Does anyone understand the Trinity?

Submitted by FINIOUS (Canada), Aug 5, 2009 at 00:57

Does anyone understand the Trinity?

A Gallup Poll taken in 1966 found that 97% of the American public believed in God. Of that number, 83% believed that God is a Trinity.
Yet for all this belief in the Trinity, it is a doctrine that is not clearly understood by most Christian laymen. In fact, most have neither the desire nor the incentive to understand what their church teaches. Few laymen are aware of any problems with the doctrine of the Trinity. They simply take it for granted—leaving the mysterious doctrinal aspects to theologians. And if the layman were to investigate further, he would be confronted with discouraging statements similar to the following:
I have never personally met anyone who has understood the Trinity. Besides, all that a Christian can offer is a false analogy. From this, all they show is the lack of understanding of what the Trinity is suppose to be. Where did the Trinity come from? The Bible? NO! The word Trinity doesn't even appear in the Bible. So, what next?

It impressed me to know that the 3 manifestations of Brahman, have some similarities with the Christian "Holy Trinity", in Hinduism called the "Trimurti".
- Brahma is like the Father, the creator, the cosmic mind. As God the Father has few temples dedicated to him, in fact only one in all India- Vishnu, like the Son, Jesus Christ, the preserver, the cosmic lord -- Shiva like the Holy Spirit, destroyer.
The Christian Trinity is the fourth century invention, having been passed into law during the Nicene Council in C.E. 325. But the idea predates Christianity, though in various forms. In other words, the Christians didn't invent it, they glommed it. And some say they butchered it, as well.
Only very flimsy evidence, I John 5:7:
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Only the King James versions retain this passage without comment: the rest relegate it to footnotes.
Another passage that is used to bolster the Scriptural basis for the doctrine of the Trinity is Matthew 28:20.
Christianity resembled certain elements of Roman belief, particularly the worship of Mithra, or Mithraism. As "Protector of the Empire," Mithra was closely tied to the sun gods, Helios and Apollo. Mithra's birthday on December 25, close to the winter solstice, became Jesus's birthday. Shepherds were to have witnessed Mithra's birth and were to have partaken in a last supper with Mithra before he returned to heaven. Mithra's ascension, correlating to the sun's return to prominence around the spring equinox, became the Christian holiday of Easter. Christians took over a cave-temple dedicated to Mithra in Rome on the Vatican Hill, making it the seat of the Catholic Church. The Mithraic high priest's title, Pater Patrum, soon became the title for the bishop of Rome, Papa or Pope. The fathers of Christianity explained the remarkable similarities of Mithraism as the work of the devil, declaring the much older legends of Mithraism to be an insidious imitation of the one faith.

One may say with one's lips: I believe that God is one, and also three'--but no one can believe it, because the words have no sense.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".