# If God can do anything, can God sin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 1, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-god-can-do-anything-can-god-sin/362835 "2006-07-01T02:56:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-god-can-do-anything-can-god-sin/362835/21 "2006-07-02T17:37:08Z")
Anyone think it may be time to retire certain questions in the SDMB? I submit we retire all “If God is \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, then can he \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_” threads. Has any other question been asked more frequently? And is there any more predictable thread-type? It may be possibly to more accurately predict the arguments in an abortion thread, but I say it would be close. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-god-can-do-anything-can-god-sin/362835/22 "2006-07-02T18:35:30Z")
[QUOTE=jeffrice] I gotta’ vote “no” on this one. I always thought it was pretty clear that sin is whatever is contrary to what God wants us to do; that is, God gets to define sin, not us. Indeed, even posing such a question might be considered a sin, although I’ve never gotten a clear answer on whether questioning God is actually a sin. I was raised Methodist, and we never really got very deeply into esoteric questions. According to our youth group leader, jerking off is a sin because it causes one’s seed to be wasted, rather than sown for harvest of another Methodist soul. One would think that leaves open the question of masturbation by women, but Methodist women never masturbate, so it’s not an issue. My Roman Catholic-raised wife, however, says Catholic girls do masturbate, and she was told that’s a sin because it requires one to have carnal thoughts outside of marital sex. I asked her if it was OK for her to masturbate while thinking of me. We both decided to become Episcopalian. They don’t think masturbation is sinful per se, unless performed during the priest’s homily. [/QUOTE] This is one of the ‘most fun’ paragraphs I’ve read in a while. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2006, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-god-can-do-anything-can-god-sin/362835/23 "2006-07-02T19:34:37Z")
Does God have to be static? Can an action by God not be a sin now, but later on it’s no longer God’s will? Another Flood right now would be a sin, because that’s God’s will now. A previous Flood was not a sin back then, but it means that God has taken an action that is against God’s current will. I’ve never felt much need for God to make sense. [QUOTE=newcrasher] Anyone think it may be time to retire certain questions in the SDMB? [/QUOTE] Or, if they bother you so much, you could retire from posting in or even reading such threads, especially if you aren’t planning on contributing to them. I’m sure there are plenty of people who feel the same as you, but they’ve gone elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-god-can-do-anything-can-god-sin/362835/24 "2006-07-02T23:37:26Z")
Destruction of Sadam and Gemora and the flood seems to indicate murder, but then again there may have been demons and 1/2 deamons in the population at that time interbreedign with humans and that coudl be considered colateral damage in war - the war between God and the devil. Also I think when God says thou shalt not… He is talking about man, not God, Jesus seemed to follow the laws God set forth for man while He was man. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-god-can-do-anything-can-god-sin/362835.md?page=1)