The omnipotence paradox is a family of paradoxes that arise with some understandings of the term omnipotent. The paradox arises, for example, if one assumes that an omnipotent being has no limits and is capable of realizing any outcome, even logically contradictory ideas such as creating square circles. A no-limit understanding of omnipotence such as this has been rejected by theologians from St Thomas Aquinas to contemporary philosophers of religion, such as Alvin Platinga. Atheological arguments based on omnipotence paradox are sometimes described as evidence for atheism, though Christian theologians and philosophers, such as Norman Geisler and William Lane Craig, contend that a no-limits understanding of omnipotence is not relevant to orthodox Christian theology. Other resolutions to the paradox hinge on the definition of omnipotence applied and the nature of God regarding this application and whether omnipotence is directed towards God himself or outward toward his external surroun...

Theodicy means vindication of God. It is to answer the question why a good God permits the manifestation of evil, thus resolving the issue of the problem of evil. Some theodicies also address the evidential problem of evil by attempting "to make the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good or omnibenevolent God consistent with the existence of evil or suffering in this world." Unlike a defense, which tries to demonstrate that God's existence is logically possible in the light of evil, a theodicy attempts to provide a framework where God's existence is also plausible. The German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Leibniz coined the term "theodicy" in 1710 in his work Théodecée, through various responses to the problem of evil that had been previously proposed. The British philosopher John Hick traced the history of moral theodicy in his 1966 work, Evil and the Love of God, identifying three major traditions: the Plotinian theodicy, named a...

The scientific method is an empirical method of acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least in the 17th century. It involves careful observation, applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation. It involves formulating hypothesis, via induction, based on such observations; experimental and measurement-based testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses; and refinement (or elimination) of the hypotheses based on the experimental findings. These are principles of the scientific method, as distinguished from a definitive series of steps applicable to all scientific enterprises. Though diverse models for scientific model are available, there is in general a continuous process that includes observation about the natural world. People are naturally inquisitive, so they often come up with questions about they see or hear, and they often develop ideas or hypotheses ab...

The Conflict Thesis is a historiographical approach in the history of science that originated in the 19th century which maintains that there is an intrinsic intellectual conflict between religion and science and that it inevitably leads to hostility. Most examples and interpretations of events in support of the thesis have been drawn from Western history. Historians of science have long ago rejected the thesis. Nonetheless, the thesis "remain strong elsewhere, not least in the popular mind." In the 1800s, the relationship between science and religion became an actual formal topic of discourse, while before this no one has pitted science against religion or vice versa, though occasional interactions had occured in the past. More specifically, it was around mid-1800s that the discussion about "science and religion" first emerged because before time, science still included moral and metaphysical dimensions, was not inherently linked to the scientific method, and the te...

Different religions have different ideas about the ultimate reality, its source or ground (or lack thereof) and also about what is the "Maximal Greatness." Paul Tillich's concept of "Ultimate Concern" and Rudolf Otto's "Idea of the Holy" are concepts which point to concerns about the ultimate or highest truth which most religious philosophies deal with in some way. One of the main differences among religions is whether the ultimate reality is a personal God or an impersonal reality. In Western Religions, various forms of theism are the most common conceptions, while in Eastern Religions, there are theistic and also various non-theistic conceptions of Ultimate. Theistic versus non-theistic is a common way of sorting the different types of religions. There are also several philosophical positions with regard to the existence of God that one might take including various forms of theism (monotheism and polytheism), agnosticism, and different kinds of a...