Christianity is monotheist.

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John Augustine

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A common suggestion by apoligists of Islam is that Christianity is not truly monotheistic. I would like to disprove this assertion.

Jesus makes it very clear (Mark 12:28-29) that there is only one Lord and God:

28And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord
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At the same time He claims (John 10:30) that:

30 I and my Father are one.
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So Jesus establishes that within the one God there actually exists a realationship between Father and Son. Added to this the Holy Spirit, which Christ also speaks of as another aspect of God, we have relationships between Father, Son and Spirit.

Christianity has always maintained that Mark 12:29 means that we are monotheistic. There is ONLY one God. Anyone who says otherwise is not Christian.

However, Jesus' claim that He is one with the Father means that there exist relationships within God, between Himself and the Father, but without there being "gods" plural.

Christian theologians, for obvious reasons, found this very hard to explain. It took many years for the human mind to begin to understand this "mystery" of the Faith. In the Church a wonderful analogy was divised to explain.

In ancient greek and roman theatre, there were very few trained actors, and no real costumes: the same actor would play several parts by simply wearing a different mask whilst in the role of each character. In latin, mask is persona, plural personae. In english we still use "persona" to denote a personality or character, rather than an independent human being, as "person is commonly used today."

So by using the analogy of a single actor with several personae the Church set out to explain how God could be Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The characters in a play remain distinct but with no real change in the actor; there remains only one actor.

In the same way, in God there may be three "persons", each a different and distinct persona of the Almighty (Trinitas), but they are all simply one God in essence (Unitas).

In the Latin (western) Church, this doctrine was best explained by the Athanasian Creed:

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance.

For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But the godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.

The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet they are not three eternals, but one Eternal.

As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated, but one Uncreated, and one Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Spirit Almighty. And yet they are not three almighties, but one Almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet they are not three gods, but one God.

So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord. And yet not three lords, but one Lord.

For as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge each Person by Himself to be both God and Lord, so we are also forbidden by the catholic religion to say that there are three gods or three lords.

The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the Father, neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So there is one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.

And in the Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another, but all three Persons are co-eternal together and co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.

He therefore that will be saved is must think thus of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is, that we believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man; God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of the substance of his mother, born in the world; perfect God and perfect man, of a rational soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching His godhead; and inferior to the Father, as touching His manhood; who, although He is God and man, yet he is not two, but one Christ; one, not by conversion of the godhead into flesh but by taking of the manhood into God; one altogether; not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ; who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, He sits at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence He will come to judge the quick and the dead. At His coming all men will rise again with their bodies and shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.

This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.
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Same thing I hear and read all the time. It doesn't make sense.

Your point isn't any different from what your fellow Christians say....:/
 
If Christianity is monotheistic then Hindus are too. They believe that all their gods are just different faces of the same one, like the different colors in a rainbow.

However, monotheism isn't something that you can bend to your will no matter how much wordplay you use.

Monotheism is 1=1 not 3=1, or 300=1 or 30000=1

God doesn't have himself tortured and killed in order to save mankind from his own wrath. This makes no sense in a monotheistic light, but a polytheistic one would make more sense.
 
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Forget it.
 
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Light of Heaven said:
Same thing I hear and read all the time. It doesn't make sense.

Your point isn't any different from what your fellow Christians say....:/
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It does not make sense to you? Does everything is Islam make sense? Do we have to wait until we understand everything before we can come to God?
 
Why does Jesus say 'The Lord our God is one Lord'

instead of I am the Lord your God the one Lord?-- why the use of our as if to denote he is a subject to this Lord's will as opposed to me or myself or I?
 
Salaam

SURA 112. AL-IKHLAS (SINCERITY)

1. Say: He is Allah, the One!
2. Allah, the eternally Besought of all!
3. He begetteth not nor was begotten.
4. And there is none comparable unto Him.

[Pickthal]
 
Calm down tiger. Don't pounce too soon! Yes it does make sense to me! Got a problem?
Dont try to pull a fast one on me. You got a problem with me stating what I think?

These two concepts contradict one another. God is one but hes three too?
 
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Zafran said:
Forget it.
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"The teachings of Islam can fail under no circumstances. With all our systems of culture and civilization, we cannot go beyond Islam and, as a matter of fact, no human mind can go beyond the Koran."

Johann Goethe, cited in Sir Henry Elliot's Letters of Johann Goethe, 1865[/quote]

If I understand this correctly, you are arguing that Islam is right because Goethe said so in a letter? Not really an argument is it?

I have read a lot of Goethe but never seen this before is it possible you can give a more precise citation?
 
Hugo said:
"The teachings of Islam can fail under no circumstances. With all our systems of culture and civilization, we cannot go beyond Islam and, as a matter of fact, no human mind can go beyond the Koran."

Johann Goethe, cited in Sir Henry Elliot's Letters of Johann Goethe, 1865
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If I understand this correctly, you are arguing that Islam is right because Goethe said so in a letter? Not really an argument is it?

I have read a lot of Goethe but never seen this before is it possible you can give a more precise citation? [/QUOTE]



Thats not an argument its in my sig................... You should research the Quote and no you didnt understand correctly.
 
Hugo said:
Why does the Qu'ran often say "we' when God is speaking, did not God know the right word?
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We in arabic is the Royal WE - - do more research on the Quran and the arabic language.

peace
 
Hugo said:
Why does the Qu'ran often say "we' when God is speaking, did not God know the right word?
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Ok.. more than once you claimed to have read the Qur'an and you claimed to have read so much literature about how it copied from the bible and stuff.
. why do you think it uses 'we'? You really don't know why or youre just lying to prove your point.
 
Nope. The relationship between Jesus and the Father is one within the Godhead.

perfect God and perfect man, of a rational soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching His godhead; and inferior to the Father, as touching His manhood
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As above, Athanasian Creed.
 
Hugo said:
Why does the Qu'ran often say "we' when God is speaking, did not God know the right word?
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the term Na7no in Arabic akin to the same usage in Hebrew is a 'royal we', not a triple goded 'we'-- it is used to denote respect.. completely different than father, son and a holy spirit.

all the best
 
Light of Heaven said:
Calm down tiger. Don't pounce too soon! Yes it does make sense to me! Got a problem?
Dont try to pull a fast one on me. You got a problem with me stating what I think?

These two concepts contradict one another. God is one but hes three too?
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Why is it that as soon as one asks a question one is a tiger, pouncing, pulling a fast one etc. Why not just deal with what is asked.

I might say of you that you are body soul and spirit so you must be three in one? One cannot understand what is means for God to be three in one and one in three but we can believe it.

My point was that if we are to use the argument that 'everything must make sense' then all religions are in trouble because for example in Islam I can list dozens of things that don't make sense so it get us nowhere, its not profitable.
 
Light of Heaven said:
Calm down tiger. Don't pounce too soon! Yes it does make sense to me! Got a problem?
Dont try to pull a fast one on me. You got a problem with me stating what I think?

These two concepts contradict one another. God is one but hes three too?
Click to expand...

Gossamer skye said:
the term Na7no in Arabic akin to the same usage in Hebrew is a 'royal we', not a triple goded 'we'-- it is used to denote respect.. completely different than father, son and a holy spirit.

all the best
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Yes, quite but in the Qu'ran God speak also in the singular - why?
 
Well u seemed to have a problem with my thought. As I only stated it doesnt make sense to me and you went off on me, which was unnecessary I might add. You can simply try and do ur best to find a different way to explain as you did now, no biggie.
 
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