Why do so many Christian sects not believe in the Trinity?
Since the advent of the internet, many traditional Christians are coming in contact with groups that deny the Trinity. There is a laundry list of groups that deny the Trinity, including Messianics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Apostolic Pentecostals. They all deny the Trinity for different reasons. All share one thing in common: a rejection of the historical Church's role as interpreter of Scripture.
Messianics are often Jews themselves, or probably more commonly, Gentiles who adopt Jewish customs, that accept that Jesus was the predicted Jewish Messiah. Being heavily influenced by Judaism, many Messianics (not all) deny that Jesus is God, because Jewish thought has traditionally denied the possibility of God becoming man. In addition, the idea of one God in three persons strikes many Jewish persons as too close to pagan polytheism. However, we must remember that Jewish thinkers have roundly rejected the claim that Jesus is the Messiah as well, so appealing to Jewish thought to settle a Christian doctrinal dispute creates problems.
Jehovah's Witnesses, members of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, a 19th century American Apocalyptic sect, deny the Trinity because they see no clear scriptural evidence for it. They make an issue of the doctrine of the Trinity because the word itself is not in Scripture. However, many theological words and concepts they use are not in Scripture either, and as Catholics and Orthodox, we have not set up the same criterion: that in order for something to be true the word identifying it must be in Scripture. We also must remember that Scripture must be interpreted. Rather than looking to the witness of the historical Church, whose views of Scripture span all time periods and regions, Jehovah's Witnesses, and many other American groups from the late 19th century, rely on rationalist and mechanistic principles of Scriptural interpretation heavily influenced by the 18th century Enlightenment. There is little room for mystery in this modernistic system of interpretation. While Jehovah's Witnesses have been called modern-day Arians, they are only Arians in regard to their understanding of the Trinity; Arius would not recognize many of their distinctive 19th century American trappings.
Some groups, namely the United Pentecostal Church, believe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all God. However, they believe that they are not distinct in any way, but one being that changes roles. For instance, when God created, he played the role of Father. When God came to earth, he played the role of Son. This is called Modalism or Sabellianism, and is even older than Arianism. The problem with this theory is that it doesn't take into account the differences the Scriptures give to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As St. John writes, the Father and Son are two witnesses, not one. Why do so many Christian sects not believe in the Trinity?
Since the advent of the internet, many traditional Christians are coming in contact with groups that deny the Trinity. There is a laundry list of groups that deny the Trinity, including Messianics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Apostolic Pentecostals. They all deny the Trinity for different reasons. All share one thing in common: a rejection of the historical Church's role as interpreter of Scripture.
Messianics are often Jews themselves, or probably more commonly, Gentiles who adopt Jewish customs, that accept that Jesus was the predicted Jewish Messiah. Being heavily influenced by Judaism, many Messianics (not all) deny that Jesus is God, because Jewish thought has traditionally denied the possibility of God becoming man. In addition, the idea of one God in three persons strikes many Jewish persons as too close to pagan polytheism. However, we must remember that Jewish thinkers have roundly rejected the claim that Jesus is the Messiah as well, so appealing to Jewish thought to settle a Christian doctrinal dispute creates problems.
Jehovah's Witnesses, members of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, a 19th century American Apocalyptic sect, deny the Trinity because they see no clear scriptural evidence for it. They make an issue of the doctrine of the Trinity because the word itself is not in Scripture. However, many theological words and concepts they use are not in Scripture either, and as Catholics and Orthodox, we have not set up the same criterion: that in order for something to be true the word identifying it must be in Scripture. We also must remember that Scripture must be interpreted. Rather than looking to the witness of the historical Church, whose views of Scripture span all time periods and regions, Jehovah's Witnesses, and many other American groups from the late 19th century, rely on rationalist and mechanistic principles of Scriptural interpretation heavily influenced by the 18th century Enlightenment. There is little room for mystery in this modernistic system of interpretation. While Jehovah's Witnesses have been called modern-day Arians, they are only Arians in regard to their understanding of the Trinity; Arius would not recognize many of their distinctive 19th century American trappings.
Some groups, namely the United Pentecostal Church, believe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all God. However, they believe that they are not distinct in any way, but one being that changes roles. For instance, when God created, he played the role of Father. When God came to earth, he played the role of Son. This is called Modalism or Sabellianism, and is even older than Arianism. The problem with this theory is that it doesn't take into account the differences the Scriptures give to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As St. John writes, the Father and Son are two witnesses, not one.
Also, the Scriptures have all three persons interacting at once. Many Christians unknowingly hold to this view because on the surface it seems the most appealing. However, upon reflection it creates many philosophical and historical problems.
Is the Trinity Pagan? Why Should We Celebrate a Pagan Day?
Many pagan religions did have triads of gods. However, before we jump to too many conclusions, we must remember that many other Christian doctrines are well-paralleled in pagan religions: the resurrection, baptism, and the virgin birth. In fact, scholars of comparative religion have studied the pagan dying and rising agricultural deities and written on their similarity to Jesus. A type of baptism was common in many Greek "mystery cults," and this pagan baptism had many similarities to the Christian rite. Also, virgin births were somewhat common in pagan literature, and famous pagan heroes were often born under remarkably similar circumstances as that of Jesus. What does all of this prove? Very little really. Do these facts render the resurrection, baptism, and the virgin birth untrue? No.
Even if someone could prove that Christians purposely borrowed these doctrines from pagans, it still doesn't make them untrue or evil. Pagan religions all had some elements of truth, and according to C.S. Lewis, it makes Christianity more true that it shares things in common with other religions. The concept of three persons sharing one Divine essence is uniquely Christian, and as outlined above, based on the witness of Scripture, Tradition, and the implications of salvation and redemption. Celebrating the Trinity is thus celebrating a loving and dynamic God.
Based on the Information in this Article, was the Trinity Invented in 325 AD?
No. Truth unfolds, or rather, the implications and hows and whys of certain truths unfold. It took a hundred years after Jesus' birth for a gospel clearly outlining Jesus' divinity to appear, even though the earliest gospels hint at Jesus having the authority and attributes of God. The Old Testament hints at many Christian doctrines, but they were not made clear until hundreds of years later. The delay in officially dogmatizing the Trinity does not mean that God was not a Trinity until AD 325, or that the early Christians did not believe in some type of Divine Triad. Rather, over time, with reflection and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, the Church came to a deeper understanding of God's nature. Thus later enunciations of certain truths like the Trinity will be more complex than earlier explanations. Remember that the Church, starting in the New Testament, bestowed upon the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the title "God": In 325 AD (and at other times), the Church simply clarified the nature of the relationship among the three persons.
Also, the Scriptures have all three persons interacting at once. Many Christians unknowingly hold to this view because on the surface it seems the most appealing. However, upon reflection it creates many philosophical and historical problems.
Is the Trinity Pagan? Why Should We Celebrate a Pagan Day?
Many pagan religions did have triads of gods. However, before we jump to too many conclusions, we must remember that many other Christian doctrines are well-paralleled in pagan religions: the resurrection, baptism, and the virgin birth. In fact, scholars of comparative religion have studied the pagan dying and rising agricultural deities and written on their similarity to Jesus. A type of baptism was common in many Greek "mystery cults," and this pagan baptism had many similarities to the Christian rite. Also, virgin births were somewhat common in pagan literature, and famous pagan heroes were often born under remarkably similar circumstances as that of Jesus. What does all of this prove? Very little really. Do these facts render the resurrection, baptism, and the virgin birth untrue? No.
Even if someone could prove that Christians purposely borrowed these doctrines from pagans, it still doesn't make them untrue or evil. Pagan religions all had some elements of truth, and according to C.S. Lewis, it makes Christianity more true that it shares things in common with other religions. The concept of three persons sharing one Divine essence is uniquely Christian, and as outlined above, based on the witness of Scripture, Tradition, and the implications of salvation and redemption. Celebrating the Trinity is thus celebrating a loving and dynamic God.
Based on the Information in this Article, was the Trinity Invented in 325 AD?
No. Truth unfolds, or rather, the implications and hows and whys of certain truths unfold. It took a hundred years after Jesus' birth for a gospel clearly outlining Jesus' divinity to appear, even though the earliest gospels hint at Jesus having the authority and attributes of God. The Old Testament hints at many Christian doctrines, but they were not made clear until hundreds of years later. The delay in officially dogmatizing the Trinity does not mean that God was not a Trinity until AD 325, or that the early Christians did not believe in some type of Divine Triad. Rather, over time, with reflection and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, the Church came to a deeper understanding of God's nature. Thus later enunciations of certain truths like the Trinity will be more complex than earlier explanations. Remember that the Church, starting in the New Testament, bestowed upon the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the title "God": In 325 AD (and at other times), the Church simply clarified the nature of the relationship among the three persons.