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Omnipotence (literally, "all power") is power with no limits or inexhaustible, in other words, unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to God.

In the philosophy of most Western monotheistic religions, omnipotence is listed as one of God's characteristics among many, including omniscience, omnipresence, and omnibenevolence.

Meanings of omnipotence

Between people of different faiths, or indeed even between people of the same faith, the term omnipotent has been used to connote a number of different positions. These positions include but are not limited to:

  1. God can not only transcend the laws of physics and probability, but can also transcend logical truths (for example, God could create a square circle, or could make one equal two), because God is not bound by any limitations.
  2. God can intervene in the world by superseding the laws of physics and probability (i. e., God can create miracles), but it is impossible (and in fact meaningless) to suggest that God can contradict logical truths.
  3. God's omnipotence does not transcend the laws of physics or logic; rather his omnipotence is measured by his mastery of these laws to which he himself is also subject. God is omnipotent in that he has reached the full potential of his species (mankind) and is as powerful as his species can be. What may appear as a miracle to a mere mortal is simply an example of God's omniscience with respect to the laws of nature and his consequent ability to make use of that omniscience.
  4. God is able to do everything that is in accord with his own nature. He has no external power exerted on him, and is the source and origin of all power. The nature of God includes logic, and thus God cannot do anything which is logically absurd. God is able to alter the laws of physics since they are not part of his nature (strictly speaking, though they may be reflective of it), they are only a means to an end. Tertullian summarized this view as follows:

Scholastic definition

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) acknowledged difficulty in comprehending God's power. Aquinas wrote that while "all confess that God is omnipotent...it seems difficult to explain in what His omnipotence precisely consists." In the scholastic understanding, omnipotence is generally understood to be compatible with certain limitations upon God's power, as opposed to implying infinite abilities. There are certain things that even an omnipotent God cannot do. Medieval theologians drew attention to some fairly trivial examples of restrictions upon the power of God. The statement "God can do anything" is only sensible with an assumed suppressed clause, "that implies the perfection of true power." This standard scholastic answer allows that creaturely acts such as walking can be performed by humans but not by God. Rather than an advantage in power, human acts such as walking and sitting were possible only because of a defect in human power. The ability to sin, for example, is not a power but a defect or an infirmity. In response to questions of God performing impossibilities (such as making square circles) Aquinas says that "Nothing which implies contradiction falls under the omnipotence of God." *

In recent times, C.S. Lewis has adopted a scholastic position in the course of his work the problem of evil. Lewis follows Aquinas' view on contradiction:

Rejection of omnipotence

Some monotheists reject altogether the view that God is or could be omnipotent. In Unitarian Universalism, much of Conservative and Reform Judaism, and some movements within Protestant Christianity, including process theology and open theism, God is said to act in the world through persuasion, and not by coercion. God makes himself manifest in the world through inspiration and the creation of possibility, but not necessarily by miracles or violations of the laws of nature.

The rejection of omnipotence often follows from either philosophical or scriptural considerations, discussed below.

Philosophical grounds: process theology

Process theology rejects omnipotence on a philosophical basis, arguing that omnipotence as classically understood would be less than perfect, and is therefore incompatible with the idea of a perfect God.

The idea is grounded in Plato's often overlooked statement that "Being is power."

From this premise, Charles Hartshorne argues further that:

The argument can be stated as follows:

1) God exists
2) God is perfect
3) Existence is power
4) All beings in the universe must have power (from 3)
5) If all beings have some power, then they have some power to resist God
6) If beings have the power to resist God, then God does not have absolute power

If God has absolute power (so the claim goes), then he has no power at all. God must therefore embody some of the characteristics of power, and some of the characteristics of persuasion. This view is known as dipolar theism.

The most popular works espousing this point are from Harold Kushner (in Judaism). The need for a modified view of omnipotence was also articulated by Alfred North Whitehead in the early 20th century and expanded upon by the aforementioned philosopher Charles Hartshorne. Hartshorne proceeded within the context of the theological system known as process theology.

Scriptural grounds

Some of those who reject omnipotence do so on scriptural grounds. They note that the word "omnipotence" is absent from the Bible. They also note that much of the narrative of the Old Testament describes God as interacting with creation primarily through persuasion, and only occasionally through brute force. A primary New Testament text used to assert the limit of God's power is Paul's assertion that God cannot tell a lie *. Thus, it is argued, there is no scriptural reason to adhere to omnipotence, and the adoption of the doctrine is merely a result of the synthesis of Hellenic and early Christian thought.

Paradoxes of omnipotence

For further discussion, see the main article Omnipotence Paradox

Belief that God can do absolutely anything can be thought to yield certain logical paradoxes. A simple example goes as follows: Can God create a rock so heavy that even he cannot lift it? If he can, then (so the claim goes) the rock is now unliftable, limiting God's power. But if he cannot, then he is still not omnipotent. This problem led in the High Middle Ages to developing the concept of mathematical infinity, and laid the basis for infinitesimal calculus.

Combining omnipotence with omniscience can yield the difficulty of whether or not God can pose a question to which he would not know the answer.

References

See also

External links

Jewish mysticism | Philosophy of religion | social psychology | self

Allmacht | Omnipotence | Allsmäktighet

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Omnipotence".

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