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DISCLAIMER: As mentioned on my other web sites and pages, I do not
espouse to all of the beliefs expressed on the reciprocal links I have
provided here. My web sites are a venture into the pros and cons of
diverse aspects of religious beliefs. I leave it completely up to each
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these links. These reciprocal links are purely for educational and
research purpose only. Please view these links at your own discretion.
CLICK HERE to enter my "KNOW YAHWEH FORUM" (Yahchanan 17:3) ‘Come, and let us turn back to YHWH. For He has torn [us] but He does heal us, He has stricken but He binds us up. ‘After two days He shall revive us, on the third day He shall raise us up, so that we live before Him. ‘So let us know, let us pursue to know YHWH. His going forth is as certain as the morning. And He comes to us like the rain, like the latter rain watering the earth.’
(Hos 6:1-3 The Scriptures '98) NEW! CLICK HERE to browse or join my "YAHWEH NISSI" Goggle Group Peace greetings ALL, I believe when one gives our Heavenly Father and Creator the esteem (glory) due unto His Name (Psalm 29:2, 96:8; 1 Chronicles 16:29) and when one KNOWS Him and who his anointed son truely was and is, that this will greatly increase their knowledge of the Scriptures and bring them out of the darkness of the false teachings that they were formally taught. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Yahshua is the son of Yahweh (I John 5:5)? Note that the above passages does NOT say '... he who believes Yahshua is Father Yahweh?', but "... the son of Father Yahweh?" I have never believed the false doctrine "Jesus is God" ever since I was baptised at the age of 12 and I never will to my last breath of life. I am 52 now. It was not until shortly after I was baptised that I fully understood what the church I attended then taught. The very first thing that they taught me that caused me confusion was "Jesus is God". If our Heavenly Father and Creator and His son are not the authors of confusion, surely it must be Satan and those who follow him who are! I remember asking myself when they told me this bold-faced lie "Now wait a minute, was not the SON praying to the FATHER '... which art in heaven ...'? Was not His SON here on planet earth at the time of his communicating with the FATHER Yahweh?" I quickly dismissed this pastor that had just previously baptised me as not very knowledgable of what is taught in accordance with Scripture. What really bothered me is that I thought that this is what all religions who taught from the Bible taught, because after questioning other congregations on this matter, they told me the same thing. I would hear such foolish things as "God came to earth in human form and died for our sins." Well, from what I had read in Scripture it was our Heavenly FATHER and Creator Who sent His SON, and it was he that died, not "God". Then to make matters even worse they tryed to drill that confusing trinity docrtrine into my head, and they called that "leading one to Christ". Well, I was being lead away, and being lead away I was! I bagan to see the Scripture as contradictory. I later stopped going to church all together and even refered to myself as an atheist. Following are links that are prime examples of where this false teaching will lead. I found these links by entering 'Jesus is God' into the Xanga search query. The URLs are: 'http://www.isjesuschristgod.com' and 'http://www.godishuman.com'. This guy also has a MySpace blog: 'http://www.myspace.com/godishuman'. Yes, Jesus Christ is God God Is Human God Is Human - MySpace Blog "The UONYC (UNION OF NAZARENE YISRAELITE CONGREGATIONS) holds a firm belief in the deity of Moshiach Yahshua, as the virgin born Son, having come in the flesh as our Emanuel. That in Him dwells all the fullness of omnipotence, and that Yahweh and His Moshiach/Savior are both Yahweh." (Colossians 2:9)
I myself could never come into "UNION" and agreement (covenant) with such a doctrine. I praise Father Yahweh for bringing me back into the fold of truthful teachers! These truthful teachers are but few and far between. The "Jesus Christ is God" doctrine is widely taught among the Christian religions and many other religions. To those who read this and espouse to the "Holy Trinity" doctrine, please do not even bother to write and tell me that I have never truely understood the teaching concerning the trinity and that you do not believe that your God Jesus is God the Father. I have since studied every aspect of what is taught by the proponents of these diverse doctrines and the Scripture passages that are used to promote the "Holy Trinity" and "Jesus is God" doctrines, and I do not espouse to any of these diverse teachings. See my Trinity Links web page if you are interested in the diverse doctrines on the trinity. Or, go to the following link. Jesus Christ Is God The link above states the following: "Who Is Jesus Christ? Probably one of the most detailed documented teachings in the New Testament, except for the Resurrection, is that Jesus Christ was and always claimed to be God incarnate." Note that this guy goes so far as to say that the Messiah "ALWAYS claimed" and that there is "detailed documented teachings" in the so called "New Testament ... that Jesus Christ was and always claimed to be God incarnate." Nowhere in any so called "Holy Bible" translation will you find Father Yahweh's son Yahshua ever or even once stating or claiming to be "God" or "God incarnate", nor will you find this "teaching" taught, explained, or "documented" in any translation of Scripture. I would also like to inform you of some studies compiled and written by Voy Wilks on the "Trinity", "Jesus is God" and the "pre-existence" doctrines. I have been greatly blessed in my understanding of Father Yahweh's word because of these studies. They are avialable free of charge with no obligation on your part by e-mailing: info@halleluyah.org and specifically asking for the '70+ studies compiled by Voy Wilks on the Trinity, Jesus is God, and pe-existence doctrines'. This groups web site is at: http://www.halleluyah.org . When I received these studies, they came in two seperate mailings because there were so many. A few of these articles are available online at: http://halleluyah.org/Articles.htm . Also there are some online studies at: http://www.intergate.com/~jcordaro by John Cordaro.CLICK HERE For More Articles by Voy Wilks In Search Of The True Savior I would like to annouce a few more new web site entrances that I have created. I would like to also make it known that as with all of my web sites and pages, I do not espouse to all of the views expressed on the reciprocal links that I have provided. They are purely for research and educational purpose only. Also please note the hyperlinks within my posts. You might also enter "Yahweh" into the Xanga search engine query for more links. Blog City "ALL Nations ...!" Earthquake Info Scriptural Research Tools YAHWEH NISSI And How I Came To Know The Name Yahweh THE NAME POLL What Is The Name Of Our Heavenly Father? SIGN or VIEW my guest book with questionaire. LINKS OF INTEREST Again, I would like to emphasise that I do not espouse to all of the beliefs expressed by the reciprocol links that I provide. They are purely for research and educational purpose only. The following are from a more "Christian" point of view. Was / Is Yahshua Human? 
IS YAHSHUA THE SON OF GOD
OR IS HE NOT? Was Jesus Divine? Introduction to the Series Is Jesus God? Yahoo Answers THE SUPPOSED PRE-EXISTENCE OF CHRIST The fact that we refer to this subject is brought on by two teachings. The first is that Jesus Christ was , (supposedly) the eternal Son of God, who has existed with the Father since time began, or, secondly, that the Lord Jesus is supposedly ‘god the Son’, the alleged second person of the Trinity. It is important to know the truth, for our salvation depends on it. Jesus Did Not Pre-Exist "This is life eternal to know Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" -- John 17:3. Jesus Christ Did Not Pre-exist! Jesus Christ is the Son of God (not "God the Son, " a phrase not found in Scripture), begotten of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit "There is One God..." by John M. Bland Did Jesus Pre-exist DID JESUS PRE-EXIST HIS BIRTH? Who Is Jesus? A Plea for a Return to Belief in Jesus, the Messiah A study booklet to further the restoration of biblical faith by Anthony F. Buzzard, MA (Oxon.), MA Th. The Nature of Preexistence in the New Testament by Anthony Buzzard Jesus is NOT God Xanga Site Is Jesus Christ the Same as God? No, Jesus is the son of the living God. Free biblical research articles. Is the Jesus the God? By Douglas Rustad DOES THE BIBLE ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS WAS GOD?
WHO IS GOD? Jesus Islam Answers BackMORE LINKS OF INTEREST The Age to Come Media Ministry Atlanta Bible College/Church of God General Conference, Morrow, GA, USA Christ Fellowship Ministries Godfellas The Harvest Herald Higher Ground Online "Jesus the Messiah and His Kingdom" by Juan Baixeras Miami, FL, USA. Pulsa Aqui Para Escritos en Español. A Journal from the Radical Reformation. Back issues now available online. Light of Christ Ministries Marian Hillar's "Center for Socinian Studies" Allon Maxwell's home page, incorporating "Bible Digest" and "Peacemakers for Jesus," Australia The Newton Project, Canada Out of the Box Ministries, Eddie Garrett, II "Reflections of a Generic Christian" by Robert Hach
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| Translated passages that seem to suggest that Yahweh creates evil. Note that these are from diverse translations. Click on the hyperlinks to note how these passages are translated in other translations. After going over these passages, please study the links that follow.
Isaiah 45:7
KJV: "I form the light, and create DARKNESS: I make peace, and CREATE EVIL: I Yahweh do all these things."
LAMENTATIONS 3:38
RSV: "Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and EVIL come?"
Jeremiah 26:3
KJV: "If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the EVIL, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings."
Jeremiah 36:3
"It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the EVIL which I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin."
Jeremiah 32:42
"For thus says Yahweh: Just as I have brought all this great EVIL upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them."
Amos 3:6
"Does EVIL befall a city, unless Yahweh has done it?"
Jeremiah 11:11
"Therefore, thus says Yahweh, Behold, I am bringing EVIL upon them which they cannot escape; though they cry to me, I will not listen to them."
Jeremiah 14:16 And the people to whom they are prophesying, Are cast into out-places of Jerusalem, Because of the famine, and of the sword, And they have none burying them, Them, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, And I have poured out upon them this EVIL. (YLT)
Jeremiah 18:11
"Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 'Thus says Yahweh, Behold, I am shaping EVIL against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings."
Jeremiah 19:3
"You shall say, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the Elohim of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such EVIL upon this place that the ears of every one who hears of it will tingle."
Jeremiah 19:15
"Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the Elohim of Israel, Behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the EVIL that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words."
Jeremiah 23:12
"Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery paths in the darkness, into which they shall be driven and fall; for I will bring EVIL upon them in the year of their punishment, says Yahweh."
Jeremiah 26:13
"Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of Yahweh your Elohim, and Yahweh will repent of the EVIL which he has pronounced against you."
Jeremiah 35:17
"Therefore, thus says Yahweh, the Elohim of hosts, the Elohim of Israel: Behold, I am bringing on Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the EVIL that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have called to them and they have not answered."
Jeremiah 36:31
"And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity; I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the EVIL that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear"
Jeremiah 40:2
"The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, "Yahweh your Elohim pronounced this EVIL against this place;"
Jeremiah 42:10
"If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I repent of the EVIL which I did to you."
Jeremiah 42:17
"All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to live there shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; they shall have no remnant or survivor from the EVIL which I will bring upon them."
Jeremiah 44:2
"Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the Elohim of Israel: You have seen all the EVIL that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah. Behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them,.."
Jeremiah 45:5
"And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not; for, behold, I am bringing EVIL upon all flesh, says Yahweh; but I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go."
Jeremiah 49:37
"I will terrify Elam before their enemies, and before those who seek their life; I will bring EVIL upon them, my fierce anger, says Yahweh. I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them;"
Jeremiah 51:64
"and say, 'Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the EVIL that I am bringing upon her.'" Thus far are the words of Jeremiah."
Ezekiel 6:10
"And they shall know that I am Yahweh; I have not said in vain that I would do this EVIL to them."
Micah 2:3
"Therefore thus says Yahweh: Behold, against this family I am devising EVIL, from which you cannot remove your necks; and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be an evil time."
1 Kings 21:29
"Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the EVIL in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the EVIL upon his house."
2 Chronicles 34:24
"Thus says Yahweh, Behold, I will bring EVIL upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book which was read before the king of Judah."
2 Chronicles 34:28
"Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the EVIL which I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.'" And they brought back word to the king."
1 Samuel 16:23
"And whenever the EVIL spirit from [the] Elohim was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the EVIL spirit departed from him."
1 Samuel 18:10
"And on the morrow an EVIL spirit from [the] Elohim rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand;"
1 Samuel 19:9
"Then an EVIL spirit from Yahweh came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing the lyre."
1 Samuel 16:15
"And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, an EVIL spirit from [the] Elohim is tormenting you."
1 Samuel 16:14
"Now the Spirit of Yahweh departed from Saul, and an EVIL spirit from Yahweh tormented him."
Micah 1:12
"For the inhabitants of Maroth wait anxiously for good, because EVIL has come down from Yahweh to the gate of Jerusalem."
2 Samuel 12:11-12
"Thus says Yahweh, 'Behold, I will raise up EVIL against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun."
Judges 9:23
"And [the] Elohim sent an EVIL spirit between Abim'elech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abim'elech;..."
1 Kings 14:10
"therefore behold, I will bring EVIL upon the house of Jerobo'am, and will cut off from Jerobo'am every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will utterly consume the house of Jerobo'am, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone."
2 Kings 21:12
"Therefore thus says Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel, Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such EVIL that the ears of every one who hears of it will tingle."
Isaiah 31:2
"And He also [is] wise, and bringeth in EVIL, And His words He hath not turned aside, And He hath risen against a house of evil doers, And against the help of workers of iniquity." (YLT) Did Yahweh Harden Pharaoh's Heart? [PDF] An Exegetical and Theologcial Consideration of the Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart In Exodus 4-14 And Romans 9 G. K. Beale Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Did God Create Evil? YHWH (Yahweh) and Satan, (the Adversary) Or....YHWH (Yahweh) (as) Satan, (an Adversary) Did YHVH create evil? Did Yahweh Create Evil? Good Vs. Evil
Did God Create Evil? - Do the Scriptures Say So?
Did God Create "Evil"? By Wayne Jackson ...on what is "evil", and did God make evil? Does Isaiah 45:7 teach that God created metaphysical moral evil? Also see the dictionary definition of the word 'evil'. What does Yahweh Hate? | | |
| History of the Trinity
[Emphasis and brackets throughout are added]
Trinity Definition: Within the nature of the One True God, there simultaneously exists three eternal Persons, namely, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three Persons are co-equals in all the attributes of the Divine Nature.
This definition defines God, not as a family, but as a committee. But how did this doctrine come to exist in modern Christianity? In the preface to Edward Gibbon's History of Christianity, it reads:
If Paganism was conquered by Christianity, it is equally true that Christianity was corrupted by Paganism. The pure Deism of the first Christians … was changed, by the Church of Rome, into the incomprehensible dogma of the Trinity. Many of the pagan tenets, invented by the Egyptians and idealized by Plato, were retained as being worthy of belief.
Most theologians know that the Trinity doctrine is not scriptural.
Because the Trinity is such an important part of later Christian doctrine, it is striking that the term does not appear in the New Testament. Likewise, the developed concept of three coequal partners in the Godhead found in later creedal formulations cannot be clearly detected within the confines of the canon.
But nowhere do we find any Trinitarian doctrine of three distinct subjects of divine life and activity in the same Godhead.
All Pagan religions from the time of Babylon have adopted in one form or another a Trinity doctrine or a triad or trinity of gods. In Babylon it was Nimrod, Semiramas, and Tammuz. In Egypt it was Osiris, Isis, and Horus. Within Israel paganism it was Kether, Hokhmah, and Binah. In Plato's philosophy it was the Unknown Father, Nous/Logos, and the world soul. In the book, A Statement of Reasons, Andrews Norton says of the Trinity:
We can trace the history of this doctrine, and discover its source, not in the Christian revelation, but in the Platonic philosophy … The Trinity is not a doctrine of Christ and his Apostles, but a fiction of the school of the later Platonists.
Historians also know that the Trinity doctrine is not authorized in the New Testament.
There is no evidence the Apostles of Jesus ever heard of a Trinity.
The Bible does not teach the doctrine of the Trinity. Neither the word Trinity itself, nor such language as one in three, three in one, one essence or substance or three persons, is biblical language. The language of the doctrine is the language of the ancient Church, taken not from the Bible but from classical Greek philosophy.
Long before the founding of Christianity the idea of a triune god or a god-in-three persons was a common belief in ancient religions. Although many of these religions had many minor deities, they distinctly acknowledged that there was one supreme God who consisted of three persons or essences. The Babylonians used an equilateral triangle to represent this three-in-one god, now the symbol of the modern three-in-one believers. The Greek triad was composed of Zeus, Athena and Apollo. These three were said by the pagans to 'agree in one.' One of the largest pagan temples built by the Romans was constructed at Ballbek (situated in present day Lebanon) to their Trinity of Jupiter, Mercury and Venus. In Babylon the planet Venus was revered as special and was worshipped as a Trinity consisting of Venus, the moon and the sun. This triad became the Babylonian holy Trinity in the fourteenth century before Christ. Although other religions for thousands of years before Christ was born worshipped a triune god, the Trinity was not a part of Christian dogma and formal documents of the first three centuries after Christ. That there was no formal, established doctrine of the Trinity until the fourth century is a fully documented historical fact. Clearly, historians of church dogma and systematic theologians agree that the idea of a Christian Trinity was not a part of the first century church. The twelve apostles never subscribed to it or received revelation about it. So how then did a trinitarian doctrine come about? It gradually evolved and gained momentum in late first, second and third centuries as pagans, who had converted to Christianity, brought to Christianity some of their pagan beliefs and practices.
Pages 205, 206
When we turn to the problem of the doctrine of the Trinity, we are confronted by a peculiarly contradictory situation. On the one hand, the history of Christian theology and of dogma teaches us to regard the dogma of the Trinity as the distinctive element in the Christian idea of God, that which distinguishes it from the idea of God in Judaism and in Islam, and indeed, in all forms of rational Theism. Judaism, Islam, and rational Theism are Unitarian [meaning, they believe in one deity, not two or three]. On the other hand, we must honestly ADMIT that the doctrine of the Trinity did not form part of the early Christian-New Testament-message, nor has it been a central article of faith in the religious life of the Christian Church as a whole at any period of its history. Thus we are forced to ask: Is this truth the center of Christian Theology, but not the center of the Christian faith? Or is it due to erroneous development in the formation of the doctrine of the Church as a whole? Certainly, it cannot be denied that not only the word "Trinity", but ,b.even the EXPLICIT IDEA of the Trinity is absent from the apostolic witness of the faith; it is equally certain and uncontestable that the best theological tradition, with one accord, certainly points to the Trinity as its center. The doctrine of the Trinity itself, however, is not a Biblical Doctrine.
Since the doctrine is unscriptural, it took an emperor to make Christianity start embracing the concept.
It was at this stage that Constantine made his momentous suggestion. Might not the relationship of Son to Father be expressed by the term homoousios ("of the same substance"). Its use, however, by the Sabellian bishops of Libya had been condemned by Dionysius of Alexandria in the 260s, and, in a different sense, its use by Paul of Samosata had been condemned by the Council of Antioch in 268. It was thus a "loaded" word as well as being unscriptural. Why Constantine put it forward we do not know. The possibility is that once again he was prompted by Hosius, and he may have been using it as a "translation" of the traditional view held in the West, that the Trinity was composed of "Three Persons in one substance," without inquiring further into the meaning of these terms. The Emperor had spoken, and no one dared touch the creed during his lifetime. The great majority of the Eastern bishops found themselves in a false position.
There is only one passage in the Authorized Version of the Bible used by Trinitarians to support their view.
I John 5:7-8, For there are three that bear record [in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in Earth], the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. AV
Editors added the bracketed words in the early fourth century to the Latin Vulgate translation. They are not in the older Greek manuscripts. For this reason, modern translations omit them. Bible commentaries explain that these words were never in the apostle John's manuscript or any existing early copies of it.
The only trinitarian passage which is found in some ancient versions of the Bible (1 John 5:7) is not regarded as genuine. However, there is a third point to be noted, namely, that the rediscovery of the New Testament at the Reformation did not revialize this particaular theological doctrine; the fact is, the Reformers did not touch, or alter this fundamental DOGMA of the ANCIENT [Roman Catholic] Church, but rather, by-passed it, than make it the subject of their own theological reflections.
The staement of Melanchton ... is characteristic of this attitude. Calvin expresses hmself in the same way; he regards the doctrine of the Trinity from the following point of view; namely, that through its conceptions, WHICH DIFFER FROM THOSE OF THE BIBLE, the opponent of the divinty of Christ - who is the enemy of the Christian faith - is forced to throw off his disguise, and fight in the open, instead of his concealing his hostility under a cloak of Christianity.
How are we to explain this strange situation? Here I anticipate the result of the following inquiry, and state it in the form of a thesis: The ecclesiastical doctrine of the Trinity, established by the DOGMA of the ANCIENT Church, is not a Biblical kerygma, therefore it is not a kerygma of the Church, but it is a theological doctrine which defends the central faith of the Bible and of the Church. Hense it dose not belong to the sphere of the Church's message, but it belongs to the sphere of theology; in this sphere it is the work of the Church to test and examine its message, in light of the word of God given to the Church.
From Page 220
This doctrine of the Trinity itself, however, developed out of the process of defending the truth against certain doctrines ...
From Page 222
Thus, after a conflict against heresy, lasting two hundred years, in which the church had defended the possitions fo the full dinity of Christ and the unity of God, she herself had to make the effort to express the central mystery of the Christian faith in doctrinal form so she created the doctrine of the Trinity ...
It was not until the Athanasian [of the Roman Catholic Church] was formulated a century later * that the final step was taken, and the standard formula for the Triune God was formulated ... Hense from this was the orthodox ecclesiastical idea of God of the Roman Ctholic Church, which was also adopted by the Churches of the Reformation.
From Page 266
It was never the intention of the original witnesses to Christ in the New Testament to set forth before us an intellectual problem - that of the Three Divine Persons - and then to tell us to silently worship this mystery of the 'Three-in-one.' There is NO TRACE of such an idea in the New Testament. This 'mysterium loicum,' ... that God is Three and yet One, lies wholy OUTSIDE THE MESSAGE of the Bible. It is a mystery which the church places before their faith in her theology., by which she hampers and hinders their faith with a heteronomy whaich is in harmony, it is true, with a false claim of authority, but which HAS NO CONNECTION with the message of Jesus and the Apostles.
No Apostle would have dreamt that there are the Three Divine Persons, whose mutual realtions and paradoxical unity are beyond our understanding. No 'mysterium logicum,' no inteliectual paradox, NO antimony of Trinity and Unity, has any place IN THEIR TESTIMONY, but ... that the Lord God for our sakes became man and endured the cross. The mystery of the Trinity, proclaimed by the [Roman] Church, and enshrined in her liturgy, from the fifth or the sixth century onward is a psueudo-mystery which spank out of an aberration of theological thought from lines laid down in the Bible, and not from Biblical doctrine itself.
In so far as the Church has made [the Trinity] part of its 'kerygma,' it has given a false direction to faith. This was what the Reformers meant when they warned peple against indulging in TRINITARIAN SPECULATIONS, and urged them to return to the simplicity of the Bible.
From Page 239
To put it in other terms, WHAT WAS AT STAKE was whether Christianity should become either Paganism or Judaism, or whether it should remain Christianity.
From Page 237
Speaking of Barth's views about the importance of the doctrine of the trinity, Brunner says,
"This high esteem of the doctrine of the Trinity is a legacy FROM CATHOLIISM, and certainly can not be derived from the Reformation."
From: The Christian Doctrine of God By Emil Brunner
* NOTE: Athanasius [of the 4th century] never knew of the "Athanasian Creed," as it was not formulated until the 8th century C.E. (See Encyclopedia Britannica, 9th Edition, Vol. 6, page 497). The doctrine of the Trinity, however, was firmly established by Constantine and others at the Council of Nicea in 325 C.E. It was at this council also, that the Roman Emperor advised the assembled bishops not to "follow the blindness of the Jews" by observing the seventh day Sabbath. | | |
| For there are three that that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.
This verse is found in no ancient manuscript, and can be proved to have been inserted, perhaps in the fifth century, to support the doctrine of the Trinity. It is the one verse in the New Testament which is entirely spurious, and has now been struck out from every good text. The Literature of the New Testament By Ernest Findlay Scott, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology, Union Theological Seminary, pgs. 267-268. See the proof on 'Bible Researcher' by clicking on the following hyperlink.
The Johannine Comma - 1 John 5:7-8
More Informative Links On The Johannine Comma
The Textual Problem in 1 John 5:7-8 By Daniel B. Wallace
Erasmus and the Problem of the Johannine Comma By Josheph M. Levine
Wikipedia
Theopedia
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| "The study of ancient writing scripts and habits, called "paleography," shows that none of the surviving manuscripts of the New Testament is early enough to be an original, that is, directly from the hand of its author. Only copies, and copies of copies, survive. These manuscripts were produced by hand for hundreds of years, down to the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century. They contain many copying errors. While most of them are minor, some are very important and significantly alter the meaning of the texts. In addition, some intentional changes were made for doctrinal reasons, for example, "proving" the Trinity. The phenomena posed by these manuscripts and their variants has given rise to another kind of analysis, textual criticism. It has two aims: to classify the surviving manuscripts and to evaluate them in order to reconstruct hypothetically what the authors originally wrote. Only then is there a Greek "New Testament text" to translate." - [Third Edition] The New Testament - Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History - Dennis C. Duling / Norman Perrin, pg 5 .
In The New Catholic Encyclopedia (Bearing the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur, indicating official approval):
".......It is difficult in the second half of the 20th century to offer a clear, objective and straightforward account of the revelation, doctrinal evolution, and theological elaboration of the Mystery of the trinity. Trinitarian discussion, Roman Catholic as well as other, present a somewhat unsteady silhouette. Two things have happened. There is the recognition on the part of exegetes and Biblical theologians, including a constantly growing number of Roman Catholics, that one should not speak of Trinitarianism in the New Testament without serious qualification. There is also the closely parallel recognition on the part of historians of dogma and systematic theologians that when one does speak of an unqualified Trinitarianism, one has moved from the period of Christian origins to, say, the last quadrant of the 4th century. It was only then that what might be called the definitive Trinitarian dogma 'One God in three Persons' became thoroughly assimilated into Christian life and thought ... it was the product of 3 centuries of doctrinal development" (emphasis added). The New Catholic Encyclopedia Volume XIV, p. 295.
'Jesus' twelve apostles lived and died never having heard of any "Trinity" !
Top Harpur writes in his book For Christ's Sake:
"What is most embarrassing for the church is the difficulty of proving any of these statements of dogma from the new Testament documents. You simply cannot find the doctrine of the Trinity set out anywhere in the Bible. St. Paul has the highest view of Jesus' role and person, but nowhere does he call him God. Nor does Jesus himself anywhere explicitly claim to be the second person in the Trinity, wholly equal to his heavenly Father. As a pious Jew, he would have been shocked and offended by such an Idea....(this is) in itself bad enough. But there is worse to come. This research has lead me to believe that the great majority of regular churchgoers are, for all practical purposes, tritheists. That is, they profess to believe in one God, but in reality they worship three.."
The Encyclopaedia Britannica states under the heading "Trinity":
"in Christian doctrine, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament,… The Council of Nicaea in 325 stated the crucial formula for that doctrine in its confession that the Son is 'of the same substance [homoousios] as the Father,' even though it said very little about the Holy Spirit. Over the next half century, Athanasius defended and refined the Nicene formula, and, by the end of the 4th century, under the leadership of Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus (the Cappadocian Fathers), the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since."
"God in three persons, blessed Trinity" is hymnal and not Scriptural!
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