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Note: This isn't a question asking for an explanation, that would be a debate, more one asking for clarification. I don't want this turning into a debate about the existence of deities.

Whenever debating religion and deities we have to use logic but if a deity was apart that the debates may have to follow a different tactic. There is the common atheistic rebuttal of "Can an omnipotent being make a bowl of porridge too big for themselves to finish...and then eat it all?" which depends on there being logical constraints (and a strict definition of omnipotence).

The question comes down to: in the theologies (monotheistic if this needs to be narrowed down) where do the Gods stand against logic? Is it believed that logic itself was created by a God or that it comes before as some more fundamental rule which Gods are also governed by?

At the 'beginning' do theologies hold that the possibilities results of the creation were restricted by what is logical or was logic a thing which was created by the deity first and then a universe.

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  • Who knows ? If God created ALL, included logical laws, we humans are forced to follow them, because our "harware" has been designed by God with those logic laws as "firmware".
    – Mauro ALLEGRANZA
    Oct 23, 2018 at 11:13
  • But what does it mean to ask if God follows or not logic laws ? Who knows God's arguments, actions and so on ?
    – Mauro ALLEGRANZA
    Oct 23, 2018 at 11:14
  • @MauroALLEGRANZA I'm not asking for a truth value, I'm asking what the stance is within theology. What is the philosophy regarding logic and Gods?
    – Lio Elbammalf
    Oct 23, 2018 at 11:26
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    I find the question interesting but cannot understand it well enough to reply. I'm not sure what you mean by 'Where do the Gods stand against logic?'.
    – user20253
    Oct 23, 2018 at 11:39
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    @Conifold - The claim of mysticism is most definitely not that the absurd can be real. The claim is that the Ultimate transcends the categories, not that the universe is absurd. This is where Priest, Melhuish and other non-mystic philosophers get it hopelessly wrong. The universe would obey Aristotle's laws. 'God' would not be 'illogical' but would lie 'beyond the coincidence of contradictories'. The universe would be reasonable just as demonstrated by Nagarjuna. This issue has been much muddled by Priest, who we may note is not a mystic but an onlooker.
    – user20253
    Oct 24, 2018 at 11:47

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It depends on the context.

From a religious point of view, man is subject to the divine law, and therefore is not up to its understanding. In such case, logics, science, math et.al. are superseded by the divine law. Religious people follow this thinking structure.

On the other hand, from a rational perspective, logic precedes any other discipline, since it allows the description of nature, and therefore allows the discrimination of truth and falsehood. People who tends to think logically follows such approach.

Logic (usually related to the rational process) and math (related to analysis and communication of complex ideas and logic structures) are usually incompatible with religions. That is because religious knowledge is usually infested by contradictions, which are not acceptable in logic. If a religion would be completely logical, it would be absolutely compatible with science:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

Epicurus

Most people follows the latter model because it just reflects our rational process. We survive using logic. And moreover, any god lacking of logics would be truly evil (e.g. we fight for survival, and any god that would contradict such principle would be just the opposite as what we could consider as a god):

Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.

Isaac Asimov

Religions, therefore, are not to be understood. They are just to be followed. It's all up to each one of us.

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