The Search for God Page 2.1.4.1.1
Every time I think of all power, I remember Jafar from Disney’s Aladdin gaining the genie wristbands. Jafar surges with crackling power, yelling, “Yeessss, awesome cosmic power!” His muscles and arms flex as he reaches toward the heavens.
How will it feel to have all power in your hands?
Then suddenly, his legs turn to mist and the genie bottle pulls him into an “ity-bity living space.” Another concept of power is the infinity gauntlet, where, with a snap, half the population of the universe is dead. But even Thanos with his mighty power eventually succumbed to his mortal body and died.
Wielding True Power
The nature of power rests upon the other attributes a being possesses. If the being is mortal, created, and can be killed, can the being be said to possess all power? If the being has the ability to destroy the cosmos and the universe, what about what is outside the cosmos?
Can the being destroy energy and subatomic particles or is only complex organized matter destroyed? To truly possess all power, there are some important requirements. A being must be able to:
- Control time, or more importantly, know time and be unaffected by time.
- Have knowledge of souls, the mind, or the intangible nature of the universe.
- Alter reality of how the universe appears or actually functions.
- Manipulate space or matter.
- Be immortal.
Only with the ability to control each of these areas can one begin to claim they have all power. So in effect, truly having all-power is a dependent attribute. Some ruler or king could have all power of life and death over his subjects.
A being could have all power to manipulate matter at the sub-atomic level. Truly possessing all power is related to specific areas of control, mastery, knowledge, and manipulation.
Therefore, when some being claims to have all power, they are claiming that power in a specific area and that no other being is able to change or manipulate the “all-powerful” being in that area.
The Supreme Being
The “all-powerful” being could create or grant other beings power or ability in some area like control over matter or control over minds, but that “granted” being would always be subject to the supreme being. So, the supreme being would always be one being.
Could multiple beings possess all power in every area of existence? We get back to the idea of all-knowledge. If you have two beings that possess all-power in the manner I have described, then the two beings would have to have full knowledge of each other.
They would have to have a complete understanding of the other’s intent and motives. There would be no trickery, nothing hidden, and no way to use that power to manipulate the other.
You could say as in a dualistic belief system, one being has all knowledge of good and the other all knowledge of evil, but they are separated. But then, each would have limited knowledge.
If one had power over good actions and the other power over evil actions, they again would not have all power but limited power.
For any creation or formation of the universe, the two natures or substances would have to agree, or they are constantly “fighting,” they are not one. Lastly, this dualistic nature could be true, but again, where is our knowledge and who do we get it from?
If we have a being who lacks all-knowledge, we are only getting half the story. What are the implications of a being with all-power?
Will God Impose?
If a being exists, if God exists, with all-power that would mean he is sovereign or in control of everything and has the power to carry out his purpose and plan. So this being would have some options on how to wield this power. He could force humans to obey, but would he?
However, just like the law of morality, when we ask why there is evil, any questions must be delayed until we find out whether God has spoken. So is there anything this being could not do? Remember the power of this being is also tied to the attributes this God possesses.
This being would be rational as well as all of the following:
- He would be unable to violate the laws of logic.
- Anything God makes would be lesser than he is. Nothing else besides him would have always existed.
- No other being could have all-power outside of time.
- He cannot lose control of anything he creates.
If all these attributes existed in one being, then God cannot do any of the following:
- Fail
- Lie
- Be deceived
- Die
I am afraid. In one sense, I don’t want this being to exist. No one should have control over my life and judge my decisions. I don’t want to be the crying two-year-old child hoisted on my father’s shoulders and forced into my room for a time-out.
I am the master of my house, the creator of my destiny. However, my continued search for reality, logic, and truth point to such a singular God existing. I want to know the truth, but at the same time, I am fearful of the answer.
What Next?
- What is the crucial concept?
- Having all-power reside within one being is not irrational. However, possessing all-power is a dependent attribute over various forms of reality.
- Why is that significant?
- If all-power resides within one being, personally, I am afraid and a little angry.
- If you agree, the next steps.
- If you disagree, please consider reading.
References and Links
- Journal Christian Science – The supreme being
- Britannica (Existence-of-God) – If God exists