A big question though.. If God/Jesus/Holy spirit isnt a trinity, then why do most mainstream bibles have John 1:1 say they are? Every bible i've read on specific verses like that show that Jesus is god.. Unless its a big misinterpretation. From what I figure they have tons of people translating these greek texts and scrolls and whatnot... and don't they all come up with that? the New world translation says otherwise but how accurate could that be when the translators themselves don't even know what they're doing.
What you asks begs the question. Just why is this doctrine (or similar viewpoint) so widely held in Christendom? Why does this idea seem to hold the scholars as well?
There is just as much in the bible to argue for the deity of Jesus, even some difficult to explain coexistence with or as Jehovah of the old testament. In fact there is likely more that argues the Trinitarian side than the Unitarian one IMHO.
Problem here is that we are mostly all ex dubs, or faded/inactive ones. Therefore any debate about this tends to lean harder to the Unitarian view. That is our prejudice. If this was an Ex-Catholic site, we would probably be arguing for the Trinity for the same reason.
The truth is, the bible is not clear or explicit as to how God exists. Does he exist outside of time, or is he subject to it like all of us? What is his substance or can he be described in those terms? Does he have a body? Ultimately, does he exist in a plurality?
As a result of that, the believer needs to ask himself why is the bible so ambiguous if it is so important? Considering that most pagan cultures believed in Trinity's of gods, a "loving" God would clearly identify who and what he was if it was that important. Obviously it is not!
What people who wish to follow Jesus should do, is learn what he taught about how we should live. The arguing and debating of this issue has raged for almost 2000 years. How can that be in harmony with what Jesus and his first disciples taught and stood for? The answer is obvious.
Start with reading the Gospels without any teacher with ties to a cult. If you believe Jesus spoke the truth, then believe what he said in John 14 16th chapters, namely that the Holy Spirit when it arrives will teach you ALL things. If you want to believe, then believe that. John 2:26 is good to consider too.
Any research you do should be to first get your mind around who the people were that Jesus spoke to and what can be learned about the way they lived. This will help put much of what Jesus and others wrote or said in context.
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Since you're interested in the subject, why not look up the WT Trinity Brochure that disputes the subject. I am sure your "friend" will jump at getting you one. Look through what seems to be a powerful argument against Trinity. Then look closer.
What you will find is that starting on page 7, that several quotes are made from christian apologists of the 1st Century such as Justin Martyr. However the quoted citations location (what book or work they are taken from) are not found anywhere in the brochure. Further searching is fruitless also as they do not seem to exist. They are likely quite fake. Further, the other quotes that are vaguely cited have been meticulously edited to give the desired "Anti Trinitarian" effect. Many of those quotes are not well referenced either so you will need to dig to find them in their original context.
The basic WT argument is this, "If the early church fathers (apologist quoted page 7) did not teach or believe the Trinity or that Jesus = Jehovah, then neither should we!"
However, the knife cuts both ways on this, because if those apologists DID believe some concept of "Trinity" then the WT actually is arguing that we should accept it in a round about way. Did those early Christians believe an early form of Trinity? Well look it up and you will find ample proof that they apparently did.
I would be curious how your "Teacher" will respond if confronted with this error of the Trinity brochure. You can do so quite innocently as it is all there!
Now why would a doctrine (Unitarian view) that is said to be so plainly attested to by the bible, need to resort to such deception, dishonesty and outright fraud?
Would Jesus approve? Decide that one for yourself.
Frank75
