Christianity and Polytheism

The whole concept of the Trinity in Christianity is pretty confusing to me. I know that God is supposed to be a single being, but with three different parts.

But how could this be true, if Jesus talked to his father when he was on the cross. Wouldn't that make them completely separate if they could communicate independently with each other?

I have posed this question for a lot of Christians because I am sincerely curious, but no one has given me a proper answer. It always comes down to a matter of faith.

In essence, isn't Christianity polytheistic?

[ArmsMerchant]

I think a lot of Muslims would say so.

That whole triune deity thing was, I suspect, concocted by the priesthood in order to make the whole deal even more mysterious and complicated (hence impressive).

YOU CAN NOT UNDERSTAND INSANITY. UNLESS YOU TOO ARE INSANE.

[This message has been edited by THE ONLY SANE MAN (edited 11-16-2006).]

[Zman]

No, Christianity is not Polytheistic. No, you can't really wrap your head around it.

One God, three distinct person...

Technically there aren't any mainstream religions that are polytheistic. Hinduism is actually considered Henotheistic because its many gods are manifestations of a single god. I remember asking in class at my Christian highschool when the topic came up why Christianity isn't considered henotheistic and the answer seems to be convention.

[This message has been edited by Perspicacious (edited 11-16-2006).]

The Christians would use the old get out clause of 'the trinity is too complicated to understand'.

I think Christians believe Jesus is a person (not a deity), the Holy Spirit is a spirit (not a deity) and God is a deity, so it is monotheism. However, they are all divinely connected.

Sounds like a load of washed up old nonsense to me.

The reason they don't believe it is polytheistic, is because most of them don't even know what they really believe, they have a vague notion and that is all. Ask an educated Christian, such as a priest.

[Zman]

quote:Originally posted by Kooper0:



I think Christians believe ...

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You THINK? This is part of Christian doctrine is pretty wide knowledge and you got it wrong. Washed up old nonsense? You don't even know what you are talking about.

It being too complicated to understand doesn't make in false.

Sanity, that doesn't make sense. They don't believe that because they don't know what they believe...so what? You attack Christians out of your hatred of religion, but don't even scratch the surface of the issue itself.

quote:Originally posted by AnAsTaSiO:

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In essence, isn't Christianity retarded?

Yes.

Well, addressing the main issue here, the Trinity is one God in three distinct persons. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Now these three persons are shown throughout scripture to be distinct and yet they act as one, for they are indeed one deity. It may sound confusing, and indeed if you use human standards it would seem foolish. Yet the Lord has used foolish things to shun the wise and weak things to shun the strong. Can the trinity be fully comprehended? I can not claim that I understand every aspect of the trinity, though I can grasp the concept of three distinct persons in one being. The Lord, mind you, is not limited in his abilities. If in fact God was only one being and one person he would seem to be schizophrenic when in Genesis 1:26 it says, "Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."" And the concept of the trinity is not a matter of men writing it in. The ancient Hebrew, from which this passage is derived, uses the word eloheem, which is the plural form of God. Early writers could have put eloah, but they recongnized some plurality within a single Godhead. Belief in the trinity is indeed a matter of faith, for no one can come to the father unless he has been called by that wonderful holy spirit. But grasping the concept of the trinity will always be a hard subject, for who can comprehend God? We must then look to those means by which the Lord has come to us and by these means he has revealed himself as three persons in one being. Talking to himself, or so it would seem, I do not find to be that much of an issue. God is not limited in his ways.