Ma`rifat Kalami

The research problem of the present paper is: How is Christian belief in essential impossibilities (impossible by essence) possible? Christianity is built upon firm belief in matters such as the incarnation of God, His suffering, death, and subsequent resurrection from the dead, and these dogmatic beliefs that must be accepted unconditionally are called “dogmas.” However, these matters are considered essential impossibilities and impossible-by-essence. The research method of this paper is descriptive-analytical of the critical analysis type, drawing on various logical rules, whereby the meaningfulness of “essential impossibilities” is analyzed. The most important finding of this paper is that essential impossibilities lack a determinate concept in the mind and should be regarded as “concept-semblances” (mafhūm-namā). After logically proving this, it becomes clear that belief in an impossible-by-essence is, in fact, belief without an object (muta‘allaq). Consequently, since one cannot believe in “nothing,” one must assume that a Christian brings to mind an image of a possible concept (a delusive and vague concept), believes in it, incorrectly applies an impossible-by-essence title (e.g., the incarnation of God) to that mental concept, and then claims to have believed in an impossibility.