Q&A: A Perfect God
A Perfect God
Question
Hello Rabbi,
In your book The First Existent you describe various proofs for the existence of God. Anselm’s first proof, which is supposed to prove God’s perfection, is also rejected. If so, why deal with paradoxes that concern God’s perfection?
For example, if we have no proof that He is perfect, then we have no proof that He is omnipotent, and there is no contradiction between His being able to create a stone and His not being able to lift it, because He is not omnipotent.
Alternatively, there is no contradiction between foreknowledge and free choice, because there is no proof at all that He can know everything.
Answer
The fact that there is no way to prove His perfection does not mean that He is not perfect. The accepted assumption is that He is perfect. Some would base this on revelation from Scripture. These discussions proceed on that assumption (and try to prove that it is incorrect). Beyond that, even if He is not perfect, it is still possible that He knows the future and the like.