Can anyone refute this proof that the Trinity is a pagan belief?

Question

The Trinity is accepted by many "Christians" today as a solid fact. Yet, in almost every ancient religion (Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, etc.) the concept of a trinitarian god-form appears. The one outstanding contrast is Judaism. It is and always has been monotheistic. There is no question about how Christianity has its roots in Jewish teachings. So, how is it that "Christianity" today adopts the same practices that God told the ancient Jews to stay away from? And just for everyone's information, I am a Christian, but I know for a fact that Jesus is not God. I just can't understand how Trinitarians can be so blinded to the obvious lie that the Trinity is.

Canadain, in response to I and the father are one, John 17:21 "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." So, I guess all of Jesus' followers are now part of the Trinity. No, Jesus and his father are one in purpose, not in being, just as Jesus and his followers are one in purpose, not in being. And, I never said Jesus was just a good man. He is an angel in heaven, but the foremost angel, the only angel created directly by God. Jesus is described as the firstborn of all creation. God is not part of creation since he is eternal. One cannot be firstborn and be eternal and cannot be of creation and without creation. Through Jesus, all other things were created, which is how God could say, "Let us make man in our image." It was God's design, but Jesus was the one that put God's design into action, just as an architect designs a house but a foreman actually builds it.

Answer 1

Uh, the Jews weren't always monotheistic. Hate to clue you in there.

Answer 2

Pagans believed in God, so does that mean God doesn't exist? Pagans ate food, had sex, farmed, slept, and did a million other things that we all do. Does that mean we shouldn't do those things, either? The fact that ancient religions had trinitarian ideals does not mean that Christianity is directly linked to them, or that the idea of a trinity is even wrong. In fact, if you study Christian history closely, you find that most of their trinitarian beliefs did not even develop until well into the 4th century. Most of the religions you reference were long gone by then, with the exception of Judaism. But Christianity is NOT Judaism, so what is it to Christians that Jews did not believe in the Trinity? They don't believe that Jesus was the Son of God, either, and most Christians do. Having your roots in a religion is not the same as being that religion. You are cherry-picking history to try to prove a pre-destined opinion that you already hold. I'm afraid that is not going to hold up to any kind of historical or scholarly scrutiny.

That is not to say, necessarily, that you are wrong about the legitimacy of the Trinity. It is a matter of opinion, I guess. But it is not as obvious as you try to make it out to be. A lot of what you are saying is speculatory, at best.

Answer 3

The flaw in your question is that you consider the Christian concept of Trinity as a belief in three gods. That is not true. Christianity, as Judaism, is monotheistic: there is only one God. However, that God is "composed of" three persons.

Consider this: "Nature" is that which makes a thing to be what it is. We are human because we have a human nature; we are not angels because we do not have an angelic nature. A desk has a desk's nature; a dog has a dog's nature, etc. "Nature" can be said to answer the question, "What?" "What is it?" or "What are you?"

Person might be said to answer the question "Who?" "Who are you?" And I would answer, "I am Sebastian." Depending upon whom you ask, you'll get a variety of answers: I am Johnny Jones; I am Mary Smith.

Applying that to the Trinity, one might say to the Father: What are you? And He would respond, I am God because I have the Divine Nature. If you asked Him, "Who are you?" He would respond, "I am God the Father."

If you asked those same questions of the Son: What are you? -- the Son would respond, "I am God because I, too, have the Divine Nature." If I asked, "Who are you?" I would get the response, "I am the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity."

For the Holy Spirit, the answers would be similar. Each are truly God because each possesses or shares the one, Divine Nature. There is only one God. But each Person would answer the "Who" question differently, because they are separate and distinct as Persons, yet united and only one by Divine Nature.

To understand that the idea of "Trinity" is not contradictory, one needs to understand the philosophical distinctions between "nature" and "person," and that takes a lot of reading and study. Suffice it to say that Christians accept the existence of only One God, but One God and three Divine Persons.

Answer 4

I must say I tend to agree with your reasoning. I don't think that Jesus is God either. Mainly because it never made sense to me & I did some research recently into the origins of the Trinity.
I can't believe the sheer arrogance of SOME (not all) of the Trinitarians though (as shown in one or two answers previous).
Where does it say in the bible that you are not a Christian because you don't believe Jesus is God?

And a certain answerer has the audacity to say you have no brains and cannot think for yourself just because you disagree with him? Who made him God to venomously declare that you are spiritually dead? He assumes you're a JW because you choose not to believe in the Trinity. I actually couldn't tell whether you are a JW or not. Well, some non JW's (I for one) reject the trinity teaching because they recognise it as what it is - pagan.

Please forgive the self-righteousness of such answerers though James because they cherish these pagan beliefs & find it hard to control their sanctimonious tendencies when their beliefs are challenged. Their arrogance far outweighs their humilty.
Please be patient with such ones as negative condescending personality traits are very hard to get rid of. I'm sure once such ones come down off their high horse (if indeed they ever do) & work on traits that Jesus displayed then they might begin to understand what being a Christian is.

Oh, and I know for a fact that Jesus is not God too

Answer 5

Because Christianity's strongest point is it's ability to integrate local cultural beliefs into the main religion.

Easter eggs are from a Pagan fertility ceremony

The Christmas tree has Druidic roots

The Crucifix is stolen from ancient Celts

Plus, the number 3 is one of the most sacred numbers in almost all paganistic belief systems.

Answer 6

Pagan influence on Judaism is almost the *definition* of Christianity.

Christianity is exactly what you get if you take Hellenized Judaism and add some pagan beliefs to it (a new deity in the same vein as the various other dying-rising sun gods, et cetera).

Jill, the Jews were polytheistic at one point, but they became *fiercely* nationalistic and monotheistic when they lost some wars against Babylon, and this continued even more strongly when they returned to their old lands under Cyrus the Persian and, later, when the Greeks beat them up in yet another war.

In fact, opposition to the Greek polytheistic influence was a major cause of much of the nationalistic xenophobia and religious bigotry.

Answer 7

Obviously you have some sort of religious belief, but how can you say you're a christain when you don't believe Jesus is God? Where do you think the term "christ - ain" came from? That's like saying, I'm a musician but I don't sing or play any instruments. The whole christain religion is centered around the belief that Jesus is God and that he rose (in body) from the dead.
As for the trinity, it is somewhat of a man made christain idea. The Bible never once refers to God as a "trinity", it does support the idea of the trinity though. The Bible talks about God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, but also claims that God is the ONE and only God. That's why christains coined the term "trinity" when refering to their God. God is but one God, with three persons. I like to think of it in more relatable terms... We as humans are three parts in one being; Body (material), Brains(thoughts ideas), and spirit(eternal being).
And the term trinity maybe did come from peagan culture, but that's just terminology. Just because christains pulled the term out of paegan's to describe their god doesn't in itself make their god untrue. You can always turn it around too and say, maybe because God is in all actuality a three-in-one God, the paegan cultres had a somewhat true view of God but it was just obscured.
And please don't make ridiculous claims such as, "I know for a fact Jesus was not God."
Listen to your statement from my point of view, "Well I know for a fact that Jesus IS God" - sounds like a pretty ridiculous claim, right? And I really could dig up a lot evidence that seems to support the idea that he is what he said he is, God. there are LOTS of eyewitness testimony regarding Jesus performing miracles, eyewitness testimony is all that any historical knowledge we have today is based on. But really the only for certain fact, is that I don't know for a fact that he is or that he isn't God, neither do you. But so far in my life experience more things have led me to believe that he is - after that it's all based on faith. Just like any belief is based on faith, nothing can be absolutely proven so to believe in anything requires faith, even atheism.
You're offering a statement here without anything to back it up, except that 'maybe christains got the trinity from paegan cultures'. Well I say "I am a christain - and so what?! How does that prove in any way at all that Jesus isn't God?"

Answer 8

The pagan triune Gods were separate and distinct from one another. Not so the nature of God. The three are still one God.

In all cults that claim to be Christian, Christ is diminished in some way. In yours, Christ is stipped of his divinity. Have you not read the opening of John?

What's really funny to me is that when people like you make definitive statements, your type is always wrong.

"but I know for a fact..."

No, you are deceived. But I've never yet met a deceived person that didn't vehemently insist they were not deceived. They all claim everyone else is deceived.

Do yourself a favor and study into what cults are; what they all have in common, and see how many apply to what you believe. While your at it, search into critical thinking.

And understand one of the greatest truisms found in the Bible; you are guilty of what you accuse others of and how you judge others.

You make the judgment regarding Trinitarians being blind to the "obvious" lie....

You are mocking God; you mock the Holy Spirit and His witness.

Answer 9

Christianity has included many different beliefs etc. from other religions & cultures - just about every Christian holiday is based on a holiday celebrated by another religion.

This doesn't nullify the concept of the trinity in Christianity. But as someone else already said - the trinity are just 3 aspects of the one g*d.

Answer 10

This step is incorrect: 5^2 - 5 cases 9 + frac{80 one}{4} = 4^2 - 4 cases 9 + frac{80 one}{4} * Now ingredient the two aspects back left(5 - frac{9}{2}suitable)^2 = left(4 - frac{9}{2}suitable)^2 there are not any undemanding factors. 2(x ? y) = x ? y * Divide out (x ? y) yet you defined x=y. So x-y =0 via your definition. so which you're saying that 0=0=2*0 Wow. bypass back to middle college, your math skills are lacking. QED.

Answer 11

Read Hebrew 1...it plainly and without parables says that Jesus (the Son) is God. Also John 1. As for the trinity idea being pagan...in the paganistic view it wasnt masculine...it was feminine. Mother, Maiden and Crone. The trinity..that is...three intelligences being ONE being, however, is plainly Judaic...as the jews were the first to perceive only one God. The trinity is nothing hard to understand. Consider your hand: you have five fingers, each seperate and with their own virtues, but they are all part of the one same hand. As is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - Hebrew 1 Chapter 2.