Is the trinity pagan ?

The pagan trinity was comprised of three Gods not one. The Greek triad of Zeus, Athena, and Apollo, the Hindu triad of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva the Egyptian triad of Isis, Horus, and Sub. They were all separate not united as the one God and almost unanimously had a mother involved as in a heavenly family. This was really tritheism, which has more in common with Mormonism than a triune God. Anti Trinitarians make usage of the statues with three heads and saying that is our pagan God.

Where did the pagans get a concept of three? Why not two or four? Where did they get the idea of a God in heaven anyway? What about their belief in a virgin and a son, where did that originate from? Romans 1:20-25 tells us that man from the beginning knew God."... and their foolish hearts were darkened" (verses 25) "they exchanged the truth for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator." When mankind fell into darkness of sin, they still retained some elements of the truth but distorted its meaning and it became lost.

As Walter Martin wrote "In order to find out if the doctrine of the Trinity is true, we do not look to see if it resembles paganism, but to the bible, to see if God teaches it in his word. Pagans also believe in the concept of God. does this mean that God must not be true? Pagans sleep. Does that mean sleeping is wrong? We must not dismiss an idea merely because it is held in common with those whom we may not approve." (the New Cults p.49)

Robert watts in New Apologetic says "The Pagan triads are "residuary fragments of their lost knowledge of God, not different stages in a process of evolution, but evidence of a moral and spiritual degradation." (Augustus H. Strongs systematic Theology p.352)

If we are to reject the concept of the triune God, a unified one, because of the pagan distortions, then we must reject much more than this. The pagan cultures also had a virgin birth and some even had a resurrection, Tammuz died and raised 40 days later. The pagan religions had a priesthood and sacrifices, this too became distorted with human sacrifices for Gods blessings. Some Pagans believed that certain gods became men. They had Biblical symbology such as a dove, the lamb, altars, their are many religions that have distortions of the Bibles account of the flood. Are we now to reject Genesis because of their misrepresentations. They also practiced tongues- ecstatic babble. All of these are counterfeits and distortions of truth, yet we are told since they have a counterfeit Trinity, we are to reject the Biblical Trinity on the same grounds. If you are going to do that, then you must reject all of it on the basis of it being found in some form in ancient paganism. You then annihilate the doctrine of Christ as the God/man, virgin birth, his sacrifice etc. All these are the proof of what Paul explained of what happened in history in Romans, that mankind had a true knowledge but refused to worship him and sank into idolatry.

Originally posted by RJHinds
The pagan trinity was comprised of three Gods not one. The Greek triad of Zeus, Athena, and Apollo, the Hindu triad of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva the Egyptian triad of Isis, Horus. They were all separate not united as the one God and almost unanimously had a mother involved as in a heavenly family. This was really tritheism, which has more in common with Mor ...[text shortened]... s, that mankind had a true knowledge but refused to worship him and sank into idolatry.

I don't reject the trinitarian doctrine because it is pagan in origin, I reject it on scriptural grounds.

God goes to great lengths in the OT to point out succinctly and without ambiguity that he is one and that he does not change - ever.

In the NT Paul talks about the "mystery of God in Christ". If it was not a mystery, then Paul would not have called it a mystery.

Christians do not need a man made doctrine of three people actually being one person to help us circumvent that mystery Paul is talking about; just becuase we do not understand how God can be in 2 (or more) places at the same time.

The Bible does not contain the doctrine of, nor even the word "trinity" in either the OT or the NT - anywhere. It is a man made tradition. What the Bible does say, many many times is:

"Hear oh Israel, the Lord your God is one".

The path of the arrow.

Originally posted by divegeester
I don't reject the trinitarian doctrine because it is pagan in origin, I reject it on scriptural grounds.

God goes to great lengths in the OT to point out succinctly and without ambiguity that he is [b]one and that he does not change - ever.

In the NT Paul talks about the "mystery of God in Christ". If it was not a mystery, then Paul would Bible does say, many many times is:

"Hear oh Israel, the Lord your God is one".[/b]

Originally posted by RJHinds
You say, "We do not need a man made doctrine of three people actually being one person ..."

We Christians say nothing about "three people actually being one Person". We don't say anything about people at all. People are human beings. [b]We say there are three persons in one God. These three persons are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as is ...[text shortened]... or the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit because these three personages are ONE GOD.[/b]

Originally posted by divegeester
I find it curious that you contunually choose to defend this doctrine on the flimsy premis that "people" are not "persons"; when actually the issue is numerical not semantic.

Originally posted by RJHinds
(Matthew 28:19) Notice that He did not say in the names, but in the name. There is ONE NAME for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit because these three persons are ONE GOD.

Originally posted by RJHinds
When did I say people were not persons? I remember saying persons do not have to be people.

Originally posted by divegeester
Oh dear.

Are what you call the "persons" of the Godhead, "people"?

Edit: as I said, it's best to focus on what the issue is i.e. how many entities there are in the Godhead. You say 3, and I say 1.

Originally posted by RJHinds
No, the persons in the Godhead are not people. The three persons in the Godhead are self-conscience individuals, but not people. We Christians believe God is one being or entity, not three. One of these self-conscience individual persons has a human nature mixed with the divine nature and the other two have only a divine nature. But this divine nature can not be seperated and, therefore, their divinity is tied together as ONE DIVINE BEING.

Originally posted by divegeester
From you own mouth...almost.

I've been posting here about the "singular name" used in that scripture for several years. One name given on earth of the one spiritual entity who is one God. Did you not read the link you posted in the other thread?

Originally posted by kevcvs57
Perhaps it would be clearer if you used the term personifications rather than persons which is usually taken to mean individual people.

Still not sure how them pagans managed to go forward in time and steal some of the Bible writers best plot lines.

Originally posted by RJHinds
The pagan trinity was comprised of three Gods not one. The Greek triad of Zeus, Athena, and Apollo, the Hindu triad of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva the Egyptian triad of Isis, Horus, and Sub. They were all separate not united as the one God and almost unanimously had a mother involved as in a heavenly family. This was really tritheism, which has more in common ...[text shortened]... s, that mankind had a true knowledge but refused to worship him and sank into idolatry.

Originally posted by RJHinds
No, the persons in the Godhead are not people. The three persons in the Godhead are self-conscience individuals, but not people. We Christians believe God is one being or entity, not three. One of these self-conscience individual persons has a human nature mixed with the divine nature and the other two have only a divine nature. But this divine nature can not be seperated and, therefore, their divinity is tied together as ONE DIVINE BEING.