? ON the surface this question seems to put all theists on the defensive for either way they answer they are placed in a very difficult position. FI God can make a rock bigger than he can move then he cannot be all powerful and if he cannot then he cannot be all powerful either. It seems to be that we are left with a God who is not what we first claimed him to be and thus you have proved your point that the God that we believe in does not exist, thereby leaving us with only your position that god does not exist and we are left to fend for ourselves in this hostile and dark and foreboding universe.
It seems your question has placed us in a no win situation, but this is only what it seems. We have all learned that appearances are not often what they seem so it is with your question.
Dr Carroll we want to answer your question not on emotional ground but on logical grounds. For us to have a meaningful discussion about this rock and this God we must come to an understanding of our terms. For our discussion to be meaningful in any way we must mean the same thing by these terms and our definitions must remain constant throughout our discussion.
For our discussion to proceed we must reach a definition of what we mean by a rock and what we mean by God. Let’s assume that you mean what most dictionaries define as a rock. “A piece of hard matter usually composed of one or more physical elements that ahs some size and shape to it. Basically a piece of hard physical matter that has a finite size to it. SO let us say that a rock is a finite size of a very hard piece of matter. Are you with me so far? Good, this is not that hard.
Now we must define what we mean by God? As per most discussions about God and I think even in this discussion we can assume that by God you mean and infinite being who has no size for God is infinite in size. Are we safe in this assumption? If we were to consult many dictionaries we would find something fairly similar.
So now we have our definitions let us begin our discussion. You asked the question, Can God make a rock bigger than he can move? TO be consistent with our definitions and remember we have to in order to have any meaningful conversation, which I assume a college professor would wan to have with their students let us continue with our dilemma.
Can God (an infinite being without size or limit) make a rock (a finite piece of organic matter composed of one or more minerals) bigger than he can move? Now we see the problem with such a question. It defies the rules of logic and this is why it is not possible to answer the question for to do so would be to violate all rules of logic by which we can have any meaningful discussion.
What you have just asked us to consider is Can God make an infinite finite piece of matter that he cannot move. This question violates the rules of logic and turns out to be utter nonsense. We believe that God can do miracles but he does not do nonsense, for the God that we serve desires to be known and he has shown himself to be eternally the same yesterday today and forever. So even in this question that you have asked Dr. Carroll you have helped us to see how God and his truth are inescapable.
We as your students are even more grateful for your teaching now that we have found our faith strengthened by such discussion.
We welcome any more questions you may have so we may grow in our faith as we seek to follow Christ more clearly in the coming days and years.