One of the oldest and most widely repeated objections to the concept of God's omnipotence is the so-called omnipotence paradox. The objection goes something like this:
"Can God create a stone so heavy that even He can't lift it?"
At first glance, this seems like a clever trap. If you answer "yes," then it seems there's something God can't do: lift the stone. If you answer "no," then there’s something else He can’t do: create the stone. Either way, it seems you're admitting that God is not truly all-powerful. Case closed, right?
Not quite.
The Paradox of the Paradox
This "stone paradox" is a textbook example of a logical trick. It attempts to define omnipotence in a way that is itself incoherent—demanding that an all-powerful being perform a task that is, by nature, self-contradictory.
This objection is not only old but also deeply flawed, and that’s why even most serious atheists no longer rely on it in academic debates. It's more of a rhetorical gotcha than a philosophically grounded argument. In fact, well-known Christian philosopher Dr. William Lane Craig has addressed it directly in a public Q&A session.
The question posed to Craig was:
"Can God disobey logical truths? For example, can He create a stone so heavy that even He can't lift it?"
Craig answered simply: God cannot do logically impossible tasks.
Words Matter: What Does 'All-Powerful' Mean?
The question ultimately comes down to definition. What do we mean by "all-powerful" or "omnipotent"? Often, Christians casually say, "God can do anything." But in the same breath, those same believers will also affirm that God cannot sin or God cannot lie.
Is this a contradiction? Not if you understand the classical theistic definition of omnipotence: God can do all things that are logically possible.
God cannot do what is logically absurd or self-contradictory—not because He lacks power, but because such "tasks" aren’t actually tasks at all. They are gibberish dressed up as questions.
Imagine asking:
Can God make a square circle?
Can God create a married bachelor?
Can God exist and not exist at the same time?
These aren't real challenges to God's power because they don't describe genuine possibilities. They're just contradictions in language.
As Craig explained, a logically impossible task isn’t a task at all, so God’s inability to perform it says nothing about His omnipotence. Classical theism has always taught this. It's not a convenient dodge; it’s the consistent historical understanding.
What If God Could Do the Logically Impossible?
Now, let’s entertain the alternative just for fun. Suppose God could do the logically impossible. Then the paradox disappears entirely. God could create a stone too heavy for Him to lift—and then He could lift it anyway.
But of course, this would mean abandoning the laws of logic altogether. If you go that route, then any argument—including your own—ceases to have meaning. Logic is the framework in which reason and understanding operate. You can’t build a case for or against God while sawing off the branch you’re sitting on.
The Takeaway
So here’s the bottom line:
Omnipotence means God can do all things that are logically possible.
Self-contradictions (like the stone paradox) are not "things" at all. They’re just nonsense combinations of words.
If you're a Christian, stop casually saying "God can do anything"—it's more accurate to say "God is all-powerful" or "God can do all things consistent with His nature and logic."
If you're an atheist or skeptic, this isn’t the objection you want to use. There are better ones. This one collapses under even light scrutiny