Can someone explain the Trinity to me (under one condition)?

Question

I have asked many different Christians for an explanation of the Trinity, including teachers, fathers, and brothers. I have only received answers that further confuse me.

In both rhetoric and science, writers clarify difficult concepts by rewording them in a version of English known as E-Prime. E-Prime bases itself on the same rules as English with one additional rule that abolishes all forms of the verb 'to be'. (The forms of "to be" that E-Prime excludes include the words: "is," "are," "were," "was," "am," "be," "been," and their contractions.) This concept should remind everyone of their high-school English classes and research papers.

So, can someone explain the concept of the Trinity to me using E-Prime (excluding 'to be' verbs)?

I do not mean to offend, but I will comment on the responses I have received so far. Not one Christian has been able to answer the question as asked. Only one non-Christian has answered, and done so eloquently. A couple Christians have explained that they do not even understand my question.

Fatima: quarks have been explained, but the explanation requires a large amount of prerequisite knowledge. You need to do some more research, and it seems like most of the Christians responding need to retake a high-school level English course.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark

Answer 1

I'll take a shot at it. (Bear in mind, please, that I believe in none of this myself.) Consider three blindfolded men feeling an elephant. One finds a leg, one an ear, and one a tusk. Later, they describe their experiences. Clearly, these differ, but all represent portions of the overall picture. One might conceive of the trinity in such a way.

Answer 2

There's no trinity. A trinity consist of equal power, knowing, thinking ability.

Almighty God has no beginning states Isaiah 43:10 "YOU are my witnesses,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “even my servant whom I have chosen, in order that YOU may know and have faith in me, and that YOU may understand that I am the same One. Before me there was no God formed, and after me there continued to be none."

Jesus the Son has begining states Colossians 1:15 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."

John 14:28 says: "YOU heard that I said to YOU, I am going away and I am coming [back] to YOU. If YOU loved me, YOU would rejoice that I am going my way to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am."

Holy Spirit is just an energy or an active force. It is not a person or creature.

How can the Father and the Son be equal to each other? When the Son does not know what the Father knows.

Matthew 24:36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father."

Don't get yourself confuse on something isn't there?

Answer 3

I'm sorry I don't understand the E-Prime thing so I am going to ignore that and just try to answer the question.

The trinity is the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. Each are a separate entity all coming from the same root. God uses all three because its easier for us to understand this way. He uses the Father and the Son because humans use this hierarchy and its a simplified way of saying that Jesus is apart of him but separate. The holy ghost is a little more difficult but basically God the Father was available to some people for actual communication. Jesus was extremely tangible but The Holy Ghost is not touchable like the father and son were. For those things that were done as if by an invisible hand. To summarize God has verbalized himself in three ways that are the easiest for humans to understand in each situation. I hope this helps. But remember that some times accepting is more important than understanding.

Answer 4

This e-prime sounds like a B.S. thing. I won't even try. The simplest way to illustrate the Trinity is to use a shamrock. It has 3 different leafs doesn't it? And, it is one, IE a unity. It's the same way with God. The father, the Son, And the Holy spirit. Each separate and each equal and one (unity). Maybe if you got away from egg-heads who are trying to teach you stupid ways to do things maybe you would learn. The more i think about it, the more ridiculous this e-prime is. You cannot describe any noun in the English language without using a form of 'is'.

Answer 5

Oh, this is classic! Kudos to you sir, don't wait around too long for an satisfactory answer.

By saying "Jesus appears to exist as the son of the father who according to some may have resurrected from the dead as the holy ghost to ascend into heaven" throws the dogmatic teachings of religion into a tailspin. Whether you intend to or not, E-Prime explainations of the Trinity demand that absolute statements are abolished in favor of those which are open to doubt. Absolutism is the foundation of religious dogma. Forgive my absolutist tone with that last statements, but I'm sure you can understand what I mean.

Answer 6

From your "clarification" remarks, it appears that your goal is to insult rather than to gain further understanding.

Wouldn't it be simpler for you to open your mind to the information that people present as answers to your "question"? Or, is your "game" concentrating on exercises in "E-Prime". If you haven't noticed yet, there are MANY people in this forum who are barely functional in English (from a number of locations) and also those who have not yet reached high school, as well as a few who don't have your demanded writing expertise.

But, as an ANSWER to your question: YES, I can. However, I choose NOT to accept your "one condition"...unless you are able to provide evidence of at least a Master of Science degree from a well-known University.

Answer 7

Only God can explain it fully and accurately. However, I'll attempt to explain it.

The Triune God, the Father, Son, and the Spirit. I think you know this by now. They are three substances, but one essence.
Like in a shirt, there may be cotton, wool, and acrylic. Three different substances, but it's still a shirt. Okay, that wasn't the greatest example, but anyways. So it's like three in one. Our human body is made up of many components, but it's still a body. It's not skin. It's not bacteria. It's a body. Hope that helped a bit!

In Christ,
Melodie

Answer 8

An analogy:
A beautiful symphony of music floats through your mind; you score the music on paper. The same music but different form. The orchestra plays the music... the same music but still different.
Three forms of the same: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each the same but yet each is different.

Answer 9

The concept of trinity contradicts the bible, because we have only one God and not three beings of God. God plays different roles such as the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost, which make up the Godhead, but not three different beings.

Answer 10

God in three seperate persons that are one.

The best way to understand this to me is in defining the 3 components that make up the entire universe. Without one of them we have no universe. These components are:

Space; representing God the Father being omnipresent or everywhere.

Matter; representing Jesus and the physical manifestation of God.

Gas; representing the Holy Spirit that indwells within those who have accepted the path from God to God for all men.

Since God is an infinite being with no sides, top or bottom and is everywhere within the cosmos of His creation and is not contained within the "box" of His creation, the cosmos and all life in it, this helps our finite understandings as a created being grasp an infinite God.

Answer 11

The trinity refers to one actual being in three different forms. God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all the same being, although they have been three seperate beings at the same time, they're all still God.