Mar Elias Evangelisation

Dr. Elias (PhD)

Apologetics

The Holy Bible:

Atheism:

  • Can God create a rock he cannot lift?

    No. To understand why, consider this: God is infinitely good, he cannot do evil. Exactly in the same way, he is truth, as our Lord says: "I am the truth", therefore, God is rational, logical, and he cannot have contradictions. So in the same way that he cannot be evil, he cannot be illogical.

    Source of the rest: https://www.gotquestions.org/God-rock-heavy-lift.html

    This question is frequently asked by skeptics of God, the Bible, Christianity, etc. If God can create a rock that He cannot lift, then God is not omnipotent. If God cannot create a rock so heavy that He cannot lift it, then God is not omnipotent. According to this argument, omnipotence is self-contradictory. Therefore, God cannot be omnipotent. So, the question, could God create a rock so heavy He could not lift it? The quick answer is “No.” But the explanation is far more important to understand than the answer...

    This question is based on a popular misunderstanding about the definitions of words like “almighty” or “omnipotent.” These terms do not mean that God can do anything. Rather, they describe the amount of God’s power. Power is the ability to effect change - to make something happen. God (being unlimited) has unlimited power, and the Bible affirms this (Job 11:7-11, 37:23; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 4:8; etc.). Therefore, God can do whatever is possible to be done. God cannot, however, do that which is actually impossible. This is because true impossibility is not based on the amount of power one has, it is based on what is really possible. The truly impossible is not made possible by adding more power. Therefore, unless context indicates otherwise (e.g. Matthew 19:26 where man’s ability is being shown in contrast to God’s), impossibility means the same thing whether or not God is involved.

    So, the first part of the question is based on a false idea—that God being almighty means that He can do anything. In fact, the Bible itself lists things God cannot do - like lie or deny Himself (Hebrews 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:13; Titus 1:2). The reason He cannot do these things is because of His nature and the nature of reality itself. God cannot do what is not actually possible to be done, like creating a two-sided triangle, or a married bachelor. Just because words can be strung together this way does not make the impossible possible—these things are contradictions, they are truly impossible in reality. Now, what about this rock? A rock would have to be infinitely large to defeat an infinite amount of lifting power. But an infinite rock is a contradiction since material objects cannot be infinite. Only God is infinite. There cannot be two infinites. So the question is actually asking if God can make a contradiction—which He cannot.

Modernism:

  • Who wrote the Torah?

    «If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me.» (John 5:46)

Pastoral questions:

  • We can't talk about abortion or lgbt or gender theory because people might not like it and they might flee the church!

    The purpose of the church is to "speak the truth in love" (Philippians 1? Also Pope Benedict XVI letter). Not to please people's emotions and feelings. «Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.» (Galatians 1:10)

    See articles about sentimentalism and true compassion.