Geoffrey Chen

基督徒认为上帝是万能的,其实这种认识本身就包含了两个含义。
第一,帝上是唯一的。如果万能的上帝不止一个,那么他们之间如何协调呢?必须要一个更加万能的上帝。这个更加万能的上帝就是唯一的,最终的结果就是只能有一个万能的上帝。
第二,既然上帝是万能的了,那么人的能力必然就是有限的。如果人的能力是无限的,那么如何协调上帝与人之间的关系呢?同样的道理也必须有一个更加万能的上帝从中协调,而这个更加万能的上帝就必是唯一的。
当然,上面是我用人类的理性和逻辑为基督徒做的辩解。实际上很多基督徒认为不信上帝的人就会自高自大,认为自己能力无限。基督徒对非基督徒的这种误解,并不是来自于我上面那种理性推导,更多的是直接来自于他们对上帝的笃信。上帝说,“我就是道路,我就是真理。”
那么事实上,非基督徒是不是认为自己无所不能呢?显然绝大部分非基督徒并不认为自己无所不能,也不认为人定胜天。我就不认为人定胜天,像我这种情况也绝非少数。可能有少数非基督徒确实认为自己无所不能,但这显然只是少数。
那么非基督徒既不相信存在万能的上帝,同时又不认为自己是无所不能的,那么这是不是自相矛盾呢?至少在逻辑上并不矛盾,因为上帝或人类都是无所不能的这种情况为什么一定不能存在呢?为什么一定有一个是无所不能的呢?除了逻辑之外,实际上很多非基督徒并不否定神秘力量的存在,只是他们不相信存在一个像人一样的上帝。这是我将在下一篇讨论的问题:非基督徒都是无神论者吗?
Christians believe that God is omnipotent, but this belief itself contains two implications.
First, God is unique. If there were more than one omnipotent God, how could they coordinate with each other? There would have to be an even more omnipotent God to mediate between them. This “more omnipotent” God would, by definition, be the only one. The ultimate result is that there can only be one omnipotent God.
Second, since God is omnipotent, human ability must necessarily be limited. If human ability were also infinite, how could the relationship between God and humans be reconciled? By the same reasoning, there would have to be an even more omnipotent God to mediate, and this “more omnipotent” God would necessarily be the only one.
Of course, what I’ve just given is a rational and logical argument in defense of the Christian view. In reality, many Christians believe that those who do not believe in God will become arrogant, thinking their own abilities are limitless. This misunderstanding that Christians have about non-Christians does not stem from the kind of rational deduction I described above, but rather directly from their deep faith in God. As God said, “I am the way, and I am the truth.”
But in fact, do non-Christians really think they are omnipotent? Obviously, the vast majority of non-Christians do not think so, nor do they believe that “man can conquer nature.” I, for example, do not believe humans can overcome everything in nature, and people like me are by no means rare. It’s possible that a small number of non-Christians do think they are omnipotent, but they are clearly the minority.
So, if non-Christians neither believe in an omnipotent God nor think that they themselves are omnipotent, does this create a contradiction? At least logically, it does not. Why must it be that either God or humans are omnipotent? Why is it necessary for one of them to have unlimited power? Beyond logic, in reality, many non-Christians do not deny the existence of mysterious forces—they simply do not believe in the existence of a God who is like a human being. This will be the subject of my next discussion: Are all non-Christians atheists?
(注:这一系列短文是旅途中的一些思考片段,仅仅是一种速记。或许以后会充实改写)
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