This article focuses on the 'being present at' relation which figures so prominently in the divine attribute of omnipresence, on both fundamental and derivative readings of that relation, and on a host of philosophical problems which arise for each reading. But what is it, exactly, for God to manifest ubiquitous presence? Well, presumably, it is for God to bear a certain relation - the 'being present at' relation - to every place. Hence, these tasks aren’t included within the scope of maximally perfect possible power.Īccording to the tradition of western theism, God is said to enjoy the attribute of being everywhere present.
Since the tasks in question (bringing about a logically impossible state of affairs, producing an unproducible state of affairs, bringing about another person’s free action) can’t be brought about by any possible being, no being could surpass God by possessing the ability to perform them. For example, the state of affairs consisting in my freely choosing to spend the evening at home can’t be brought about by someone other than myself since, if it were, then either the action wouldn’t really be my action or it wouldn’t be free. Other states of affairs are logically possible and producible but can’t be produced by God. If they can’t, then no agent can produce them. Some think that necessary states of affairs like 2 + 3 equaling 5, while logically possible, aren’t “producible” - that is, they can’t have causes. Most of the remaining notable passages in the Old Testament dealing with God’s omniscience and prayer deal more with the extent of his understanding rather than his response to prayer. States of affairs such as the interior angles of a Euclidian plane triangle equaling 170 or 190 degrees are logically impossible, and hence no one can bring them about. In both cases (Genesis and 2 Chronicles), the character prays, God is intreated (ESV moved by his entreaty), and God positively answers the prayer. Omnipotence / Almost no theists think that God can perform logically impossible tasks. Flavor Text: 'The things I once imagined would be my greatest achievements were only the first steps toward a future I can only begin to fathom.' Jace Beleren.
Christians have not always agreed on how these attributes are to be understood, however. Card Text: You may cast spells from your hand without paying their mana costs. They not only appear to follow from God’s maximal perfection but seem presupposed by his providential governance of creation. Among the attributes Christians have traditionally ascribed to God are omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence.