Trinity

From MormonWiki.org

The Christian and biblical doctrine of the Trinity asserts that the following:

1. There is one and only one God (monotheism)
2. There are three persons - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
3. Each person is fully and completely God, each sharing the same substance
4. The persons are not to be confused with one another - the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, etc.

Thus, the Trinity affirms that there are three persons that exist in the one being of God. Mormonism rejects this idea, understanding the terms "person" and "being" to be the same thing. For example, Mormons can easily claim that there are three persons in the Godhead. This sounds trinitarian, however, the statement "there are three beings in the Godhead" is identical to "there are three persons (or personages) in the Godhead." Evangelicals can become confused between the terms, but it should be clearly noted that Mormons are not Trinitarian in the Evangelical and Nicene sense of the word.

While Mormonism has historically rejected the doctrine of the Trinity it has in recent times tried to express their own concept of the tritheistic (i.e., three-being) "Godhead" in terms of a "Trinity". This is done by saying that there is a "triunity" in the Godhead. This unity is in their power and purposes, however their unity is not in the same substance or essence of their being (i.e., Trinitarian theology).

One common reason for rejecting the Trinity is that the word itself is not found in the Bible. However, neither can such words as "eternal progression" and "divine investiture". It is reasonable and acceptable to use extra-biblical words to describe biblical concepts, and the concept of the Trinity itself was developed from the biblical doctrines of the oneness of the being of God (monotheism) and the plurality of the persons within this one being. Roger Olson reminds us that "Christian belief in God as triune did not arise in the fourth century with Roman emporer Constantine and the Christian bishops that he dominated. Belief that it arose then as part of a vague paganizing or Hellenizing of Christianity is a caricature often promoted by anti-trinitarian cults and sects" (Roger Olson, The Mosaic of Christian Belief, p. 135).

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Contents 1 Mormonism and Social Trinitarianism 2 See also 3 External links 3.1 Non-Mormon 3.2 Mormon

Mormonism and Social Trinitarianism

Some Mormons, specifically David Paulsen and Blake Ostler, have been dealing with the idea of Social Trinitarianism. This idea understands the plurality of persons as a community, each of which share in the essence - the very nature - of what it is to be God. Those in the west have been uncomfortable with this viewpoint fearing that it will result in a similar understanding of polytheism.

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See also

• Godhead
• Divine investiture

External links

Non-Mormon

• Mormonism 201: Chapter 3 The Trinity, Response to René Alexander Krywult by John Divito
• The Polytheistic Trinity of Mormonism (Concerned Christians)
• How do I explain the Trinity to my Mormon friend? (Concerned Christians)
• Gregory of Nyssa and the Social Analogy of the Trinity, by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
• Toward a Biblical Model of the Social Trinity: Avoiding Equivocation of Nature and Order (pdf), by J. Scott Horrell (JETS)
• Theopedia:Trinity

Mormon

• The Doctrinal Exclusion: Trinity and the Nature of God, by Stephen E. Robinson
• Do Mormons believe in the concept of the Holy Trinity?
• Does the Book of Mormon teach Mainstream Trinitarianism or Modalism?, by Barry Bickmore (FAIR)
• Are Mormons Trinitarian? - An Interview with Dr. David Paulsen