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About Michael Clark, Ph.D.
Expertise
If you’d like to explore the psychology and philosophy of religion, talk to me. I’m familiar with the main issues of most world scriptures and I’m well versed in comparative mysticism.

I’d be happy to answer questions about interior perception and the discernment of spirits as expressed in the biographies and teachings of saints, gurus, seers, shamans, healers, etc.

I also enjoy commenting on theological issues as they relate to different religions.

Questions about Freud and Jung's views on religion would also be appropriate here.

If you just need simple facts about different religions, please see www.adherents.com and/or religioustolerance.org (I have no affiliation with these web sites).

Experience
I did my M.A. at Rabindranath Tagore's Visva-Bharati university (W. Bengal, India), a place that welcomed students from all around the world. A great chance to meet real people practicing different religions. I also run an educational website earthpages.org that touches on interfaith and related issues.

Education/Credentials
Ph.D. in Religious Studies
M.A. in Comparative Religion
B.A. Hon. in Psychology/Sociology

For more info, please see my CV and letters of recommendation and my blog at michaelwclark.com.

Publications
Print Media:
My table from "Religions and Cults" at earthpages.org is reproduced with permission in L. Lindsey, S. Beach and B. Ravelli, Core Concepts in Sociology, 2nd ed., p. 157

World Wide Web:
My online article "Letter to God" coauthored with Buddhist monk, E. Raymond Rock, appears on several different spirituality-based websites, including http://tinyurl.com/db7a5o

I've interviewed, as a Christian, a self-proclaimed mystic: http://tinyurl.com/cawykr

My articles appeared at the former New View magazine nuvunow.ca and are published at earthpages.org.

Education/Credentials
Ph.D. in Religious Studies
M.A. in Comparative Religion
B.A. Hon. in Psychology/Sociology

For more info, please see my CV and letters of recommendation and my blog at michaelwclark.com.

You are here: Experts > Religion/Spirituality > Religious Careers > Comparative Religious Studies > God's Omnipotence

Comparative Religious Studies - God's Omnipotence

Expert: Michael Clark, Ph.D. - 10/13/2009

Question
Hello. In my philosophy class, we are talking about God's omnipotence. My teacher explained that God's power is limited in a way that he can do anything, including physical impossiblilities, but cannot perform logically impossible things suck as create a "round square" or a "married bachellor". Is it possible that God can do these things, but human's just cannot comprehend them?
Thanks

Answer
Joey, I think that you are wise to ask if God can do things that we cannot easily comprehend.

Some say that we might have at least partial understanding of those supposedly 'logically impossible' things with the aid of some kind of direct revelation. A good example of this is the Christian idea of the Trinity. Christian mystical saints have said that they couldn't really understand its nature until they received some kind of direct revelation.

But I think this could apply to just about anything. To limit God's ways to human ways is, in my opinion, mistaken. My favorite quote on this point is Isaiah 55:8-9.

However, I suggest you be careful with your professor. In my experience if a student can see things in a more holistic or insightful way, some professors can get jealous and make things difficult for them. So be diplomatic and polite if you must disagree with or challenge this person. That way they should reward and not punish your advanced thinking--unless they are very insecure and they still mark you down or try to block your opportunities (which can also happen).

I hope this helps.

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