Is God Really A Trinity?

Question

One of the many reasons Muslims disagree with Christians is because a lot of christians beleive that god is Three in One, however, this is not mentioned in the Bible, so where is your proof and are Muslims right to criticise this view point.

Answer 1

The Nature of the Trinity is a Christian theological question that was passionately debated by the Church from the 3rd to 6th Centuries CE.

The great late Dr Colin McEvedy discusses Christian theological issues from history in an accessible, down to earth manner in his history books. That is how I first learned about them as a child.

The Trinitarian Doctrine was adopted as part of the Nicene Creed at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. It was another good marketing ploy for converting Pagans.

Personally as a monotheist, I don' t see what all the fuss was about. G-d is G-d, and that is that. I think the whole idea is a great conceit and is analogous to debating "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin".

However, I am fully tolerant of other points of view. But the Roman Emperors Constantine onwards were not, and unfortunately for many Christians in the most "un-Christian" and uncharitable way.

Tens, may be hundreds of thousands of Christian "heretics" were put to death in persecutions and inquisitions by the "official" Roman Catholic Church and Emperors as a result of this theological dispute.

As Bilal above says, the Trinity is NOT mentioned anywhere in the New Testament of the Bible, nor any other part of the Bible.

I believe the Trinitarian Doctrine is a fabrication and was invented because it politically suited Constantine, who was a Pagan Sun worshipper until he was baptised when he died in 337 CE.

As someone earlier mentioned, the Roman Catholic Church "screwed up" Christianity, when they introduced the Trinitarian Doctrine motivated by political reasons.

The Trinity (Trinitarian Doctrine) is defined as the 3 "Natures" of G-d:

- G-d the Father (G-d)
- G-d the Son (Jesus)
- G-d the Holy Spirit (Ghost)

Broadly speaking there are 3 Christian points of view on the "Nature" of G-d:

1) Roman Catholic / Orthodox view: all 3 Natures are separate but inter-connected;

2) Nestorian and Assyrian Church view from theologian Nestorius (c. 386–c. 451): all 3 Natures are COMPLETELY SEPARATE.

Nestorianism was condemned and rejected at the Council of Ephesus in 431 CE.

3) Monophysite and Coptic (Egyptian) Church: all 3 Natures are COMPLETELY FUSED. This is the most monotheist view in Christianity.

Monophysitism was condemned and rejected at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE.

PS As one who does not profess Christianity, I AM TRULY ASTOUNDED BY THE IGNORANCE OF THOSE WHO PROFESS TO BE CHRISTIANS, WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPT OF THE TRINITY OF G-D, NOR UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINS OF THE ISSUE.

PPS One reason the Muslim Conquest of Egypt, Syria and North Africa in the Eastern Roman Empire (and also Mesopotamia in the Sassanid Persian Empire) was so successful, was because they were full of Monophysites and Nestorians, who were heavily oppressed and persecuted by the Roman Church.

The Monophysites in Egypt and Nestorians in Syria welcomed the Muslims as liberators from Roman oppression and persecution, and as they both shared very monotheist views of G-d, many Monophysites and Nestorians were soon converting to Islam.

Answer 2

Muslims have the right to have a different point of view, we all have the right to have a different point of view without being criticised for having that point of view. Some people somehow feel they have to criticise other people about everything they do , have, believe, wear and so on. They have a problem and need to sort themselves out. Just let poeple be is the best way to be. If people don't believe the same things so what, it doesn't matter, what matters is that we all get along with each other.

Answer 3

It is very confusing to try to justify the belief in the Trinity. This is because the Trinity is a man-made doctrine that was drawn up several hundred years after Jesus. In this time period different interpretations of the Bible were causing serious debates among Christians. The various interpretations were, undoubtedly, due to human perversion of the original scriptures, poor preservation, and/or shoddy translations. One of the main things being questioned was the nature of God and Jesus. Was Jesus actually God, the son of God, or just a messenger? The Council of Nicea was formed in an attempt to settle this dispute, and the Nicea Creed (the Trinitarian doctrine) was subsequently hammered out.

VERSES THAT CONTRADICT THE TRINITARIAN DOCTRINE AND/OR THE DIVINITY OF JESUS
Exodus 33:20, John 1:18, 1 Timothy 6:16 - No one saw God.
Isaiah 42:8 - Do not praise and worship images.
Isaiah 45:1 - "Anointed" does not mean "God".
Matthew 14:23, 19:13, 26:39, 27:46, 26:42-44 - Jesus prayed.
Matthew 24:36 - Jesus was not all-knowing.
Matthew 26:39 - Jesus and God had different wills.
Matthew 28:18 - All power was given to Jesus.
Mark 1:35, 6:46, 14:35-36 - Jesus prayed.
Mark 10:17-18 and Luke 18:18-19 - Jesus denied divinity.
Mark 12:28-29 - God is one.
Mark 13:32 - Jesus was not all-knowing.
Mark 16:19 and Luke 22:69 - Jesus at the right hand of God.
Luke 3:21, 5:16, 6:12, 9:18, 9:28, 11:1-4, 22:41 - Jesus prayed.
Luke 4:18, 9:48, 10:16 - Jesus was from God.
Luke 7:16, 13:33, 24:18-19 - Jesus was a prophet.
Luke 10:21 - Jesus gave thanks.
Luke 23:46 - The spirit of Jesus was commended to God.
John 4:19 - Jesus was a prophet.
John 4:23-24 - Worship in spirit and truth.
John 14:28 - One was greater than the other.
John 5:19, 5:30, 7:28, 8:28 - Jesus was helpless.
John 5:20 - The Father showed the son.
John 5:30 and 6:38 - Jesus and God had different wills.
John 5:31-32 - Jesus' witness was not true.
John 6:11 and 11:41-42 - Jesus gave thanks.
John 6:32 - The Father was the provider, not the son.
John 7:29, 16:5, 16:28 - Jesus was from God.
John 7:16, 12:49, 14:24, 17:14 - Jesus' words were not his.
John 8:42 - Jesus did not come of himself.
John 10:29 - "My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all."
John 14:1 - Jesus said, "...believe also in me."
John 14:16, 17:1, 17:9, 17:11, 17:15 - Jesus prayed.
John 14:31 and 15:10 - Jesus followed commands.
John 17:6-8 - "I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me."
John 20:17 - Jesus had a god.
Acts 2:22 - Jesus was "a man approved of God."
Romans 8:34 - Jesus was an intercessor.
1 Timothy 2:5 - Jesus was the mediator between God and humans.

Answer 4

John 1 states that Jesus (The Word) was with God and was God.

God is infinite. He created a finite universe, bounded in space and time. In the same way we use avatars to interact with computer games, God needed forms that could interact with the universe.

The Holy Spirit, an aspect of God, causes God's word, his will to be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit exists as a person in His own right and fills and empowers the universe. He can also fill and empower people.

God has a form which appears human. This is how he appeared to Adam, Abraham and others. This form of God became fully human and fully divine as Jesus Christ. He was filled with The Holy Spirit, but operated in unity with God The Father. He said His words were those His Father gave him, and He did what He saw His father doing.

You might think of this (crudely) as Jesus being the body, God The Father being the soul and The Holy Spirit being the - er - spirit of God. Just as these have a hierarchy in us, but are all us, so it is similar to God. Our bodies obey our souls, but both are us.

Answer 5

No God is one, the trinity is God the father, the son and the holy ghost. If you have read the bible which I doubt it does mention the trinity in various guises. The father as the creator, the son as Jesus and the holy spirit many times but one such is after Jesus was crucified and risen again. He went up to heaven and the disciples were upset so the holy spirit came to them, I think that was how it was.

Answer 6

The Trinity is a man made concept. Coming from the Godhead
mentioned in Scripture. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which
AGREE IN ONE.
The West denies it's own teachings over competition with
the East. Jesus said a couple things which they use to prove their
theory. But Jesus spoke repeatedly of His Father who was still
in Heaven while He was on the Earth.
WE are all ONE. Christ is not a person or religion. It is the unifying of Gods own body, in that our spirits are all a spark
of the LIGHT that God/Allah is.
"As the body has many members. And they being many, are one body. So is CHRIST."

Answer 7

Deuteronomy 6 v 4 - says "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the
LORD IS ONE!".

Deuteronomy 6 v 35 "To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD HIMSELF IS GOD; there is NONE OTHER besides Him".

1 Timothy 2 v 5 "For there is ONE GOD and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

The Triunity of God can be likened to a plant, Stem, leaf and root consititute but one plant; each has a distinction incommunicable to the other two; none is the plant without the other two; each with the plant is the other two.

Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are ONE GOD; each has a distinction incommunicable to the other two, none is God without the other two, each with the other two is God.

Water has three distinct forms: solid ice, liquid water and invisible water vapour, but it is always H2O

Answer 8

The trinity is not a true christian doctrine.
It's development was completed and set in place almost 300 yrs after the death of Christ.

True early fathers like Polycarp was killed over it.
Using the usual MO, the wicked church leaders at that time had the government kill Polycarp, then the wicked church leaders claimed Polycarp as a martyr to quell public outcry.

Polycarp was a student of a follower of John, and was killed in the year 150

It still took about another 150 yrs to get rid of remaining opposition to the trinity idea and set it in place.
Constantine liked triune worship, so he had no problems with making it a part of Christianity. He liked Christianity, but he was not christian at the time,

Answer 9

I can see you are a Muslim by the way you ask the question.

The answer is Yes you are right to question (rather than criticise) this point of view. And Christians are right to question any Muslim point of view.

And I can question ANY point of view since I am neither Christian nor Muslim.

Answer 10

Yes, God is three persons but ONE GOD! The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Not mentioned? Read between the lines. Well, as for the Muslims, it's their belief, we have nothing to do with it.