The Trinity (Jesus Christ, crucifixion, tradition, church, LDS)

[Merlin]

how many Christian sects do not accept the Trinity? Does anybody know?

[Aqualung]

LDS and JW at least don't.

[Scott1]

OOOH! OOOH!

We do.....

[Merlin]

Originally Posted by Scott1

OOOH! OOOH!

We do.....

Yes Scot, I think we know that. It was after all the Roman Catholics that thought it up about 300 years after the crucifixion. So the first 300 years (which is a lot of generations in those days) took place without this concept at all!

my interest was to know how many Christian sects do not believe in the Trinity. Hopefully they will step up to the podium and announced themselves. I am just curious

[Merlin]

[quote=Aqualung]LDS and JW at least don't.[

thank you, it is a very strange concept. How do both of these traditions you mention reconcile the relationship then between God, Jesus, and the Holly Ghost, bearing in mind there is only one God.

[Green Gaia]

Unitarian Christians, (not to be confused with Unitarian Universalists) do not.

[Scott1]

Originally Posted by Merlin

Yes Scot, I think we know that. It was after all the Roman Catholics that thought it up about 300 years after the crucifixion. So the first 300 years (which is a lot of generations in those days) took place without this concept at all!

Hogwash.... the divinity of Christ was proclaimed from the begining of the Church... the formal defintion may have come at a later date, but writings from early Church fathers (Tertullian, Justin, Tatian the Syrian, Athenagoras, Ignatius of Antioch) show the foundation of Trinitarian theology before the close of the year 200AD.

[Merlin]

Originally Posted by Maize

Unitarian Christians, (not to be confused with Unitarian Universalists) do not.

Well, that is slightly confusing in the names, but as long as you all know who you are it will be okay.

How do you reconcile the relationship then between God, Jesus, and the Holly Ghost, bearing in mind there is only one God.

[dan]

[quote=Merlin]

Originally Posted by Aqualung

LDS and JW at least don't.[

thank you, it is a very strange concept. How do both of these traditions you mention reconcile the relationship then between God, Jesus, and the Holly Ghost, bearing in mind there is only one God.

We look at God the Father as THE God. The New Testament calls Jesus God and at the same time we find Jesus calling His Father the only God. We tend to think of "God" as more a title than a name, and the "Godhead" fits better for me. They are all members of the Godhead and all carry the title God, but God the Father is the one referred to when generally speaking of God. There is only one God the Father, but the Bible is repleat with other mentions of people carrying the title god. Some insist that they are lowercase and are therefore different, but the Hebrew words are identical - eloheim. There is one Godhead, and it is made up of three individuals. They are all one in purpose, will and perfection; but they are seperate and distinct entities.

[Aqualung]

Originally Posted by Merlin

thank you, it is a very strange concept. How do both of these traditions you mention reconcile the relationship then between God, Jesus, and the Holly Ghost, bearing in mind there is only one God.

Well, I'm not quite sure what the Holly ghost is ...
God the Father is the Father of us and of Christ. He is the Father of our spirits, but he is also the Father of Jesus in the flesh. God has a physical body of flesh and bones, as does Christ. They are Father and Son. God the Father presides over all that, and gave to Jesus the authority he has, but Jesus is our Lord and God. The Holy ghost is a seperate personage, but he doesn't have a corporeal body. That's how he can be in all our hearts at the same time, and do all that other stuff that a corporeal body naturally resricts. They are one in purpose (God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are all doing things toward the same end), but they are not one in substance.

I don't know exactly what the JWs think, or where we differ. Perhpas may will come in and shed some light on this.