Why did the early Church KILL Christians who did not adopt the belief in a Trinity ?

Question

The matter was far from settled, however, despite high hopes for such on the part of Constantine. Arius and the new bishop of Alexandria, a man named Athanasius, began arguing over the matter even as the Nicene Creed was being signed; "Arianism" became a catch-word from that time onward for anyone who did not hold to the doctrine of the Trinity.

It wasn't until 451, at the Council of Chalcedon that, with the approval of the Pope, the Nicene/Constantinople Creed was set as authoritative. Debate on the matter was no longer tolerated; to speak out against the Trinity was now considered blasphemy, and such earned stiff sentences that ranged from mutilation to death. Christians now turned on Christians, maiming and slaughtering thousands because of a difference of opinion.

The Unitarian denomination of Christianity has kept alive the teachings of Arius in saying that God is one; they do not believe in the Trinity. As a result, mainstream Christians abhor them, and the National Council of Churches has refused their admittance. In Unitarianism, the hope is kept alive that Christians will someday return to the preachings of Jesus:
"...Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."
(Luke 4:8)


Known as "tawhid" in Islam, and the "Shema," or the Jewish creed of faith: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." (Deuteronomy 6:4)


It was repeated word-for-word approximately 1500 years later by Jesus when he said: "...The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord." (Mark 12:29)


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Answer 1

mass-murder was expedient, and it became a frequent tool of Christianity as it expanded.

Answer 2

first off the early church didn't kill anyone. the violence
was started by the followers of Arius, who had the
government on is their side in many places. This
dispute went on for a few hundred years. The Germanic
tribes to the west were often Arius (or "arian," as
distinct from "aryan") followers.

Secondly, the Shema you quote uses for "one Lord"
that Hebrew word which can indicate a plurality within
the oneness. Such as the oneness of a bunch of grapes.

The Trinitarian concept is not polytheism. A trinity is
like a three headed conjoined triplet, if such existed.
Two headed conjoined inseparable twins have been
on TV, totally distinct persons, those heads, one on
the phone and the other doing homework, but the
larger being is not distinct, because they have to
coordinate the leg use so they can run, and they share
all the organs.

If you picture a triplet like this, you'd have a good idea
of the Trinity. The famous three faces of janus and suchlike
are modalistic views, because the faces are on one head,
and share one brain and are just variant roles of one person.

In my experience, rejection of the Trinity doctrine weakens
one spiritually, and this is apparentlyi something important
to your salvation from the realm of condemned evil to be
destroyed someday at the last judgement.

The Unitarians may I point out have also hosted witch groups and all kinds of amorality, so despite some individuals who may love Jesus enough to have some standing with Him, since He did say "whosoever comes to Me I will in no wise
cast out," the overall teaching and denomination is false.

And truth is important. Truth isn't just what we feel at the moment, that's just another way of getting high. Truth is
objective reality. Like you think the road is clear, but there
is a fallen tree lying across it you don't see in the dark
with your headlights out......

And true doctrine is good headlights.

You can get more valid history rather than propaganda, by reading Philip Schaff's history of the church which you can find using Google, and the early church writings are at the same site. Many of them.

the MEDIEVA: church was far more likely to engage in killing heretics, but there was often a political side angle to this. In
some cases, the people targetted were a tad dangerous.
Personally, I wish that I had not been able to get at instruction materials I was able to get to study demon evocation and witchcraft (the real stuff not the madeup religion of wicca) and suchlike when I was a kid. I became a Christian as a result of God rescuing me from an evocation preparation situation gone bad, and more recently less extreme considerations have turned me onto the superior quality of Orthodox Holy Water vs. Roman Catholic Holy Water. Which has me looking into Orthodoxy.

Answer 3

It was a matter of Economical Power. If everyone is "together", believing in the same "things", saying the same "things", the Church could be more powerful. Differences cause a lost in Power. Trinity is a way to describe the Way God acts: It creates, It maintains, It destroys. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in Hinduism. The Father, The Holy Ghost and The Son in Christianity. And there is much more to say about those concept, but it is just a matter to go and reasoning about it. We were born, we are living, and we will die. That's all about Trinity. Inner Light.

Answer 4

"Why did the early Church KILL Christians who did not adopt the belief in a Trinity ?"
Could it be that some of these so-called Christians were not only heretics, but politically subversive as well?

"As a result, mainstream Christians abhor them...."
Mind-reader are you? I don't abhor them, I believe them to be in error.

"the National Council of Churches has refused their admittance"
Yes, because they are in error concerning the doctrine of the Trinity.

"In Unitarianism, the hope is kept alive that Christians will someday return to the preachings of Jesus"
We can't return to something we never left.

"'...Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.'
(Luke 4:8)"
Which Trinitarians do. We serve ONE God in three Persons. We serve no other god. We, like Thomas, recognize Jesus to be "our Lord and our God" (and John 20:28 makes it clear that Thomas was speaking to "him", not "them") . Why don't Unitarians do the same? Why do Unitarians not recognize that the glory of Jesus is the same as Yahweh's that Isaiah (6:1-4) saw as John 12:37-41, when Yahweh won't share His glory or praise (Isaiah 42:8)? How do Unitarians explain why the author of Hebrews 1:8-12 feels justified in taking a passage addressed to Yahweh (Psalms 102:25-27) and addressing it to the Son?

"'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord...' (Deuteronomy 6:4)"
And the word "one" here is "echad" which almost always in the Old Testament referred to "a compound unity, one made up of others" and thus does not contradict the Trinitarian belief.

Answer 5

Islam has nothing to do with Christianity. The examples that we have to go by in the Bible is what we are to follow, not what others may of may not have done after that time period. The Bible it's self points out that there were those that fell from the faith.
(Gen 1:26 KJV) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Man is created in the image of God, not the image of God and angels. man has a Mind, Body, and Spirit just Like God does. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Answer 6

The "Early Church" was being persecuted and its members were being killed by the Roman Empire. The "Early Church" was not in a position to kill anyone.

Now, you claim that it was after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 (a local council, I might add) that this "killing" began. What sort of documentation do you have for this? I would invite you to the Catholic Debate Forum to answer this:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/catholicdebateforum - or if you prefer a web board, join us in Locutus:
http://www.catholicresponse.org/locutus

Answer 7

Jesus said by their fruits you will know people.

All the wars and killings done by so called christians have been done by trinitarians.

If they reject one part of the bible, why should we be surprised when they reject other parts?

Actually the Shema should read "Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah"

Jesus quoted this at Mark 12:29 Jesus answered: “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah, 30 and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.’

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Answer 8

Here is the mystery Rome was preserved in the Catholic traditional and very ceremonial ways to include Rome's murderous ways. That is why it is called the Roman Catholic Church. The first Church was Jewish and above all Holy.

Answer 9

Your history is jaded. Anthanasius tried to stop the riots. It was the Arians who kept fighting and pushed Anthanasius out of his bishopric.

Answer 10

I dont really follow the 3 in one, I just believe there is God and Jesus. And what more could anyone ever ask for then just them.

Answer 11

The Bible is divided into two parts as far as believers are concerned (Revelation 1:2) namely: witnesses to the WORD OF GOD and TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST. Thus, to the WORD OF GOD (Buddhism, Zoroasterism, Bahai), these witnesses are under the law like Sabbath laws, tithe laws,food laws, etc and their Prophets are Moses and Mohammad as Islam originated also from the Abrahamic religion; and Buddha and Zoroaster and Bahai. Thus, Hear O israel; THE LORD our GOD is one LORD. On one hand, under the TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST as THE LORD GOD appeared in the image of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST and as a physical man also left the world and ascended to celestial heaven; THE HOLY SPIRIT was sent instead in HIS absence as the comforter of mankind in the absence of the physical man Jesus of Nazareth who in bodily form is in celestial heaven.HIS presence there was witnessed by Mohammad when he was brought to heaven by archangel gabriel and saw THE LORD JESUS CHRIST at the right hand of GOD. And THE HOLY SPIRIT is a working group composed of GOD in the spirit called EMMANUEL; and then the seven spirits before HIS throne and the spiritual communion of the Prophets and the Saints and all the spirits, (angels) in heaven and.whose image as a church is in the image of a woman -THE VIRGIN MARY. Thus, THE HOLY SPIRIT sends either the prophets/saints or angels like the angel of light that appeared to Paul of Tarsus in the road to Damascus. But the one who spoke in the spirit was THE LORD JESUS CHRIST saying I AM JESUS whom you are persecuting or THE HOLY SPIRIT sends living Saints like Mother Teresa of India or Saint Francis of Assissi or Virgin Mary as in Fatima or Lourdes. Likewise, in the Old Testament, it was prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah 9:6 saying a CHILD is born to us, and the gov't will be upon HIS shoulder; HE will called EVERLASTING FATHER, MIGHTY GOD, WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR and Isaiah 7:14 as EMMANUEL-GOD in the Spirit. Thus, the EVERLASTING FATHER is THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THE MIGHTY GOD is THE LORD JESUS CHRIST and the HOLY SPIRIT is headed by EMMANUEL-THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. That is the TRINITY under the TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST and the reason why or purpose of THE HOLY SPIRIT today due to the physical absence of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST who is in celestial heaven now. On the other hand, THE LORD means Prince or the begotten SON of THE FATHER GOD WHO is likened to our Grandfather. In the beginning of time THE FATHER GOD coronated HIS SON as THE LORD AND GOD over this new universe and its unending extended infinite universe or Kingdom called Omega created only for the sons of men to become gods or like-GOD in the unending kingdom of GOD. Thus, no one goes to THE FATHER GOD except through THE SON WHO IS OUR LORD AND GOD. THANK GOD; FEAR GOD; PRAISE GOD; GLORIFY GOD; HONOR GOD; LOVE GOD AND WORSHIP GOD. Pls visit my website-http://groups.yahoo.com/group/THEGOODNEWSOFTHEKINGDOM/