What is Omnipotence?

Encarta Dictionary --

All-powerful: possessing complete, unlimited, or universal power and authority.

Wikipedia --

Between people of different faiths, or indeed between people of the same faith, the term omnipotent has been used to connote a number of different positions. These positions include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. A deity is able to do absolutely anything, even the logically impossible, i.e., pure agency.
2. A deity is able to do anything that it chooses to do.
3. A deity is able to do anything that is in accord with its own nature (thus, for instance, if it is a logical consequence of a deity's nature that what it speaks is truth, then it is not able to lie).
4. Hold that it is part of a deity's nature to be consistent and that it would be inconsistent for said deity to go against its own laws unless there was a reason to do so.
5. A deity is able to do anything that corresponds with its omniscience and therefore with its worldplan.

[Thomas] Aquinas wrote that while "all confess that God is omnipotent...it seems difficult to explain in what God's omnipotence precisely consists." In the scholastic understanding, omnipotence is generally understood to be compatible with certain limitations upon a deity's power, as opposed to implying infinite abilities… Rather than an advantage in power, human acts such as walking, sitting or giving birth were possible only because of a defect in human power. The ability to 'sin', for example, is not a power but a defect or an infirmity.

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Last night while in bed, I was awake for quite some time pondering the meaning of God’s omnipotence. I’ve heard from time to time challenges such as:

“Can God create something too big for him to life?”

“Can God sin?”

As shown by the Wikipedia excerpts given above, challenges such as these two examples are considered nonsensical and meaningless since it derives from a faulty and rigid interpretation of omnipotence.

A more realistic challenge to the meaning of God’s omnipotence is how God can be omnipotent and at the same time allow for human beings to have freedom of choice. On the surface it would appear that if humans had absolute freedom of choice, God’s power is severely limited, not just in the choices human beings make, but in the effects of those choices upon the world and the universe. (Once omniscience is thrown in, the size of the dilemma only seems to increase.)

This dilemma is resolved in a number of ways within the Christian tradition. Here I present three. First, and perhaps the most widely held explanation, is that human beings don’t have absolute free will; that is, human freedom is limited by what God allows. A second explanation is that God is in control of the flow of history, but not in control of individual human decisions. In this scenario God can intervene to maintain the proper course of history. A third explanation is that there exists a principle (or law) that supersedes God’s omnipotence (and consequently limits it), and it is this principle that allows for absolute free will in humans.

The objection I have to the first explanation is that in my mind, God is only playing with humanity. In this scenario free will is an illusion, no matter how it is cast. A limited free will is no free will at all.

The objection I have to the second explanation is again, God reserves for himself the right to reverse human choices that might throw off God’s vision of the flow of history. Logically, this line of thought leads to the conclusion that there is no free will; if God cannot allow anything that might ruin his plan for history, is there truly free will?

I also see in the first two explanations a paradox: By God limiting free will, he is in fact admitting that he is not all-powerful. By God admitting that he might at some points in time, have to resort to the use of force and coercion, he is also admitting that free will is more powerful than himself.

This is why I believe, for myself, that the third explanation fits most closely with what is meant by God’s omnipotence. I reject the definition of omnipotence found in Encarta (and other dictionaries). I also reject the traditional explanations of limited free will. I believe there is a principle under which both omnipotence and free will are subject. This principle I believe to be the dominion of God’s love. Love is the first principle under which all other attributes and actions of God must be subject, including omnipotence. I believe that God’s love demands that human beings have absolute free will to the extent that it can and will limit God’s power and actions in the world.

The principle can be illustrated (imperfectly, I hasten to add) by human kingdoms. How much power does a king have? He has absolute power over his domain. What is his domain? From a human monarchial standpoint, a king’s domain includes those that willingly submit to him, those whom through fear voluntarily submit to him, and those whom are involuntarily coerced into submitting to him. The king has no power over those outside of his domain. He can attempt to exert power over those outside his domain through persuasion or through force. In either case, the king’s power is exerted by bringing those outside of his domain inside.

What I am getting at is that God’s omnipotence extends as far as his domain and no farther. He has power over those who willingly submit to him. Unlike human kings, I do not believe God ever uses fear or force to manipulate humans into submitting to him. Therefore, God has no power over those who have not submitted, or are unwilling to submit, to him. Again, because God’s power is limited by love, he cannot employ force to attempt to bring those outside his domain inside. The only avenue left to him is persuasion.

The Bible never explicitly dismisses the concept of multiple gods. The entire Old Testament is framed within the context that multiple gods exist and that they each have their own domains. It is within this context that Yahweh declares himself to be the God of Israel and that they are his people. It is within this context that God demonstrates that the various aspects of nature attributed to various gods, are actually within God’s domain.

God’s domain includes what is created, but there is one thing it does not include automatically: beings given free will. In the story of the Fall, in Genesis 3, when the serpent claims to Adam and Eve that “they will be like God,” he is not lying. Surprisingly the serpent may even be showing some restraint, because by claiming independence from God, Adam and Eve actually become their own little gods, claiming for themselves a domain that is no longer under God’s power. In Ezekiel 28 the prince of Tyre is accused of claiming, “I am a god.” Although the response is, “You are but a man, and no god,” within the context of free will the prince of Tyre is speaking the truth.

God’s plan and purpose is to bring all under his dominion. The only means he can use is persuasion through love. That is why the Father sent his Son, to be incarnated as a human being in Jesus Christ. I believe this is what Paul had in mind when he penned (quoting an even earlier Christ-hymn):

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15-20 ESV)

Philippians 2:10-11 reads (quoting and interpreting Isaiah 45:23; also quoted in Romans 14:11),

So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (ESV)

To me this is a critical passage because this is what gives God the right, authority, and power to judge and execute judgment over all creation. (The context in all three locations where this idea is found is the context of a final judgment.) What the Bible says is that at the very end all will willingly (all will be convinced of God’s rightness and justice, though many will continue to hate him) submit to the domain of God. Until this happens, God cannot execute final judgment because there are beings outside of his domain and consequently outside of his power and authority.

From a perspective of theodicy this is also critical because how can God rightly execute judgment upon a being who does not acknowledge God’s authority? Question will forever remain on whether or not God was good and just in executing judgment upon a being who did not acknowledge God’s authority.

This is my explanation on what I believe God’s omnipotence means, and why I believe humans have absolute free will.

What is faith?

“You’ve just got to have faith.”

“Just believe.”

These and similar phrases are often thrown about within Christianity. These statements assume that in many ways faith is opposed to reason, logic, science. Rightly, critics criticize Christianity (or at the very least its more public and vocal front) for its anti-intellectualism.

I don’t buy into that.

I believe faith is a logical extension of what can be experienced and reasoned.

A few days ago I watched The Fabric of the Cosmos: Universe or Multiverse? on PBS. The gist of the program was about whether or not our universe is singular or not. Scientists line up on both sides of the issue because the existence or non-existence of the multiverse cannot be empirically tested. There are multiple pieces of evidence that point toward its existence, however, and its existence would in turn explain many of the observed mysteries about our universe.

Towards the end of the program it discussed the role of mathematics: mathematics has often served as a predictor of scientific realities when those realities at the time could not be tested empirically. Many times these mathematic predictions contradict accepted science of the day but are later found to be true.

Some may choose to disagree, but I believe religious faith is similar to mathematics described in the preceding paragraph. Faith is never a leap beyond reason and logic, it is never wishful thinking, but an extension of reality. It integrates what is known and what has been experienced to project a future reality that is based firmly on the past. Just as mathematics models what is already known, and through those models discovers new realities, faith models what is already known and through it projects what the greater, unseen reality ought to be.

That is what I believe Hebrews 11 to be saying to us as it opens, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (ESV)

Thanksgiving 2011

This year’s Thanksgiving was different from previous years in at least one way: Shelley is no longer home. Because it costs so much and the holiday is so short, it didn’t make any sense for her to come home. Thus it was the three of us remaining plus a couple of friends that celebrated Thanksgiving together.

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, Petersburg found itself under thick blankets of snow. After the first dump I spent quite some time digging the driveway out while Elise shoveled the path to the back of the house and cleared off the deck. It didn’t stay that way for very long as the second large snowfall came not too long afterwards on Thanksgiving morning. I was going to be busy and Elise didn’t want to shovel. She saw our neighbor plowing with his 4-wheeler so she gave him some money to have him clear out our driveway.

This year’s Thanksgiving dinner menu was -

• Cheese (key lime and cranberry) and crackers
• Green beans with white miso and mustard dressing
• Cranberry chutney with apples and ginger (requires subscription)
• Braised turkey breast and gravy (requires subscription – I used the slow cooker version found in Slow Cooker Revolution)
• Black wild rice stuffing
• Fennel and pearl barley stuffed acorn squash (found in Best of America’s Test Kitchen, 2011)
• Mashed potatoes
• Rolls
• Pumpkin squares

The day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday for much of the rest of the country. There wasn’t much black about Petersburg though. We have no malls, no crowds, and no one attacked anyone else with pepper spray.

I had a “50% off any regularly priced item $50 or less” coupon at TrueValue and searched the store for something close to $50 that I needed or wanted. I found some toys but they were just over $50. There was nothing in the kitchenware section that caught my eye that fit the criteria. I finally found a Black & Decker corded Dustbuster with a hair-removal attachment meant to be used for pet hair. Since all such attachments for our current vacuums no longer seem to function, I figured it fit the “need” category. I also picked up a set of plastic food storage containers that were on sale.

I wandered about the town and stopped in at Lee’s Clothing where I tried on some Nordic sweaters. Now you have to realize that these things run well over $200 at regular prices, thus not making them a casual purchase. However, they were 20% off on Friday and Saturday. I’ve been in Petersburg now for over five years and I still didn’t have a Nordic sweater. It may not seem that important but it is kind of like formal wear here. It can be worn to church, to weddings, to funerals, and to public functions. With the Oxford Caroler performances coming up (in which I’ll be singing for the second year), the sweater moved into the “need” category. As an added incentive I had signed up my American Express card for Small Business Saturday’s $25 credit offer. I found one sweater that I liked but needed to wait until the next day to make the purchase.

Trading Union had coupon offers this week as well. For each $10 spent there was a coupon for a free item: laundry detergent, first pound of ground beef, 1/2 gallon milk, 3# apples. I spent a bit over $30 and got the detergent, beef, and milk.

Friday evening was the traditional festival of lights parade and tree lighting ceremony. The weather cooperated nicely: not too cold and no rain or snow. There was a great turnout of people – much more than on some years when it was wet and soggy.

Late Saturday afternoon after collecting the mail at the Post Office I went back to Lee’s Clothing where I purchased the Nordic sweater I had picked out.

Perspective: Once Upon a Time vs. Grimm

I’ve now watched all currently broadcast episodes: that is three for Once Upon a Time (OUaT) and two for Grimm.

My impressions after watching the first episode of each was that I preferred OUaT over Grimm. After watching what is available up to now, my impression remains the same. Why is that?

A few days ago our younger daughter mentioned something about character-driven vs. action-driven plots in regards to writing a novel. That got me thinking about these two TV shows. Both have a similar point of origin: take fairytale and fantasy characters, place them in the modern world and develop stories around them. But the two shows couldn’t be any similar beyond that point.

In OUaT the characters suffer a curse, cast by the Evil Queen, in their home world and are dumped into a small town of Storybrooke in Maine. Their memories of their pasts are forgotten, and it is going to take the daughter, Emma (who knows nothing of the curse), of Prince Charming and Snow White to break the curse. The story contains action (mostly in the fantasy world), certainly, but that is not the primary focus. The focus is on how these characters interact with one another and grow. The interactions between the protagonist, Emma, and the antagonist, Regina (mayor, formerly the Evil Queen) primarily push the plot forward.

Grimm is a detective drama set in Portland, Oregon. It would be an ordinary crime-fighting drama except for the twist that characters from Grimm’s Fairy Tales are alive and well in the present day world, and most of them are not nice. It is up to the descendants of the Grimm family to destroy these evil creatures. Nick, the protagonist and detective, is one of them. At the opening of the series he does not know this, and only slowly begins to accept that he is different. Nick’s character develops as he responds to the surprises and challenges thrown at him. Nearly all of the antagonists exist for just a single episode, to fulfill parts required by the action. The only antagonists that have appeared in both episodes so far, and only briefly, are the shadowy Police Captain Renard and a hag.

OUaT seems to better fit the character-driven story while Grimm is more an action-driven one. OUaT feels innovative and new whereas Grimm seems more a reinvention of a standard crime-suspense drama.

My personal taste apparently runs toward character-driven stories. Of all the Star Trek TV series, I preferred Deep Space Nine because the characters really grew and fleshed out over the seven seasons. My favorite series was Babylon 5, again because it was about the characters and their interactions.

Or maybe because I’m Japanese and have been raised on and exposed to character-driven dramas. NHK’s Sunday evening epic historical-fiction dramas would be a prime example. A single series runs weekly for a year. Everyone knows the story already so it is definitely about the characters, often minor ones that are given life through the series. NHK also airs a series that runs 15-minutes a day, Monday through Saturday, for six months per series. There can’t be much action that takes place in 15 minutes (actually less because there is intro and closing), so again it is about the characters.

The point of my rambling is to report that both OUaT and Grimm are worth watching, depending on your tastes. I personally hope that OUaT is picked up for the rest of the season and gets additional ones, unlike so many ABC series of late.

Japan Trip Memories

		Japan Trip 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Calm Between Storms

The past week has been quite rainy and stormy. The clouds broke and the sun came through this morning, however – a respite before another storm system is forecast to hit this evening.

I went out to the beach and walked to Hungry Point and back. Click on image below to view the album.

Mushrooms

A couple of Sundays ago I attended a mushroom workshop where we learned to identify a few of the easily identified edible mushrooms in the area. I’ve gone out since and collected some of them.

Winter Chanterelles

Angel Wing Mushrooms

Hedgehog Mushroom

The Winter Chanterelles are fairly plentiful nearby. On the trail I use, I’ve only seen the Angel Wings in three locations. I happened to stumble across the Hedgehog along the path.

There are real Chanterelles on the island – just farther away and I have to find them. There are also supposed to be larger Hedgehogs also, but again, requires a longer drive.

Turning off IPv6 might fix WiFi connectivity in Windows 7

I got a call from our daughter on her way to Fairbanks, panicked when her new Windows 7 notebook wouldn’t connect to WiFi on the plane or at the Anchorage airport. She also said she had the same problem with one of our routers at home.

After sleuthing around on various tech support FAQs, KBs, and forums, I learned that Windows 7 and some routers don’t get along with the default Windows 7 network installation of IPv6.

I have a WiFi adapter on my desktop and voila! I experienced a similar issue. I hadn’t ever tried WiFi on the desktop because it is wired to the network. With the default settings I could see the router, but whenever I tried to connect to it, it would say it could not. As soon as I went in and turned off IPv6 protocol for the adapter, I was able to connect.

So for anyone needing step-by-step, here it is:

1. Go to Control Panel –> Network and Internet –> Network and Sharing Center

2. You should see something like the following.

3. On the left side, click Change Adapter Settings. You should see a window with a list of network adapters.

4. Right-click on the Wireless Network Connection item. If you see more than one, you should select the hardware one (not any that read “virtual”). Select Properties from the popup menu.

5. Deselect the TCP/IPv6 item and click OK.

6. Try to connect. Hopefully this will solve the WiFi connectivity issue you are experiencing.

Summer Sunrise

I wasn't planning to be out at sunrise, but Shelley discovered she had left the car switch on overnight. (She was going out to work.) I got up to hook up the battery charger and saw the colors in the sky. Running up to the house, and then back down to the beach, running over the uneven rocks, barnacles, muscles, and seaweed, I was able to catch the sight of this sunrise

Album

Pink salmon and roe

Today’s catch was two pinks – one male, one female – 21 inches, and 22 inches.

While fishing, after I had caught the first one, a ferry went by at a fairly rapid clip. I know that ferries displace a considerable amount of water, resulting in large swells and surf along the shore. I miscalculated how much surf would come crashing through. I had my tackle high enough, but I thought the fish would be fine where it was. When the waves came in I realized I would have to hold on to the fish to keep it from getting washed away. As a result I was hit with water from head to toe. I was wearing a long jacket so it kept most of my uppers dry, but from about thigh down, my jeans and shoes were completely soaked. (I still have water in one of my ears from getting hit with the water.)

Pink salmon roe is noticeably larger and lighter in color than the silver roe. You can see the huge color difference in the photo below. If you look closely, you can see the size difference as well. I needed a jar for the new roe, so I had to finish off the silver caviar (on rice) from the first silver catch from last Thursday.

I also baked some of the silver from Saturday. This is one of three filets I baked tonight. Cook’s Illustrated had simple oven-baked directions – start in a very hot oven (500F), then immediately lower it (275F) and let the filet bake at the lowering temperature until done (about 9-13 minutes). I must say it turned our quite well – better than my previous attempts using the broiler.

Sermon: Serving God

This sermon was given at the Presbyterian Church on July 31, 2011.

MP3, 6.5MB

Sermon: Our Healer

This sermon was given at the Presbyterian Church on July 10, 2011.

MP3, 12.4 MB

Two more cohos and a rainbow (not trout)

I went down to the beach this afternoon to see if I could grab any more salmon. Turns out I ended up with two cohos (silvers - 銀鮭). Both fought hard. With the first one the line got caught in some large seaweed. It was also high tide with the water line into the rocks, so I couldn’t just slide the fish onto the beach. Just as I was trying to figure out how to land it, someone came by to dump some stuff into the water. He helped grab the fish. With the second one I had gotten it tired and weakened, but still couldn’t figure out how to land it on the rocks. As I began to work it into a nook, it jerked and snapped the line. I jumped into the water, slipping a bit, and getting wet from about thighs down. But the fish was too weak to go anywhere and I was able to grab it and bring it onto the rocks. Both were females and I got a large amount of roe as a bonus. All this makes up for losing a brand new lure today.

Two cohos, on the rocks. Both about 26 inches long. Top one weighing in about 5.5 lbs., the bottom one about 6.0 lbs.

Ready to be fileted. But I didn’t feel like doing the work at the time so I wrapped them whole and placed them in the refrigerator. Maybe tomorrow.

Roe (筋子) curing in brine.

When I went down to dump the fish guts into the water, I saw a nice rainbow. I ran back up to the house and ran back down with a camera, but the rainbow had already faded considerably. You can still see some here.

It’s been cloudy and rainy all week, but the clouds broke for some sun today.

A good run of salmon

After returning from Hawaii, I’ve been out fishing an hour or so each day. I’ve caught three pinks and one silver during the last three days. I heard that there were orcas in the waters today, feeding vigorously. I think I’ve already nearly equaled the salmon catch I had last year.

Here is a pink (カラフトマス) that I caught today – 22 inches, 3.5 pounds.

Here is my first silver (銀鮭) of the year – 27 inches, 6.5 pounds.

Here is the same silver, fileted and it was a female with roe so some ikura (イクラ).

Maui vacation photos

Here are links to photo albums of our vacation to Maui, July 13-25.
Album 1
Album 2
Album 3
Album 4
Album 5
Album 6
Album 7
Album 8
Album 9
Album 10
Album 11

Three Lakes Hike

Okay, we didn’t make it to all three. We got to Crane and Hill Lakes. Instead of going to Sand Lake, we decided to venture out to Ideal Cove and back.

The day was sunny and very, very warm… Okay, it was HOT. On the drive back home, the outside temperature reading hit 80F. But it was definitely a good day to go on a long hike.

Outing to LeConte Glacier

Today was Memorial Day. It was a warm and sunny day. My dad, sister, Shelley, and I went out with Gerry to LeConte Glacier. Unfortunately there was too much ice at the mouth to allow us to get very close. We managed to push through the ice to get in enough to at least be able to see the glacier.

We saw sea lions, sea gulls, seals, and bald eagles along the route.

Sermon: More Stubborn Than a Donkey

I filled in at the Presbyterian Church today. Here is the audio of my sermon.

Sermon Audio – MP3 – 13.8MB

Baccalaureate Sermon

Tonight, the Petersburg Christian Ministerial Association sponsored the Baccalaureate for the graduating class. I had the privilege of giving the sermon.

Audio Link – MP3 – 9.3MB

Word Document – 50KB – the last page is something I had thought about using, but found the social network research that I used in its stead.

Little Norway Parade

Here is video from yesterday’s Little Norway Parade.

Senior class parade through downtown

The seniors were taken from class for an early lunch period. The theme: Magic School Bus. A noise parade through downtown and then they went to Sandy Beach Park where they were given invitations to Op-Grad.

Caught my first fish of the year

Three of them, that is.

I caught a cold and started feeling ill yesterday. Today was a sunny and warm day and I probably would have gone out on the bicycle if I felt better. But no fear – I don’t have to waste a perfectly good day. I can just go fish.

I’ve gone out a few times in the past several weeks. The last couple of times out I hooked one, but it got away, one hit the lure but didn’t bite, and I saw a couple of fish chase the lure. I knew there were fish (Dollies) out there, so it was just a matter of time.

On the first cast out today I hooked and landed one, a mid-size Dolly. After gutting and cleaning it, I caught the next one about ten minutes later – a slightly larger one. I gutted and cleaned this second one. As I fished I saw a couple of fish chase the lure without biting, and then another ten or fifteen minutes later another one bit, fighting more strongly than the earlier two. After landing it I saw that it was the biggest one of the day.

Three being enough to keep me fed for a few days, I went home to wash the fish and put them in the refrigerator. The small one will probably be my lunch today.

No wildflowers yet

I went out today on the Hungry Point trail today to see if there were any signs of wildflowers in the muskeg. Alas there was none. It was an overcast day with spotty showers and I got rained upon a good deal of the time I was on the trail. I think I still managed to get a few interesting images.

		Muskeg April 21, 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I took three of the images into Photoshop for more artistic interpretations. They are found in this album:

Selected Photos VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL