Polytheistic religion

[f16fan12]

Isn't Christianity polytheistic?

Trinity???

What's Mormanism?

 

[The-Doctor]

Hmm technically the trinity is one Father, Son and Holy Spirit/Ghost so no I'd say that we are not Polytheistic.

I'm not versed in religions enough to give you an accurate definition of what Mormanism is.

 

[Lyle]

No, Christianity is not polytheistic.. On the gorunds that, though they are three seperate beings, they are one.. As Moses said, "The LORD your God is one.."

What's Mormanism?

I'll save my sarcasm...

 

[Bulldog]

Many people think that Christians teach three Gods, but we really teach 1 God of three essences. (Remember we accept the OT too, which has many references to God only being one)

Mormonism is henotheistic, meaning they believe multiple gods, but only accept one as worthy of worship/ acknowledgement.

As for the trinity, it basically says that there is one God made up of three essenses-The Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit. Look below for an illustration:

 

[Havoc]

The Mother Goddess is 1 Goddess in three essences. The Maiden, the Mother, the Crone. Yet it is easy to see that this is a polytheistic concept. Three-in-one Gods and Goddesses abound in the human view of the Divine, only the Christians have this notion that three is not a polytheistic number.

The claim that three personalities is not polytheistic probably stems from the OT requirement that there is only one God. How does one move from worshipping one God to worshipping three in the new polytheisitic Christianity? Simply declare that even though there are three there is only one. Thus was done at the Nicene council when the nature of God was decided by a vote (after the dissenting voters were "eliminated").

You have three personalities? Polytheistic.
You have three "essences"? Polytheistic.
You have three faces? Polytheistic.
You have three-in-one? Polytheistic.

Simply ignoring what polytheistic means is not a reasonable position.

 

[Bulldog]

Sorry, I misread a post.

 

[Bulldog]

The Mother Goddess is 1 Goddess in three essences. The Maiden, the Mother, the Crone. Yet it is easy to see that this is a polytheistic concept. Three-in-one Gods and Goddesses abound in the human view of the Divine, only the Christians have this notion that three is not a polytheistic number.

The claim that three personalities is not polytheistic probably stems from the OT requirement that there is only one God. How does one move from worshipping one God to worshipping three in the new polytheisitic Christianity? Simply declare that even though there are three there is only one. Thus was done at the Nicene council when the nature of God was decided by a vote (after the dissenting voters were "eliminated").

You have three personalities? Polytheistic.
You have three "essences"? Polytheistic.
You have three faces? Polytheistic.
You have three-in-one? Polytheistic.

Simply ignoring what polytheistic means is not a reasonable position.

It depends on what you define "polytheistic" as. If you believe that believing three essences is polytheistic, then we are. But we only believe in one God.

from dictionary.com:

polytheistic

adj : worshipping or believing in more than one god

By that definition, we are monotheistic. The view that each member of the trinity is a g/God is rejected as heresy in Christianity.

 

[Hix]

Technically christianity is polytheistic, the G-d of the OT is infinite and limiting him to three essences is basically the same as polytheism. G-d does not have a form, he is an infinite and eternal spirit and there are none other but him. That is unsullied monotheism in a nut shell.

Shalom and G-d bless
~Hix~

 

[Tobias]

Ok what about Satan?? Christians believe in him but don't worship him. Wouldn't that qualify him as a god too? Especially when it is believed that satan or his demons are the ones being worshiped by other beliefs as their gods. Thus Christians believe in the Goddess, but also believe she is just a demon playing the part.

 

[MoonlessNight]

Isn't Christianity polytheistic?

Trinity???

What's Mormanism?

Whether or not Christianity is Polytheistic depends on your definition of the term. I'd say that it falls under the more recent definition of polytheism, which is the belief in multiple gods that are really all aspects of the same god. As for classical polytheism though (the belief in multiple gods) that really depends whether you class angels and the like as gods (since they are divine figures) or not. But Christianity certainly believes that no being is as powerful or more powerful than God.

 

[Lifesaver]

Ok what about Satan?? Christians believe in him but don't worship him. Wouldn't that qualify him as a god too? Especially when it is believed that satan or his demons are the ones being worshiped by other beliefs as their gods. Thus Christians believe in the Goddess, but also believe she is just a demon playing the part.

Satan is a creature of God: an angel.
God is only one, consisted of three different persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Their harmony and love is so great that, although three essences, they are one God.

According to Mormonism (well, some in Mormonism), each of these three persons is a different god, resulting in three gods. Plus, they believe (many did and do at different points of time, though others deny it and the church somehow agrees with all and has no official position) that each god is son of other gods who existed prior to him, and that many people who are sons of this god will one day become gods themselves.
That may change (or has already changed), but at some point of time this is what some of the prophets of the CoJCoLDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints- the Mormon church) stated and what mormons still believe or once believed.

 

[Bulldog]

Technically christianity is polytheistic, the G-d of the OT is infinite and limiting him to three essences is basically the same as polytheism. G-d does not have a form, he is an infinite and eternal spirit and there are none other but him. That is unsullied monotheism in a nut shell.

Shalom and G-d bless
~Hix~

Why would we be Polytheistic? The NT as well has the requirment for only one God.

1Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

 

[Hix]

I know the NT does have this requirement and I accept the NT dont forget. None the less the trinity and any such theological beliefs directly conflict with monotheism. Christianity is polytheistic even if it is a soft polytheism, like paganism.

 

[Bulldog]

I know the NT does have this requirement and I accept the NT dont forget. None the less the trinity and any such theological beliefs directly conflict with monotheism. Christianity is polytheistic even if it is a soft polytheism, like paganism.

Hix,

We only believe in one God. It;s just very hard for many people to understand that the trinity could be tree persons in one God. But that's really what it is.

 

[MoonlessNight]

Hix,

We only believe in one God. It;s just very hard for many people to understand that the trinity could be tree persons in one God. But that's really what it is.

But that's essentially the definition of soft polytheism. But in the end, it's just mincing semantics.

 

[Ceph]

Funny how the word "trinity" appears nowhere in the bible.

 

[Bulldog]

But that's essentially the definition of soft polytheism.

For that to be, each member of the Trinity would have to be a seperate God. That is not the case, as they make up one God. Look at my illustration below. The triangle is God, yet there is only one (existing in three eternal person)

 

[Bulldog]

Funny how the word "trinity" appears nowhere in the bible.

Many verses decribe the Trinity very well, though.

 

[PaladinValer]

Christianity is a form of "God-only" monism, which is a form of monotheism.

Monism on its own is a term that basically means "All comes from One Source." Normally, it includes all the universe as well (think of Hinduism, which is definitely monistic). In terms of God however, it states that "All deities are One" (again, think Hinduism). Christianity has God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not three gods but One God. Three Persons all God.

So there you go; 100% undeniable proof that Christianity is monotheistic.

 

[MoonlessNight]

For that to be, each member of the Trinity would have to be a seperate God. That is not the case, as they make up one God. Look at my illustration below. The triangle is God, yet there is only one (existing in three eternal person)

For Hard Polytheism, yes they would have to be seperate deities. But in soft polytheism different gods are considered to be merely different perspectives or aspects of one deity, so the trinity does fall under that definition.

However, I'm not going to argue this point further, because it's not worth it and I don't feel compelled to. You have your definition of polytheism, and under that definition of polytheism Christianity isn't polytheistic. But there's another definition of polytheism under which Christianity is polytheistic. What does it matter in the end? Nothing much. It's all in the definitions of the word, and arguing about definitions is a rather pointless thing to do.