Most Christians in the world today believe in some Trinity Doctrine which, by definition, is the union of the three divine persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - into one Godhead.



What's a Doctrine?


According to the Dictionary, doctrine is something taught as the principles of a religion. Dogma is a doctrine formally and authoritatively affirmed but not necessarily proven. 



The Trinity, therefore, is a principle that can be considered dogmatic, therefore debatable.

As a sincere Christian, I am more interested in obtaining accurate knowledge from Biblical research than in twisting and manipulating the scriptures to fit some preconceived man-made dogma. Truth, to me, is more important than concocted tradition.

Is the dogma of the Trinity fact or fallacy? Before you shout me down with 'IT'S A MYSTERY' verdict...have a seat let us examine the evidence.

First off, how the Trinity became doctrine?

During the lifetime of Christ's apostles, the Gospel was taught with accuracy until after their death. The truth was eroded with falsehoods. This erosion of Biblical truth grew like a cancer - slow, but sure. Little by little, inaccuracy crept in as the Gospel message of Jesus Christ became more and more popular.

In an effort to increase the church membership, many Pagans were brought in and with the Pagans came Pagan ideas. Rituals began to replace serious Bible study and differences in opinion soon became the basis for growth of various creeds and sects. Over years, man-made rites became time honored tradition. Christian leaders then became powerful forces in the church as well as in politics; religious beliefs, many times, were dictated by the state. 

These facts, however, are not surprising considering the Biblical warning:
"First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Read II Peter 1:20-21; 2:1-3.

One idea that became popular among Christians around the fourth century was that of a trinity of gods. It was not, however, a new idea conceived by Christians, for there is much evidence of widespread belief in similar ideas throughout earlier recorded history. Trinity was and is not a Christian idea. 

Many scholars believe that the Trinity, as taught by Christians, comes from Plato as suggested in the Timaeus, but the Platonic trinity is itself merely a rearrangement of older trinities dating back to earlier peoples.


A few evident examples:

  • Phoenician religion has the trinity of gods were Ulomus, Ulosuros, and Eliun. 
  • In Greece they were Zeus, Poseidon, and Aidoneus.
  • In Rome they were Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto.
  • In Babylonia and Assyria they were Anos, lllinos, and Aos. 
  • Among Celtic nations they were called Kriosan, Biosena, and Siva.
  • In Germanic nations they were called Thor, Wodan, and Fricco.
  • In Indian religion there is the Trinitarian group of Brahma, Vishna, and Shiva.
  • Egyptian religion has the group of Kneph, Phthas, and Osiris.
  • Trinities of gods existed in other cultures as well, including, but not limited to, those of Siberia, Persia, Japan, Scandinavia, and Mexico.
We can see, therefore, that although the Trinity is characteristic of the Christian religion, it is by no means peculiar to it. Neither is it a Christian copyright adopted by the other religions.

If the Trinity doctrine isn't Biblical in nature, how did it become a part of Christian dogma?

Well, I'll tell you. It evolved. No thanks to the Romans. It is generally acknowledged that the church father Tertullian (ca. A.D. 145-220) either coined the term or was the first to use it with reference to God. The book World Religions From Ancient History to the Present indicates that today's belief in the Trinity evolved over many years of heated political argument. 

The book states:
"The great Arian controversy of the fourth century, which split the Church in two, stemmed from the preaching .... that the Son was a created being who did not eternally exist and, therefore, was a sort of demi-god, subordinate to the Father.The Emperor Constantine summoned the first General Council of the Church of Niceae, in 325, to settle this dispute and so reunify the Church. It condemned the teaching of Arius and produced a creed which declared that the Son is of one substance with and co-eternal with the Father."

Theodosius I convened the second General Council at Constantinople, in 381, which endorsed his definition of Catholicism, finally condemned Arianism .... and reaffirmed the Nicene Creed. It is interesting to note that the first General Council of the Church at Niceae stated that the basic question contained in the New Testament was: Is Christ God or not? They stated that it could only be answered with a "yes" or "no." It was either true or not.

The search for basic truth deteriorated into a widely accepted doctrine which was influenced, not by logic and biblical research, but by politics and human egotism.

The controversy, indeed, was settled by man, not God. But, if God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not one and the same, who, or what, are they?

The Father: 

There are many words used in original Bible manuscripts which translate to the English "god." In Hebrew, there are four such words: el, elah, eloah, and elohim. These words are all common nouns which can mean "great" or "mighty" or "ruler" and are used to describe the many different gods mentioned in the Bible.
The Bible mentions that, in many cases, some mortal men are considered gods. Moses was called a god: Exodus 7:1.
And in the first book of the Bible, Abraham is called a god: Genesis 23:4-5. Strange new truth? 
Angels are called gods: Genesis 3:5.

References to angels as gods are found in dozens of other places in the Bible.

Other groups, too, are called gods. In the second Old Testament book, the judges appointed by Moses are called gods: Exodus 21:6, Exodus 22:8-9, 28.

Even the princes of Egypt are referred to as gods: Exodus 12:12.

In the New Testament, the Greek word most translated "god" is theos, however it is important to point-out that this word is also a common noun applied to all types of gods.

Even Jesus made mention of mortal men being called gods: John 10:34.

Satan is called a god in the New testament: 2 Corinthians 4:4. The ruler Herod is also called a god: Acts 12:21-22. 

Since so many beings are referred to as gods, how do we know when the Bible speaks of the only true God - the Creator of the heavens and the earth? 

Although there are many words translated as "god" in the English language, the Bible clearly states that thee is but one true eternal Supreme deity and He has a name. In Bible manuscripts, God Almighty is referred to by the letters YHWH or JHWH, generally called the Tetragrammaton.

The Tetragrammaton appears in the Hebrew texts over 6,800 times and is transliterated as Yahweh or Jehovah. This name is not a common term, like "god," but is a proper and personal name for God Almighty and is not applied to any other being in the Bible.

Although some Bible translations use God's name, many other translate the Tetragrammaton as LORD or GOD.

It is easy, however, to locate where God's name should appear in most common translations, because GOD or LORD is printed in small capital letters in those places. For common uses of these words, they are printed in regular upper and lower case type.

The Bible speaks of God as being the creator of all things, but it also speaks of all things being made by the "Word." "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God ... all things were made through him ...." (John 1:1, 3)

Are the Word and Jehovah the same person? If not, who is the Word and what is their relationship?

#SSA


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