Some thoughts on the Trinity

There are a variety of schools of thought, when it comes to exploring the concept of the Trinity.The idea has roots in different cultures and persists in belief systems to this day.

Raised Catholic, the ideas behind the Trinity make sense to me.Did they always?Maybe not, though hopefully as one grows in their understanding, their faith will grow in the message of the prophets.

Usually there comes a time where individuals question the faith of their family, and go out on their own to see for themselves what makes sense to them.Often, after some time they return to their faith renewed by what they have learned looking in other spheres of their lives.This process is even encouraged by some of the faithful, in the hopes that the younger generation will come to a similar understanding.

The concept of the Trinity is considered a mystery, ultimately revealed to one through God.This need not discourage the faithful from trying to educate and encourage insight into the nature of the divine.

As a teen, I often pondered how this concept could work.Simple prayer and a yearning for answers, led to an interesting dream on evening.In the dream, I was acting in three places at once.I still remember it, the novelty of being conscious in multiple places and interacting in that landscape stuck with me.That dream inspired me to believe there really was something to the whole idea.

I encourage others to ask the universe, higher self, God,(whatever you feel comfortable describing as the better part of you) to provide insight into whichever area of spirituality you are working on.This can work wonders for the soul.

A part of me felt a little disappointed when someone else painted a picture of Christians trying to worship three masters.

In my perspective, the Abrahamic faiths different belief systems that worship the Father(Creator).The task of the prophets was no easy one, and large numbers of the faithful in different branches today, testify to the fruitfulness of their work.The faith they share has brought spiritual salvation and peace of mind to countless individuals throughout the ages.One's religion and spirituality is usually a personal affair, everyone finding their own way back to Love.I feel true religion is meant elevate the mind and bring out the better qualities in an individual.

I feel that the different paths individuals explore working to understand themselves better cuts straight through the heart.The source of life is the consciousness that flows from there.

The concept of the Trinity describes different aspects of God.God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God the Father exists as an absolute good existing infinitely within and beyond time and space, manifesting throughout the universe everywhere, all the time.Like anything else, to describe it is to limit it.I can practice trying.(This could take a while,lol)

God the Son as an image of God on earth.Lord Jesus Christ is usually the first to come to mind.The Good News and his hopes for us to join him in love as sons and daughters of God has served to inspire mankind for generations.Learning to see the divine in others and treat them as ourselves are hallmarks of our spiritual heritage.

The Holy Spirit is the spirit of Good.The spirit or personality of God in the flesh.Usually the virtues of all kinds are associated with the intelligence of this spirit.Kindness, patience, honesty, faith, hope, and love, for example.The Holy Spirit is described in many ways, I feel it as a nurturing, maternal energy.

The spirit can appear in different forms, it's the qualities of expression that tend to define it.You can't judge a book by it's cover.

I feel on earth the parallels are there.Man's unlimited potential for good existing in our hearts.Our image, a reflection of the divine in the flesh.The spirit yearning towards our higher ideals.

Imo, the Holy Bible serves as guide book to where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.The revelation of the Spirit recording the history of mankind's growth toward our highest ideals.The struggle is real, and no matter where someone finds themselves there are others who have experienced similar adversity and overcame.

Though the map is not necessarily the territory the challenges and lessons highlighted in the bible are a reflection of the deepest recesses of man's psyche.God willingly, everyone finds their way home...

a reply to: dffrntkndfnml
I once saw an examination question (on an old paper that i was looking at) inviting the candidate to explain the Trinity in terms of Christian experience.
I think I can see how that would work .
The Christian experiences the fatherhood of the Father, experiences a relationship with the Son, and experiences the presence of the Holy Spirit.

As for how they fit together- the early church established only that the image of three individuals is wrong, and the image of one individual doing three jobs is wrong, and the truth lies somewhere on the unimaginable territory in between.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Thanks for the feedback DISRAELI. I actually found it more challenging then I thought, when going to describe my opinion on this. I think it's considered a mystery because in the end, it's revealed from on high to the faithful. I was hoping putting this out there would help add perspective.

Some consider the concept a bit controversial, I feel there are reasons to both support and question it.

a reply to: dffrntkndfnml
Historically, it follows on by a process of reasoning from the doctrine of the Incarnation. The early church discussed them in that order. So if anyone asks me to "prove" the Trinity, my response will probably be to say there is no point in trying until they have accepted the Incarnation first (and refer them to my thread on the subject).

The Holy spirit gives you Wisdom. It gives you patients. There have been other names for the holy spirit from different cultures and religion but it is usually the same general aspect of god. The link with god is the holy spirit. The son of god is the messiah, the one who directly connects with god and also is given the ability to preform miracles.

But in the modern world, miracles would be discounted, called a scam.

a reply to: DISRAELI

That's a good point. Thank you, practicing keeping that in mind is helpful.

a reply to: rickymouse

I feel much the same way.Fortunately, there is an opportunity for those who seek to build that relationship. Scam or not, sometimes even minor miracles go a long way.

Somewhat reluctant to do this Trinity thing
Does my head in

I guess a fire, God the flame, Christ the light, the Spirit the warmth, all preceding from the same source, all uniquely different, all have a purpose to help humanity

Good luck to anyone trying to understand the Trinity, I have reached a point where you just have to accept it by faith
It really isn't logic

I really like your thoughts on this subject. Interesting that you mentioned the Holy Spirit as maternal. In the ancient Aramaic language, the language some say Jesus (Eashoa) himself spoke, it also eludes to the idea that the Holy Spirit is maternal in nature.

Check out Victor Alexander's ancient Aramaic translation works! Very enlightening!

a reply to: Raggedyman

It is challenging to understand.It's ok to take it on faith, and hopefully doesn't distract us from focusing on the message of the scriptures.The qualities of the God varying in expression on different levels.I'll keep an eye out for other ways to put it.

a reply to: mytquin

Thanks.I try not to get too hung up on the maternal/paternal side of things. Idk, humans have both halves of their nature available to them.I guess it's like single parents having to hopefully developing their other qualities Mothers being both father and mother, or fathers being both mother and father for example.I'll check out Victor Alexander sometime, sounds interesting.

It's all God in the end. It only differs in how we experience it.

a reply to: dffrntkndfnml

Perhaps I might suggest that we are triune, as an example:

* We have our physical component, our bodies.

* We have our personality component (the aggregate of our experience, learning and imagination. This is imprinted upon, but different to, our physical body).

* We also have a spiritual component (rarely seen but none the less, real. This is the 'us' that is not stored up experience and learning. In psychological terms, it is the inner observer who watches our inner thoughts, a third-person to our mind).

In the case of us humans, there are limitations upon the 'wholeness' and capability of our components, but in God, these have a level of complexity, and power of action that we might assume to be whole persons. Except that in God, there are no barriers to interoperation. They are independent, but unified at the deepest levels. They can share each others thoughts and feelings, doing each others will, without barrier. They can act individually, but are still 'in' each other totally.

Consider the Internet as a limited example. The hardware, software and interconnectivity combine to make it what it is. We couldn't say it was any one component, it's the whole lot working together.

The persons of the Trinity are independent but totally unified at a level we can only guess at. They are the one God.

originally posted by: ketsuko
It's all God in the end. It only differs in how we experience it.

That is a very 'Eastern' interpretation.

I would think it is plain that we are not God and the matter universe is not God.

The 'everything is part of everything else' idea is observably incorrect at all scales (even on a quantum level where the predominant rule is Pauli exclusion).

In the Revelation, the Bible mentions the Seven Spirits of God.

7 Spirits + the Son + the Father = a ninefold Godhead, a Trinity of Trinities.

a reply to: Lazarus Short
Since "seven" is the number associated with God, I see "seven-fold" here as an alternative way of saying "Holy".

Cattle don't distinguish the whip from the hand from the motivation to drive them.

The dynamic pole itself, father, the crossing function of its hand, son, the wave provided by the crossing function of the dynamic poles hand, the Holy Spirit. Input of spiritual world.



The static anchor, the inverted reflection, and the wave-detection particle array. Output of material world. The unholy trinity does not even have "legs", it gets its illusion of power from the particle collective detecting the input 1/2 wave length behind its current.

Take that Jesus fish off mommies bumper and Lucifer eye off sisters notebook before proceeding to call me a weirdo.

originally posted by: BigBangWasAnEcho
Cattle don't distinguish the whip from the hand from the motivation to drive them.

How do you know this?

Are you a cow?

The dynamic pole itself, father, the crossing function of its hand, son, the wave provided by the crossing function of the dynamic poles hand, the Holy Spirit. Input of spiritual world.

The static anchor, the inverted reflection, and the wave-detection particle array. Output of material world. The unholy trinity does not even have "legs", it gets its illusion of power from the particle collective detecting the input 1/2 wave length behind its current.

Take that Jesus fish off mommies bumper and Lucifer eye off sisters notebook before proceeding to call me a weirdo.

I had no intention of calling you a weirdo, but now you mention it....

My mother no longer drives and I don't have a sister so, you must be a weirdo!

a reply to: Raggedyman

It really isn't logic

The logic may be so obvious in simplicity that we look right
at it and miss it. I mean, if being God doesn't mean you get to
do what you want in the face of our tiny understanding? Then
maybe we need to redefine the word God? I'm just say'n, we can't
forget that whom we speak of, is God for cripes sakes.

originally posted by: randyvs
a reply to: Raggedyman

It really isn't logic

The logic may be so obvious in simplicity that we look right
at it and miss it. I mean, if being God doesn't mean you get to
do what you want in the face of our tiny understanding? Then
maybe we need to redefine the word God? I'm just say'n, we can't
forget that whom we speak of, is God for cripes sakes.

Yes it is and He is infinite, we finite, I am happy to just take it by faith

Love God, love each other, thats hard enough

a reply to: dffrntkndfnml

Since this is ATS here are my thoughts, here are the top conspiracies of all time as voted by our own ATS membership
Note Number 20



I don't let some old men that argued about this topic that created a conspiracy hundreds of years ago shape my view on this. I have studied this very extensively myself, there is no trinity.
If Satan could figure out a way to let Christians be Christians and yet get them to deny the ransom in some ideological manner through a theological belief that would be dogmatically held dear, he would have a brilliant way for Christians to sabotage themselves.
He has done that with the Trinity, I urge all Christians to examine this doctrine carefully.