Can someone explain the trinity to me?

One concept I've never quite understood with Christianity is the concept of the trinity. How is it that you guys believe in three different forms of god, but consider yourselves to be monotheistic? How distinct are the three parts from one another, and how much are they the same entity? Do Protestants and Catholics have different views on the trinity?

 

I think this article, which is not very long, sums it up quite good:
http://www.carm.org/doctrine/whatisthetrinity.htm

As far as I know there is no difference between Catholics and Protestants. there is a difference between Christians, Jehova Witnesses and Mormons.

 

Here is another way to think about it. A lot of people hear the doctrine of the trinity and think that 1+1+1=3. Three entities equals three Gods. I recently was reminded of this:

1 x 1 x 1 = 1

Three distint persons, but all having the same essence, being exactly equal in power, glory, perfection, etc.

 

Doesn't make much sense. Jesus, the savior, is sacrificed to wash away our sins. Who is he sacrificed to? God. Yet Jesus = God, so God was sacrificed to God so that God could forgive us of our sins, sins which were declared sins by...you guessed it, God.

Round and round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows....

Religious leaders probably hope their flocks will get dizzy and fall down, makes them easier to control.

 

The trinity is the belief that God exists as three joined, but completely different people. It's pretty much a basis of false Christianity. God is manifested as three forms.... Father, Son, Spirit. God is God, Lord of all creation. Jesus is God, the saviour of the world who appeared as flesh. The Holy Spirit is God, the counselor and guide (the presence living inside those who are baptized in his name and filled with his presence....AKA, The Holy Ghost).

 

if water can exist as a liquid, solid and gas and still be considered H20, why cant a god exist in 3 states?

 

"It's pretty much a basis of false Christianity."

What do you mean?

 

I think Hinduism is the same, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the trinity, and stand for creation, preservation, and destruction.

I don't know much about it, but most things seem to have three basic parts.

1. Red, Blue, & Yellow
2. Past, present, future
3. height, width, length

any more?

 

I'm still confused. How can it be three distinct entities if they're exactly the same? Why is Jesus considered the son of God if they are one and the same? From a Christian prespective, would it be accurate to say that Jesus created the universe, or that God died for our sins?

 

Physical, Mental, Spiritual
body, mind, spirit
Child, Parent, Adult

Past, Present, Future

Faith, Hope, and Charity

Length, Width, and Height

Citius, Altius, Fortius

Veni, Vidi, Vici

Amo, Amas, Amat

Small, Medium, and Large

Gas, Liquid, and Solid

Gravity, Magnetism, and Electricity

Protons, Electrons, and Neutrons

Love, Hate, and Indifference

High, middle, low

good, neutral, bad
positive, zero, negative
.
or how about the sayings
.
bad luck comes in threes
third time lucky
Good thoughts, good words, good deeds

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

.
or songs
.
three times a lady
give me three steps
two out of three ain't bad

 

Since this topic has been discussed before, I do not want to double post, so I shall quote myself from the last time.

False Christianity believes that they are three seperate beings. That goes against what the word of the Lord says. Anything that contradicts God's word is not of God.

 

The whole thing is very male dominated. Obviously there's no place in the christian trinity for a femminine aspect of God.

And its another of those dogmas for which many were persecuted and killed as heretics in the early days for very minor deviations from the 'official' line on the trinity.

Overall, I think the thing is a bit of a nonsense.

 

she means that anybody who is not a memeber of a pentecostalist-body church = those characterized by "baptism of the hoy spirit" & proven to be working in a person by manifesting "the gifts of the holy spirit" (especially talking in tongues (glossolalia), but not neccessarily handling venomous snakes or drinking poisonous substances) - is not "really a christian"

at least, that's my take on what the "holy rollers" think about the rest of "protestant christianity"...

(and let's not get into what they think about roman catholics, eastern orthodox, etc; & not even mention heathens, pagans, infidels, jews, saracens, and others of the many "unsaved")


ummmm, ymmv, i suppose...

 

I got a really good explanation of this subject. It is simple, and it makes much more sense than the usual nonsense I hear on this question. I'll look it up for you..

*searches*

Found it!

THE TRINITY

Question. -- What is the meaning of the Trinity, of the Three Persons in One?

Answer. -- The Divine Reality, which is purified and sanctified from the understanding of human beings and which can never be imagined by the people of wisdom and of intelligence, is exempt from all conception. That Lordly Reality admits of no division; for division and multiplicity are properties of creatures which are contingent existences, and not accidents which happen to the self-existent.

The Divine Reality is sanctified from singleness, then how much more from plurality. The descent of that Lordly Reality into conditions and degrees would be equivalent to imperfection and contrary to perfection, and is, therefore, absolutely impossible. It perpetually has been, and is, in the exaltation of holiness and sanctity. All that is mentioned of the Manifestations and Dawning-places of God signifies the divine reflection, and not a descent into the conditions of existence.

God is pure perfection, and creatures are but imperfections. For God to descend into the conditions of existence would be the greatest of imperfections; on the contrary, His manifestation, His appearance, His rising are like the reflection of the sun in a clear, pure, polished mirror. All the creatures are evident signs of God, like the earthly beings upon all of which the rays of the sun shine. But upon the plains, the mountains, the trees and fruits, only a portion of the light shines, through which they become visible, and are reared, and attain to the object of their existence, while the Perfect Man is in the condition of a clear mirror in which the Sun of Reality becomes visible and manifest with all its qualities and perfections. So the Reality of Christ was a clear and polished mirror of the greatest purity and fineness. The Sun of Reality, the Essence of Divinity, reflected itself in this mirror and manifested its light and heat in it; but from the exaltation of its holiness, and the heaven of its sanctity, the Sun did not descend to dwell and abide in the mirror. No, it continues to subsist in its exaltation and sublimity, while appearing and becoming manifest in the mirror in beauty and perfection.

Now if we say that we have seen the Sun in two mirrors -- one the Christ and one the Holy Spirit -- that is to say, that we have seen three Suns, one in heaven and the two others on the earth, we speak truly. And if we say that there is one Sun, and it is pure singleness, and has no partner and equal, we again speak truly.

The epitome of the discourse is that the Reality of Christ was a clear mirror, and the Sun of Reality -- that is to say, the Essence of Oneness, with its infinite perfections and attributes -- became visible in the mirror. The meaning is not that the Sun, which is the Essence of the Divinity, became divided and multiplied -- for the Sun is one -- but it appeared in the mirror. This is why Christ said, "The Father is in the Son," meaning that the Sun is visible and manifest in this mirror.

The Holy Spirit is the Bounty of God which becomes visible and evident in the Reality of Christ. The Sonship station is the heart of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is the station of the spirit of Christ. Hence it has become certain and proved that the Essence of Divinity is absolutely unique and has no equal, no likeness, no equivalent.

This is the signification of the Three Persons of the Trinity. If it were otherwise, the foundations of the Religion of God would rest upon an illogical proposition which the mind could never conceive, and how can the mind be forced to believe a thing which it cannot conceive? A thing cannot be grasped by the intelligence except when it is clothed in an intelligible form; otherwise, it is but an effort of the imagination.

It has now become clear, from this explanation, what is the meaning of the Three Persons of the Trinity. The Oneness of God is also proved.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions)

 

the easiest way i can break it down is that the trinity is three in one,its not impossible!
look at water for instance,it can be ice,liquid and steam,but its all the same thing.
just as god can be the father the son and the holy spirit

 

But not at the same time.

 

They're the same in essence, but not in personhood. God is one being that exists eternally as three persons in loving communion.

Scriptural terminology helps clarify this somewhat. John 1 calls Jesus the Word of God, and Hebrews 1 calls him the radiance of God's glory.

Here are some other good commentaries on the subject:

http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/npnf103/cache/npnf103.txt (very long)

http://www.ccel.org/e/edwards/trinity/trinity.html (not quite so long)

Yes.

No. Jesus' human nature died on the cross; deity is immortal. Now we're into the Incarnation, which ranks with the Trinity as one of the greatest mysteries in Christian theology:

http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/ath-inc.htm

 

True. I never liked the water analogy much. A better one is light, which is simultaneously a particle and a wave.

 

I have long felt that if there is such a trinity, the holy ghost must be female.

 

umm, at standard pressure...
if you ask a materials science major about "water's triple-point" he might be able to show you a container filled with solid, liquid, and gas - all of it H20...
but i dunno at what temp & pressure this occurs... if it does...

so has anybody here ever read (or recited in a worship service) _the athanasian creed_ huh?

female attributes of the godhead?
sophia
shekhinah
lillith (well, maybe not ...)
mary, "queen of heaven, mother of god"
ein soph...
something from the zohar?
texts, anyone?


~


"one of the first things gods start to do is reproducing"
(attributed to jubal harshaw)