Atheos
Veteran Member
but omnipotent, as a word, does not merely mean the most powerful being in the room.
It means all-powerful. Limiting infinite power when it's inconvenient is cheating.
Why is it not unlimited and all-powerful? Wouldn't God be able to do everything and anything, anywhich how even beyond our understanding?
(It is beyond me at the moment goodnight)
I think that's sort of the point. We can understand that we're talking about limited power. Nothing about this discussion is beyond our understanding. But that is a place apologists like to go when they can no longer deal with simple logic that demonstrates the absurdity of certain god-myths. "Mysterious ways. Oooooooh."
Power is not unlimited if we (mere mortals) can define the limits of it. Any god who knows less than everything knowable could be defeated by a god has all the other powers of the first god but also knows everything. Knowledge is power.
Another limit: Any god who must use a means to achieve an end is not as powerful as a god who can simply cut straight to the end without the drama. Such a god is "subject" to certain laws of nature or the universe (or whatever) and must operate within those constraints. Many attempts to resolve the Problem of Evil hinge around the idea that god cannot achieve some undefined "greater good" without allowing evil to co-exist. This god has only limited power. A more powerful god would be able to achieve whatever "greater good" it wanted without requiring innocent creatures to experience suffering.