Trinity

by desib77 25 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Sad emo

  Hi desib, if its any consolation to you, I've never been a JW, I'm a 'mainstream' Christian - and I struggle with the Trinity too!! I really don't think its a salvation issue, you are where you are for now and God knows that point because He sees your heart. I think He'd rather have a sincere believer who treads carefully and studies their beliefs than one who clings blindly to any doctrine without reason

  The one thing I did notice in your initial post is that you spoke of Jesus and God (Jehovah) being one - I'm wondering whether you're taking the modalist view? So you've always identified God/Jehovah as 'the Father' - therefore Jesus can't be the Father/Jehovah/God as well? That's correct!

  To try to get a Trinitarian view, you need to differentiate between Jehovah/God and Father.

  'Godness' is the essence/nature which the three seperate persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit possess.

  For a very basic illustration, all the posters here possess the same human nature - but we're all seperate people.

  But it's still very confusing even after that lol!

  Peace to you
• 

  desib77

  But it's still very confusing even after that lol!

  Definitely!

  Thank you for all of your thoughts. It is nice to get someone's take on the subject that doesn't have a JW background.

  Desi
• 

  stillajwexelder

  Hi everyone! Been a long time since I've posted. Yes I noticed - welcome back

  I have tried to be open to all ideas - me too

  I am having trouble with one issue, though, The Trinity. I just can't seem to wrap my mind around the thought of Jesus and God being one.

  It was this issue that helped me become a JW in the first place. I will always struggle with the concept of a trinity - it makes zero sense
• 

  ness

  the one thing JWs did get right is that biblically, the trinity is bogus. just read up on any history of the trinity and it wont take much to see that the doctrine was pushed along for political reasons.
• 

  zack

  The Trinity, to me, is man made drivel. It is an issue the JW's point to and say "Aha! See! We have the truth! THEY teach you lies." I wouldn't get too hung up about it.
• 

  Mrs Smith

  Here's my two cents worth.

  This is how I understand the trinity I could be way off but this makes sence to me. It's like a company owned by three people all having equal share and spending equal time working in the company. They all get on really well know each other well and are always in agreement. So even though there are three of them they are in effect "the boss". So Jesus, Father God and the Holy Spirit make one God but are three spirits. Not one three headed God like the WBTS explain it.
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  greendawn

  Let's not forget that it was not the JWs that came came up with the anti trinity arguments they got them from other sources and they were worked out long before the dubs appeared.
  
  The Trinity was pushed for political reasons by Constantine who didn't care about Trinity or non Trinity one bit, he just wanted one or other concept to predominate for the sake of unity in the empire.
  
  But even so the trinity was worked out as a way to evade the charges of polytheism: if Jesus is also God do we then worship two Gods, God the Father and God the Son?
  
  If we argue that the two are one and absolutely equal then we solve that problem. But of course this explanation is absurd and unbiblical and creates more problems than it solves. Biblically the Son, God though he may be, he is clearly subordinate to the Father even by his own statements.
• 

  carla

  Greendawn,

  I believe the poster was looking for a non jw explanation.

  There are many good sites on the Trinity. The jw's tend to see it as 1+1+1=3 the Christian sees it as 1x1x1=1. The early church fathers certainly did believe in the Trinity. Research for yourself the history, the early church fathers and their writings, and may I suggest reading a bible (not the nwt) front to back of the New Testament. Read it like a novel and see where it takes you.
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  greendawn

  Carla I don't think the early fathers, pre 200 AD that is, believed in a trinity. In fact up to that time the Son was thought of as being both created and subordinate as would be obvious from a literal reading of the Bible. I don't use the NWT Bible and I can't see an overall drift in the trinitarian direction.
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  ness

  I don't use the NWT Bible and I can't see an overall drift in the trinitarian direction.

  me too