Is my understanding of the Trinity incorrect?

Question

It's the three: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
But essentially they are all one.

Correct, or not?

If it is.....why do people insist that Mormons do not believe in the Trinity? Did I misunderstand something in the LDS beliefs?

*And no, I'm not Mormon. Just clear this up for me, please.

Answer 1

LDS (Mormons) believe that it is three in one, but we believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three separate beings (Beings...not three separate Gods. There is only one God, and that is our Heavenly Father) joined by one common purpose, whereas other Christian denominations believe that God, Christ (The Son of God) and the Holy Spirit are the same being.

The whole Trinity doctrine has always confused me because there are numerous scriptures that imply that God the Father, and Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are three separate beings, albeit with the same purpose (which means, as one)

BambiFlaVa is correct - The Trinity is not an official Biblical doctrine. The word Trinity isn't even found in the Bible. It's a very common human interpretation, but the official doctrine itself is not found in the Bible.

Answer 2

You don't understand either doctrine. The LDS church teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one in purpose but three separate individual Gods. The doctrine of the trinity is based on Biblical teachings. In scripture the Father is called God, Jesus Himself claimed to be God and the Apostles called the Holy Spirit God. Yet the Bible is clear that the Lord our God is One Lord. How can that be.. It can be hard to understand much less except. So I will leave you a way for our minds to understand this difficult doctrine.

The universe is made up of space, height, width, and breadth. Height is infinite and by that definition contains all space. But width and breadth are also infinite and therefore each dimension must contain all space. God is like that. Though each is an individual being, The Father being infinite is all the God there is. The Son and the Holy Spirit are also infinite and because of that each is all the God there can be. These three person are Not three Gods but manifestations of the One true God.. It's wonderful of our Lord to reveal Himself to us in nature the way He does... Jim

Answer 3

It is important to understand that for Christians this is not a debatable subject but a required belief of all Christians. to believe otherwise is to believe in a false God or heresy. Furthermore this is not a belief, as some have already claimed that was introduced by the Emperor Constantine. The fact is that Constantine only ended the persecution of Christians and did not influence doctrine as some critics of Christ's church claim.

As for Mormons beliefs on the relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit it is clear that there teaching is outside of Christian teaching and should be understood as a heresy and false teaching.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 4

The trinity is but one set of beliefs though most of the christians today are really on the verge of "modalism" which teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are really three offices held by the one God.

There are many Christians that do not believe either the trinity or modalism.

When a person says:
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
But not three gods only one God.

They are really teaching modalism. This is considered heretical by true trinitarians. Often they will use also the word or label "Godhead".

True trinitarians do not believe in a "Godhead" they believe that each is God but each is a distinct entity.

This is where religious proclaimers can confuse the newcomer to religion. It is easy for them to disprove modalism, at least for themselves, but difficult to really show that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not also one with God in purpose and essence yet distinct self's which is close to "trinity".

The trinity and modalism are strong deceptions.

The trinity was an add on doctrine in the early 300's

This was either appeasement or declaration by the true head of the council of that time. This was a human king or emperor not something from God.

If you were not raised with these then you probably see how insane it is to believe these.

So does LDS teach trinity or modalism? That you will have to ask them. Have one describe this and which does it fit?

Answer 5

Yes some believe in the trinity - Father, Son, & Holy Spirit being one individual - and IN MY OPINION this causes a lot of confusion and should be done away with. At no time reading the King James Bible have I seen Jesus refer to himself and the father as the same person, the same family yes, they are three different people ie, god " the father " / Jesus Christ " the son "/ and Holy Spirit " the messenger or teacher ".

Answer 6

It is in its rudiments, but the misunderstanding lies deeper.

God is uncreated, unbound, uncontained, etc. So, when we have the three Persons of the Holy Trinity, they are all three separate Persons, but they also flow one into the other, because God is also undivided and unbound. He is not contained, so there cannot be any place where He is not. Thus, God is present in the stone, but He is not the stone, and God is present in all three persons.

God also acts as one in every act. Thus, in Genesis 1, God created the heavens and the earth by calling forth His Word and using His Spirit. At the Transfiguration, the Father speaks, the Son is present, and Holy Spirit shines through Him.

In every case, God is one, and He acts as one, even as He exists as three Persons in the bond of love. "Behold O Israel, the LORD your God is one LORD." LORD is the singular name YHWH. "God" is the word Elohim, which is plural. Thus, even in the Shema, God indicates the mystery of the Trinity.

The Mormon conception is "As man is, God once was, and as God is man may become." All three have bodies. They stand in separate areas and have separate minds and emotions. They aren't just three separate persons. They are three separate individuals, and at least two of them are created beings (now, on this I'm not sure).

The two understandings couldn't stand in starker contrast. In the Trinity, we have a Tri-Unity: Three yet One. In the Mormon version, it is simply that: three. God in Christianity is eternal and uncaused, but in Mormonism, God was once man and was deified to his current station (Christianity has deification also, theosis, but it works much differently).

I hope that helps illuminate things :).

Answer 7

The Trinity is not true. There is proof. If the Trinity was true, then how could the Holy Ghost descend as a dove while Jesus Christ was getting baptised if they were the same thing? And, Jesus Christ has said that the Trinity is not true.

Answer 8

I am beginning to think that it is more like God, His Word, His Power (Spirit, or Force). God stays in Heaven. He sent His Word to earth to be with us in Jesus' body. After Jesus' Resurrection and ascension, Jesus sent God's Spirit (Holy Spirit) to earth as our comforter and helper and power. So while there is one God, we have a trinity in #1. God the Father #2. God the Son (Word of God) and #3. God the Holy Spirit. Does that make sense to anyone? As far as the LDS Church goes, if they dropped the book they call the "other Testament" they would be better served. Cheers.

Answer 9

The momon concept is a little easier to visualize:
God the Father
Jesus his son
Both the above have flesh and bone bodies, but no blood.
Lastly, an unnamed Holy Ghost who is just a spirit.

God also had a father, who had a father, etc. Taken to it's logical end (wait - there is no logic here.)

The common Christian concept is God the father, Jesus as God who came to earth to pay for our sins and then died (but was God, so didn't really die) and the holy spirit, which is God and abides in everything somehow.

These concepts are all inventions of men who were trying to easily explain what they believed was inexplicable.

Answer 10

This question has been asked before and I still am unsure myself, maybe it's one of those things that God wants us to find out. By the way it's Father Son and Holy Spirit. Is it really that important that we know?