The Doctrine of Trinity: Monotheism or Polythesm?
Posted by Yusuf Abdalallah Mdala on Sunday, January 30, 2011
Under: Comparative Religion
Monotheism, a firm tenet of Muslims and Jews, refers to the belief in the unity of, or in one God. Because they believe the doctrine of the Trinity to be incompatible with monotheism, some groups of Christians reject Trinitarianism in favor of Unitarianism.
Monotheism is opposed to polytheism, the belief in the existence of many gods or divine beings. It has been widespread in human cultures, past and present, and has taken many forms. Natural forces and objects—celestial, atmospheric, and earthly (such as stars, rain, mountains, and fire)—have often been identified with divinities. Gods have also been worshiped in the form of vegetation (especially trees and cultivated plants) and animals (for instance, the monkey in India and the hummingbird among the Aztecs). The assumption of human forms and characteristics by divine beings (anthropomorphism), as in the emphatically human passions and behavior of the Greek and Roman gods, is virtually a universal feature of polytheism.
Polytheism is clearly related to a belief in various kinds of demons and spirits, as in totemism and ancestor worship. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia (2009) defines totemism as a complex system of ideas, symbols, and practices based on an assumed relationship between an individual or a social group and a natural object known as a totem. The totem may be a particular species of bird, animal, or plant, a natural phenomenon, or a feature of the landscape with which a group believes itself linked in some way. For people of the totemic group, the totem is often regarded as a companion and helper with supernatural powers and as such is respected and occasionally venerated.
Ancestor worship, on the other hand, is reverence granted to deceased relatives who are believed to have become powerful spiritual beings or, less frequently, to have attained the status of gods. It is based on the belief that ancestors are active members of society and are still interested in the affairs of their living relatives.
Although Christians regard their religion as monotheistic, adherents of other monotheistic religions – that is Islam and Judaism – view Christianity as a polytheistic religion because the doctrine of the Trinity. Trinity, in Christian theology, refers to the doctrine that God exists as three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who are united in one substance or being. However, the doctrine is not taught explicitly in the New Testament, where the word God almost invariably refers to the Father; but already Jesus Christ, the Son, is seen as standing in a unique relation to the Father, while the Holy Spirit is also emerging as a distinct divine person.
According to Macquarrie (2008), the term trinitas was first used in the 2nd century, by the Latin theologian Tertullian, but the concept was developed in the course of the debates on the nature (or humanity) of Jesus Christ. In the 4th century, the doctrine was finally formulated. In the West, the 4th-century theologian St. Augustine's influential work De Trinitate compared the three-in-oneness of God with analogous structures in the human mind and suggested that the Holy Spirit may be understood as the mutual love between Father and Son. However, this second point seems difficult to reconcile with the belief that the Spirit is a distinct, coequal member of the Trinity. In 1 Corinthians 8:5-6, Paul tries to define God that “there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'—yet for us there is one God, the Father ..., and one Lord, Jesus Christ”
However, some groups of Christians reject the doctrine of Trinity in favor of Unitarianism, a religious movement that affirms the undivided unity of God – arguing that it is incompatible with the concept monotheism. Scholars have traced the doctrine of Unitarianism to the time of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century when theologians all over Europe began questioning many doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, including the doctrine of the Trinity.
On their part, Muslims reject the concept of trinity because of the fear that will befall those who blaspheme God, the Lord of Jesus based the following verse from the Qur’an. “They do blaspheme who say: ‘God is Christ the son of Mary.’ But said Christ: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship God, my Lord And Your Lord.’ Whoever joins other gods with God. – God will forbid him The Garden, the Fire Will be his abode. There will for wrong-doers Be no one to help. The do who say, “God is one in three In a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), Verily a grievous penalty Will befall the blasphemers Among them.” (Qur’an 5: 75-76)
Monotheism is opposed to polytheism, the belief in the existence of many gods or divine beings. It has been widespread in human cultures, past and present, and has taken many forms. Natural forces and objects—celestial, atmospheric, and earthly (such as stars, rain, mountains, and fire)—have often been identified with divinities. Gods have also been worshiped in the form of vegetation (especially trees and cultivated plants) and animals (for instance, the monkey in India and the hummingbird among the Aztecs). The assumption of human forms and characteristics by divine beings (anthropomorphism), as in the emphatically human passions and behavior of the Greek and Roman gods, is virtually a universal feature of polytheism.
Polytheism is clearly related to a belief in various kinds of demons and spirits, as in totemism and ancestor worship. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia (2009) defines totemism as a complex system of ideas, symbols, and practices based on an assumed relationship between an individual or a social group and a natural object known as a totem. The totem may be a particular species of bird, animal, or plant, a natural phenomenon, or a feature of the landscape with which a group believes itself linked in some way. For people of the totemic group, the totem is often regarded as a companion and helper with supernatural powers and as such is respected and occasionally venerated.
Ancestor worship, on the other hand, is reverence granted to deceased relatives who are believed to have become powerful spiritual beings or, less frequently, to have attained the status of gods. It is based on the belief that ancestors are active members of society and are still interested in the affairs of their living relatives.
Although Christians regard their religion as monotheistic, adherents of other monotheistic religions – that is Islam and Judaism – view Christianity as a polytheistic religion because the doctrine of the Trinity. Trinity, in Christian theology, refers to the doctrine that God exists as three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who are united in one substance or being. However, the doctrine is not taught explicitly in the New Testament, where the word God almost invariably refers to the Father; but already Jesus Christ, the Son, is seen as standing in a unique relation to the Father, while the Holy Spirit is also emerging as a distinct divine person.
According to Macquarrie (2008), the term trinitas was first used in the 2nd century, by the Latin theologian Tertullian, but the concept was developed in the course of the debates on the nature (or humanity) of Jesus Christ. In the 4th century, the doctrine was finally formulated. In the West, the 4th-century theologian St. Augustine's influential work De Trinitate compared the three-in-oneness of God with analogous structures in the human mind and suggested that the Holy Spirit may be understood as the mutual love between Father and Son. However, this second point seems difficult to reconcile with the belief that the Spirit is a distinct, coequal member of the Trinity. In 1 Corinthians 8:5-6, Paul tries to define God that “there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'—yet for us there is one God, the Father ..., and one Lord, Jesus Christ”
However, some groups of Christians reject the doctrine of Trinity in favor of Unitarianism, a religious movement that affirms the undivided unity of God – arguing that it is incompatible with the concept monotheism. Scholars have traced the doctrine of Unitarianism to the time of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century when theologians all over Europe began questioning many doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, including the doctrine of the Trinity.
On their part, Muslims reject the concept of trinity because of the fear that will befall those who blaspheme God, the Lord of Jesus based the following verse from the Qur’an. “They do blaspheme who say: ‘God is Christ the son of Mary.’ But said Christ: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship God, my Lord And Your Lord.’ Whoever joins other gods with God. – God will forbid him The Garden, the Fire Will be his abode. There will for wrong-doers Be no one to help. The do who say, “God is one in three In a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), Verily a grievous penalty Will befall the blasphemers Among them.” (Qur’an 5: 75-76)
In : Comparative Religion