Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: dg@pallio.uucp (David Goodenough) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Trinity Message-ID: Date: 5 Nov 90 10:19:00 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 50 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu ibrahim@syacus.acus.oz (Ibrahim Sifri) asks: > People often say they believe in the Trinity, yet they differ in their > understanding of it. > I would like to start a conversation with the following questions: > > 1) What, exactly, is the Trinity? God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Now, how do you explain the apparent dichotomy of "are there three in the trinity, or one". Perhaps the simplest analogy I can think of right now is to ask "Is this figure one square or four lines?" +---+ | | +---+ > 2) Does the Bible teach it? Matthew 28:19 - "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." > 3) Is Jesus Christ the Almighty God and part of the Trinity? John 20:28 "And Thomas answered and said unto him [Jesus] 'My Lord and my God'" Luke 3:22 "... and a voice came from heaven, which said 'Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased'" Luke 23:46 "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, 'Father into thy hands I commend my spirit' ...." For all the above, there are other Biblical quotes, but these are the first ones that come to mind to help answer the questions raised. In particular, if Jesus is part of the Trinity (God the Son), then there are many other places in the Gospels where he refers to God as his father, for example when he throws the money-changers out of the Temple he refers to it as "My Father's house". > I am hoping to have some logical answers to start a productive > conversation that is not a waste of time. For this to happen, you must > back your answers from the BIBLE. All the above are from the King James Bible. Other translations will have different wording, but the meaning won't change. -- dg@pallio.UUCP - David Goodenough +---+ IHS | +-+-+ ..... !harvard!xait!pallio!dg +-+-+ | AKA: dg%pallio.uucp@xait.xerox.com +---+