Argument.
This argument can be formulated as follows:
P1. God exhibits all perfections
P2. Aseity is a perfection
C1. Therefore God has aseity and has no need to do anything
P3. God has taken actions (e.g. created the world)
C2. This shows a contradiction
C3. Therefore God does not exist
Aseity in the sense of this argument means that God is impassible and in need of nothing at all. For Latter-day Saints, God does not have the property of aseity in this sense. David Paulsen comments:
The scriptures that Joseph Smith brought forth are replete with testimony of God’s personal passibility. Enoch became an eyewitness of the Father’s loving vulnerability and of his sensitive and responsive nature, when he saw the God of heaven weep over the wickedness and suffering of his children (Moses 7:28–29, 32–33, 37).1
The scriptures referred to above include Moses 7:28-29 which says:
And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?
And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?
In summary the argument may be relevant to a spaceless, timeless, immaterial being, but fails to address God in Latter-day Saint teachings.
Notes.
- David L. Paulsen. 2006. Are Christians Mormon?: Reassessing Joseph Smith’s Theology in His Bicentennial. ↩︎