Trinity=Polytheism???

Question

I am a muslim and I believe in Jesus as a prophet and in the Bible (not the Bible that we have now, for it is pretty changed, but the original one from Jesus). Most christians believe in the Trinity: the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. We know that Jesus called for monotheism, but the Trinity is believing in those three. If God the Father is Omnipotent, why should I worship something else? Some try to explain it in terms of an egg which consists of three elements but still make up one whole thing. But if there wasn't its shell, there wouldn't be an egg. We can't say that there wouldn't be God, if there wasn't Jesus, can we?
Second, if Jesus is Son of God, how can he be God himself. Any logic? Some try to explain it by the divinity of his birth. What about Adam? He didn't have not only a father, but he didn't have a mother either. Why isn't he a God, or God's son?

Answer 1

Tertullian, one of the early church fathers, coined the term "Trinity." The word actually means "three-ness." Tertullian was an ardent supporter of orthodoxy in the church, and was one of the greatest defenders of the historic Christian faith.

The term "Trinity" is not found in the Scriptures, but the doctrine is clearly displayed. There are many times where Jesus said of Himself that He was God. He applied the name of God, "I AM," to Himself in several passages. Here's a few examples: Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50, Mark 13:6, Luke 21:8, John 4:26, John 6:20, John 8:24, 28, 58, and John 13:19. There are several others I have not listed. Besides this, Jesus said that He & the Father were one (John 10:30). This describes a unity, even though there are two.

The Trinity has an underlying appearance in the Old Testament as well. In Genesis, we see during creation that God said, "Let us make man in our image." and also when man sinned, God said, "...man has become as one of us, to know good and evil..." Who was He speaking to? The other persons of the Trinity. We also see that the Spirit of God hovered over the waters in the beginning, and in John 1:1-3, it clearly states that Jesus (the Word) made everything.

Another angle to pursue is the various Scriptures that demonstrate that God's attributes are present in Jesus as well as the Holy Spirit. For example, the Father is eternal (Psalm 90:2), and so is the Son (John 1:2), and so is the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). Another shared attribute is their holiness. Only God is truly holy. The Father is holy (Revelation 15:4), so is the Son (Acts 3:14), and so is the Spirit (Acts 1:8).

An ancient diagram of the Trinity can be helpful in getting your hands around the doctrine, and can be found at the link in the SOURCE list.

The Trinitarian doctrine requires much more depth of discussion than can occur here. It is important to know that we only have to believe, not necessarily understand, the Trinitarian nature of God. It is a bedrock doctrine of the Christian church. Anything else is heresy.

Answer 2

I am a Christian and as the first true Christians we do not believe in the trinity doctrine; that's a teaching isn't supported by the Bible (any Bible). The word itself doesn't appear not even once in this sacred book. Besides there's no place where it says that the holy spirit is a person when such doesn't even have a personal name like God (Jehovah) and his son (Jesus) two different persons! Where not equality exists. "the father is "greater than I" Jesus said in John 14:28. Also Jesus had a beginning but God Almighty had none! (Col 1:15)

Answer 3

The Bible we have today is changed so much that we no longer have the intent of God in it? If this is so Christ is not God (as I believe His to be), Nor is He a prophet, because He is a liar.. He promised in the New Testament that Heaven and earth would pass way but that His word would never pass away... You are making the common error so many God haters make about the oneness of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. You think they are three different Gods.. God is one not three.. And who are you to say how He can manifest Himself? Jesus claimed to be the I AM. You know that.. Of course that's in the new Testament and that can't be trusted but if we can't Jesus is a lie... You are on very weak ground making Jesus less than what He said He is... If I have to choose who the liar is Jesus will be the one who gave truth and that will make Mohammad the liar.... Jim

Answer 4

The Holy Trinity is truly a difficult concept. I can explain why I believe what I believe, but I don't expect to "convince" you.

First of all, the egg analogy does work, but it's just that, an analogy. Yes, we can and do say that God wouldn't be without God the Son (the Word or Jesus the Christ) as we believe that He has always existed with God. He is distinct from God the Father, but He is God. These Biblical excerpts may help:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. (Jn 1:1-3)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14)

John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'" (Jn 1:15)

Jesus is the eternal Word, who became flesh. He has always existed but came in the form of human flesh through the incarnation. Thus, he is God, yet the Son of God.

Adam is also a son of God. In fact, we are all sons and daughters of God. However, neither he nor we are THE Son of God, the Word incarnate.

Well, hope I helped shed some light on our beliefs. I appreciate that you're not a flamer and find your question sincere. Peace and blessings!

Answer 5

Very good question. I am a Christian who does not believe in the trinity. Jesus very clearly taught Monotheism. Jesus regularly prayed to his God and father. The teaching of the trinity was not invented until the 4th century AD by Emperor Constantine of Rome.

Gaius Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus[1] (February 27, 272–May 22, 337), commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or (among Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic[2] Christians) Saint Constantine, was a Roman Emperor, proclaimed Augustus by his troops on July 25, 306 and who ruled an ever-growing portion of the Roman Empire until his death.

Constantine is best remembered in modern times for the Edict of Milan in 313, which fully legalized Christianity in the Empire, for the first time, and the Council of Nicaea in 325; these actions are considered major factors in the spreading of the Christian religion. His reputation as the "first Christian Emperor" has been promulgated by historians from Lactantius and Eusebius of Caesarea to the present day; although there has been debate over the veracity of his faith because he continued support for pagan deities and was baptized very close to his death.[3]
Contents

The pagan deities that Constantine continued to worship were all triune godheads, so during the Council of Nicaea the trinity was concocted out of the Father, son, and holy spirit, even though it was not biblical. It is also the time that Christmas was decided upon, to coincide with the existing celebrations of the winter solstice. Another religious symbol that was accepted at this time was the Cross. It is almost identical to the Egyptian Onk, or a cross with a loop at the top.(a symbol of a triune godhead) All of these changes were made to unite the splintered Roman empire, to unite Christians with Pagans, and so the true religion was polluted with false teachings.

You are very intelligent. Most "Christians" cannot move past the teachings they recieve from their Church, cannot accept that the form of Christianity they follow today is so changed from the original Christian church that it is almost unrecognizeable. Notice that most of your answers quote religious books, pamphlets or even preachers. Most of them will try to support their own belief without researching the origins of the Trinity doctrine. This is true because ever christian church believes that they have the "Truth" and any Church that teaches differently from them must be heretics or pagans. How about some non denominational research boys and girls?

Answer 6

Adam was the son of God. It's in the Bible. Adam is also called Son of Man just as Jesus was. There are many parallels in the speech between Adam and God and the speech between Jesus and God as Jesus states it. You say that "we know that Jesus called for monotheism," but I don't think "we know" any such thing. Jesus said no goes to the Father except through Him. He said we must believe that He is the Son of God. He often teaches that He is the Son, also the way, the truth, and the life... eternal life. God is omnipotent. The advent of Jesus Christ does not take away from that, it supports it. We, mere mortals and prone to sin, could not provide sacrifice for atonement. Jesus Christ was that sacrifice provided by omnipotent God in order that we, as sinners, could be presented blameless in His righteous presence for eternal communion with Him. The Bible I read explains this very completely. I don't know what you refer to as the "original Bible," but I would be interested to have a reference on it. Good question.

Answer 7

not a simple subject

nope TRI UNITY trinity means ONE God in THREE persons... not polytheist and is a form on monotheism

in the Koran trinity is Father Mother and Son and I know of no Christian who believes that of the Trinity, but it sometimes seems that way for some denominations

1) Athenasian Trinity
The Father, Jesus and the Son are all refered to as God, yet singular is used often... like "go into all nations.. in the name (singular) of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

so we believe in the Athenasian trinity , God exists as three persons with ONE essense, being one in a different way than he is three. the father son and spirit in essense being coequal coeternal and coexistant. With regard to persons the son and spirit may be eternally generated from the father is considered orthodox view as well

Jesus being a different person than the Father could therefore pray to the father, although of the same divine essense

AND

2) hypostatic union
and a related idea is the hypostatic union, Jesus being fully God and fully man (but an unfallen man) Jesus took on an additional creaturely unfallen human nature . The divine triune essense of Son of God from the trinity welded together forever as a package somehow with a unfallen human nature taken on at Bethlehem so he could be the perfect mediator between God and Man and in Jesus case we have one person with 2 natures, the hypostatic union

Jesus the prophet said "tear down this temple and in three days I will raise it again" the temple being his body
human enough to die, divine enough to raise himself from the dead

I agree not a simple question though

Answer 8

Are you three people?
Your mind has a personality that you think of as being 'you', but have you noticed that your body sometimes seems to have a seperate personality? If that's so, then wouldn't it be even more so for your spirit?
If life is a stage and our lives are parts that the actors play, then our spirits are the actors.

Would you be the same person you are now if you did not have a mind? Or a body? Or if your spirit was not interested in playing this role?

Which of them is the 'real' you, which gave rise to the others?
Christianity has Jesus being the Body of God, which was created by the Mind of God (the Father), using the Spirit of God (the holy spirit). This creation was not done at 4 AD, but rather back at the beginning of time, when God created everything. Jesus is sacred because he obeyed God-the-Father (something those of SLM should well understand) and allowed his body to be incarnated into mortal life in order to be sacrificed and pay the blood-debt for all sins.
Christians like to throw the word 'God' around alot, but what they mean is that Yeshua (Jesus) was (and is) the incarnation of the Body of YHVH, according to the orders and plans of the mind of YHVH, using Ruach (which is how all godlike things get done in creation anyway).

Yes, Adam was God's son who choose mortality, and thus we are all the children of God, regardless of what we believe.
I'm a pagan, despite (or perhaps because of) my thorough knowledge of Christianity. Having chosen to know, as God does, and experience both good and evil, we must gain wisdom and power, and go thru testing before we become as God - - - but throughout the world the children of rabbits grow up to be rabbits, and of whales, whales. We are meant to grow up to be gods............but there's little likliehood of that when we let our power outpace our wisdom.

Blessed be.

Answer 9

I'm Muslim like you and from the huge difference in how do the Christians answering you here understand the trinity I tell you that they can't understand this principle clearly..some say three and some say God is Jesus and the Qur'an replied for both:

O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three" - Cease! (it is) better for you! - Allah is only One Allah. Far is it removed from His Transcendent Majesty that He should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as Defender. "Qur'an 4, 171"

They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He createth what He will. And Allah is Able to do all things. "5, 17"

Answer 10

No, you have misunderstood. Trinity isn't implying three deities but one. A horse is a mammal and a mount and a quadruped but that is not implying three separate creatures.

"...the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God."

Islam has really made an issue out of this by what looks like wilful misunderstanding