reconciling the 3 Os and free will

the 3 Os? omniscience … omnipotence … omnipresence

omniscience? definition: knowing everything.
omnipotence? definition: inexhaustible power.
omnipresence? definition: widely or constantly encountered.

what do these concepts mean, when applied to the g-d entity? well, according to the catholic politik it means that god created, and has ready access to, all knowledge; that g-d can accomplish everything in accordance with his own nature; and, g-d is everywhere at the same time.

so - g-d existed before knowledge? yes - omnipresence. how, then, did he gain the knowledge required to create it? omnipresence. does g-d possess and/or have ready access to propositional as well as experiential knowledge? omnipotence, omniscience. does the g-d entity’s omniscience include all knowledge that extends to the end of time? this implies that g-d has knowledge of what lies ahead. assuming we also ascribe omnipotence and omnipresence to the g-d entity, then ‘yes’ seems the logical answer.

so far it seems logical to reconcile what the politik have told us about the nature of the g-d entity. we can think of the g-d entity as (1) possessing all knowledge - past, present and future; (2) possessing the ability to transcend the dimension of time as well laws of science and nature; and (3) existing everywhere at the same time.

how do we juxtapose the concept of humanity’s free will with such a g-d entity? the existence of an all-knowing g-d entity seems at odds with the concept of man as a free agent, doesn’t it? if we consider that the g-d entity transcends the dimension of time, then omniscience and free will do not seem mutually exclusive concepts. when using the word eternal to describe the g-d entity, the politik meant that he transcends time. this stands to reason, if one accepts the asssumption that god created time.

aquinas reminds us that free will also means the god entity permits anyone to fall into sin and “incur the penalty of condemnation for sin.” and so … aquinas leaves us with the notion that freedom exists only in one’s own heart, mind and soul. that freedom really describes a psychological state. since, to say that the g-d entity causes everything means that he causes even so-called free acts. and here we have a loose end that remains to be tied up at some later date, in its own post.

with respect to omnipotence, i think its crucial to consider the g-d entity’s perfect nature - what aquinas called ‘actus purus et perfectos.’ what did aquinas mean? well, that’s a subject for an entire post. but briefly — he meant the g-d entity exists only in act, that he exists completely in actuality and not in potentiality, and therefore, has no corporeal form. so, this implies then, that the g-d entity does not have infinite abilities, per se. but has the power to do all things instrinsically. he cannot lie, by definition, since he speaks truth.

and so, it seems i have accomplished a great feat here in this post. i’ve reconciled these 3 Os with the concept of free will. a great feat for myself. achieved through thru this dialogue. with myself. on these questions of god-ness that have burned inside me for as long as i can remember. i have always wondered, and, as a child, i even asked a few times. about how to juxtapose an omniscience god entity with man as a free agent. i do not ever recall receiving a satisfactory answer. i recall hearing far too many words … prompting me to think ‘hmmm, i guess they don’t know either, they’re just towing the party line.’

i feel i have stumbled onto something here, in striving to touch god. for me its striving to touch truth. whatever that truth may be. truth grows only in the light. darkness can harbour no truth. inherently and innately, my humanity, my blood and my bones possess this desire for truth and light. so, this oddessy i have embarked upon, to touch g-d. its a sort of peeling away the layers of darkness to see what lies beneath. i have no way of knowing, really, what i will find when i’ve cast aside the darkness with my questions and investigations. and … no preference for what i find there. but, i owe it to truth to continue on this course, on this course of touching g-d.