Omniscience facts for kids

Omniscience means being able to know everything. Imagine having all the knowledge in the world! Many religions, like Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and the Abrahamic religions (like Christianity, Islam, and Judaism), believe that God has this amazing ability. In Jainism, it's believed that any person can eventually gain this complete knowledge.

What Does Omniscience Mean?

The word omniscience comes from Latin words. Omni means "all" or "every." Sciens means "to know" or "conscious." So, it literally means "all-knowing." It can also mean "all-seeing."

Omniscience in Different Religions

Many religions talk about omniscience. Here's how some of them see it:

Buddhism: Knowing All Things

Buddhists have thought a lot about omniscience. They discuss what it means to truly know everything. Some Buddhist thinkers explored how we can know things. They also looked at what it means to be unaware.

They believe that an omniscient being can understand the true nature of everything. This includes knowing all the small details. For example, they believe Shakyamuni Buddha had infinite knowledge. They say no other gods or beings can match his true omniscience.

Christianity: God's Complete Knowledge

In Christianity, many believe God knows everything. This includes the past, present, and future. Some modern Christian thinkers say God's knowledge is complete. However, they also believe God might choose to limit what He knows. This is to protect people's free will.

Other thinkers, like John Calvin, believed God knows everything totally. They thought this was true even if it meant God already knew what choices people would make. This idea is called predestination.

Hinduism: Vishnu's Great Qualities

In the Bhakti tradition of Vaishnavism, Vishnu is seen as the supreme God. He is believed to have many special qualities. These include omniscience (knowing everything), great energy, strength, and power. He also has lordship, vigor, and splendor.

Islam: God Knows Everything

In Islam, God is believed to have absolute omniscience. This means God knows everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen. It's a very important belief for Muslims. It's one of the six articles of faith.

The Quran says:

Say: Do you instruct God about your religion? But God knows all that is in the heavens and on the earth; God is Knowing of all things

—Quran 49:16

Muslims believe people can change some parts of their future. This includes things like wealth or health. But they cannot change God's divine decree, like their birth or death dates. This allows for free will.

Jainism: The Highest Knowledge

In Jainism, omniscience is seen as the best type of understanding. A Jain scholar once said it's when a person's true self fully appears. This happens when all things blocking knowledge are removed.

Jains believe that every soul has the natural ability to gain infinite knowledge. They use the word Arihanta for people who have overcome all inner feelings like greed or anger. These people have Kevala Jnana, which means infinite knowledge.

There are two kinds of Arihanta:

• Sāmānya kevali: These are omniscient beings who focus on their own spiritual freedom.
• Tirthankara kevali: These are people who gain omniscience. Then, they help others achieve the same complete knowledge.

Omniscience and Free Will

A big question people ask is: If someone knows everything, especially what choices people will make, does that mean people don't have free will? This idea is called theological fatalism. It suggests that if God knows what you will choose, then you can't really choose freely.

Think about it: If an all-knowing being knows what you'll do, does that mean you have to do it? Some philosophers like William Lane Craig have broken this question down. They ask:

• If God knows an event will happen, does it have to happen?
• If an event could happen in different ways, how can God know exactly what will happen?

However, some argue that this way of thinking has a mistake in its logic. They believe it's possible for God to know what you will choose, and for you to still choose freely.

See also

• Epistemology (the study of knowledge)
• Omnibenevolence (all-goodness)
• Omniscient point-of-view (a way of telling a story where the narrator knows everything)
• Omnipotence (all-powerfulness)
• Omnipresence (being everywhere at once)
• Pantomath (a person who knows a lot about many different things)
• Self-awareness