Trinity Veracity

Somewhere in our Western culture, it has become taboo to speak about religion and suggest that a particular way of life or philosophy is incorrect. What a deviation from the tenants of free speech and expression. A few comments from another article I wrote stand on their own about the Trinity concept.

The Trinity is not Biblical. It was made up in a council to make Christianity more easy to package and ship out over the world separating it from paganism. To uphold the Jewish doctrine of one God, the Christian breakaway sect stretched the minds that God is still one split into three beings. The three beings make one God together. This is confusing within itself to a non-believer.

Risa responded to my assertion with the following:

"While the word Trinity isn't in the Bible - neither is the word "Bible." So following Mormon logic the Bible doesn't exist and therefore Mormons should not believe in it."

How, I wonder, did that become "Mormon logic" just because I did not believe the Trinity concept exists in the Bible? From this false idea, I was not supposed to believe in the Bible because the word Bible was not in the Bible? I am writing from a Latter-day Saint perspective. I prefer to be called a Latter-day Saint since that is what I am, not a Mormon, who is s man, not a religion, or he shouldn't be.

Risa: "The concept and the idea of the Trinity is throughout the Bible. The reason the Council of Nicea was called was because there was a challenge to the Trinity and the council was called to make it official that the Trinity not only existed but was the very basis for Christian belief as it always has been. Only religious cults reject the Trinitarian concept – The Way International, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other Christian cults. So LDS teachings is like-minded with these groups, but not Christianity."

This is also why if one does NOT believe in the Trinity - they can't be Christian. That would be like me saying "I don't believe in the Book of Mormon. I don't believe that Joseph Smith was any kind of prophet, but I’m a Mormon.”

Risa made a point here, but misunderstood what I meant. I tried to be witty with my response.

Rodric: "Following your logic, the word Bible IS in the Book of Mormon, so we should still believe in it!

Seriously, I do not think what you say applies since I clarified that it is not the word, but the concept that cannot be found to support the Athanasian Creed. I was not referring to the word trinity being in the Bible. I refer to the concept of the Trinity not being there."

My Point was that there is no evidence that the Bible taught that Jesus, God, and the Holy Ghost are the same person. The Trinity as I understand it teaches that all three people of the Godhead are one God together, not three Gods.

God the Father is supreme and Jesus, the Son is subordinate. The Holy Ghost is a testifier. That is what the Bible supports.

Risa: "The very core belief of Christianity is the fact that there is only one God. There can’t be any other belief about this and still be able to call oneself a Christian. It’s impossible. Historical, Orthodox, Christianity has always believed in one God with three persons that are all a part of the one true God.

Example – take an egg – crack it, separate the yolk from the white, take a fork and mix, pour into a hot pan and you make scrambled eggs. Take the white and whip it into a sweet meringue baked in the oven. Take the eggshell and pulverize it into sand. While each of those things – the yolk, the white and the shell no longer resemble the one egg, they each are three parts of the ONE egg and always will be."

Risa did a good job of trying to explain the complexity of her belief in the Trinity. She gave it texture and substance, but it did not make sense to me then and still does not make sense.

What I understood is that God was one being who split into three parts then turned into a bunch of stuff: Sand to run through my toes, meringue to eat in a pie, and yolky eggs for breakfasts.

The egg analogy makes no sense. How can it always be the ONE egg if it is three different things now? If you put them back together it will be food with sand in it. That is like separating my DNA and giving it back to my mother and father. It cannot happen. God is not a science experiment.

Rodric: "I like your egg example. There is one God and I think that your example applies but not if you mean that they are the same person. There are three people, not one unknowable entity that separates itself at will and talks to itself."

Risa: "OK Rodric - how do you know that God doesn't "talk to Himself?" How do you know that God doesn't "separate itself at will?" Where is this written in the Bible that this is impossible?"

She gave a long explanation about why I am not a true Christian because I don't believe in the Trinity.

Risa: "I'm sorry Rodric - you don't know the true Jesus Christ the only God of our salvation.

Thank you for allowing my comments - it is very gracious of you."

After that exchange, I decided that we were going to have to agree to disagree. Do I believe in more than one God concept? Yes, I do: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost who make up a council of Gods with Heavenly Father being the chief God.

I ended the back and forth with this:

Rodric: "'I want to be a window to His love. So when you look at me you will see Him' are lyrics from my favorite song. I want people to look at me and see Jesus Christ written all over my face. I still have a long way to go about that."

I don't believe that God can be a rock or a tree or anything but what He is. He is a person and I am created in His image. Why take something simple and make it complex to make it sound more majestic or mysterious? God is simply a glorified man, perfect in every way while I am a mortal man flawed in every way. That is why He sent Jesus in the first place so that we can be made perfect.

That is it for this time. Thanks to all those who helped with the creation of this article. The content might be mine, but the structure and name are inspired by others. The plan is to come out with these every week. Do not forget to comment. You may find your words in my next article!

FYI: The comments have been edited to be more readable.