Subject: so, you're saying that they go to hell? |
Bible Note: "Now, would God be responsible for a doctrine about himself that is so confusing that even Hebrew, Greek and Latin Scholars cannot really explain it?" Well, first of all, the question itself is invalid, because we are not talking about a doctrine that God created, but rather a doctrine concerning the nature of God Himself. Since God did not create Himself (He just IS), the question is whether he eternally exists as one being in three persons or not. I can explain the Trinity in a single paragraph: The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Spirit. The Spirit is not the Father. There you go! The verse in 1 Corinthians 14 does not refer to the doctrines of God, but on church order. Taking the verse in its context precludes it from referring directly to the Trinity, whether it is a confusing doctrine or not. You quoted: "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION: There is no evidence of any sacred writer even suspected the existance of the Trinity, it is to go beyond the words and intent of the sacred writers." Well, the Encyclopedia of Religion is simply wrong. Your reference to the Encyclopedia Brittanica seems to be your own paraphrase and not a direct quote. In any case, the first person to actually use the word "Trinity" was Tertullian, to describe a doctrine which had been in existence for quite some time. Problem with your view that the Trinity was invented at Constantinople is that Tertullian died about a century before the Council of Nicaea was convened, which itself was convened over fifty years before Constantinople. The references to triads of gods is invalid, because that is not what the Trinity teaches. Are you seriously saying that Christianity was influenced by an Indian culture with whom it had virtually no contact? So in all of your research, please tell me what other religions hold to one God eternally existing in three persons. While you are "searching for the truth," you might want to check out a brand new book by John Hannah entitled _Our Legacy: The History of Christian Doctrine_. It documents quite well the doctrine of the Trinity and how it was recognized by the earliest church fathers in their writings. The idea that someone came along later and invented it is simply bad history. --Joe! |