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What do you mean by "Trinity"?

How do you define Trinity?

  • One God in three Persons - all of the persons, infinite, no beginning, eternal ...

    Votes: 17 85.0%
  • One God in threee persons - and not all the same attributes listed in option 1

    Votes: 1 5.0%
  • The definition does not include "one God in three persons" - so something else

    Votes: 2 10.0%

  • Total voters
    20

Hoghead1

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I don't think that is a valid witness to God at all, biblical or not. The God I believe in is a God of love and a God of enlightenment, not confusion and darkness.
 
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Hoghead1

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What your process theologians?

The traditional/orthodox definition for eternity is timelessness in theology. Only God is eternal for He is the only being who exists outside of time.


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"What your process theologians?" I think you need to rewrite this sentence, it makes no sense.
I well understand that the classical model of God puts God wholly outside of time. However, I reject that model. Certainly in the Bible God is present within time and can and does undergo change, as stated in 100 passages. Timelessness is a nonsensical concept and not a biblical one, either.
 
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Colter

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The historical chronologies of scripture are not parabolic, they were the matter of fact statements of the authors who were redacting or rewriting previous accounts. One can delineate spiritual prose from historical narratives.

But by the same toakan, if God is a deceiver as you imply, maybe he's deceiving you in Gen 11:7 as there are languages and cultures all over the earth that predate the Hebrew priests flood narrative!?
 
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ScottA

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What dos this have to do with the issue at hand?
My comment addresses your complete dismissal of the scriptures regarding this topic as nonsense - and you do so, not with any proof, but simply with different beliefs. You yourself make your own position and claims moot.

The point is, we are not here in a contest, but to see what is known triumph over what is simply believed (in error).

PS, Hahaha...to the wrong person. That's what you get for butting in.
 
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ScottA

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I don't think that is a valid witness to God at all, biblical or not. The God I believe in is a God of love and a God of enlightenment, not confusion and darkness.
You can put your fingers in your ears until you are deaf, and believe in a fabricated god all you want...but it doesn't change the truth.
 
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ScottA

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The point is...God is in control of what comes through as a result of human stumbling over issues of language: There can be no credible claim regarding any text, for or against, unless it is confirmed by the Spirit whom inspired it.
 
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Colter

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The point is...God is in control of what comes through as a result of human stumbling over issues of language: There can be no credible claim regarding any text, for or against, unless it is confirmed by the Spirit whom inspired it.
Nonsense! We've discovered the medicine men, shamans and priest craft to be frauds.
 
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Erose

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Because you reject something doesn't mean that it isn't defined what it is defined as. A definition is not based on whether you or anyone else rejects said definition.


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hedrick

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This is an interesting discussion. The traditional Protestant concept of perspicacity does say that Scripture can be understood with due means, but with the help of the Holy Spirit. Thus it’s not outlandish to claim that non-Christians by necessity aren’t going to understand some implications of it.

However at the point where you start claiming that God used misleading language which only the illuminated can understand, I think you’ve move too far in the direction of Gnosticism.

Normally people defending the Bible from the observation that it has contradictions come up with interpretations that resolve those contradictions. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else say that God has left contradictions to trip up non-believers, and you need special illumination to resolve them.

In the case of Goliath, the typical conservative answer is that we have an error in the transmission of the text, which can easily be corrected from 1 Chronicles. That works fine as long as you accept the obvious fact that errors occurred in the transmission of the text. Most Protestants do accept that. The commentaries I looked at note that 2 Samuel has more than it’s fair share of textual issues. Thus the text is more than usually uncertain there.

The argument against this is that this is such a problematical reading that it’s unlikely it could have occurred accidentally. Sure, one person could have made such a mistake, but it’s hard to believe it would be the established reading unless it’s the original one. Essentially this is the argument that the “difficult reading” is the most likely to be the correct one. This is a basic principle of textual criticism, which lies behind many judgements made throughout the Bible. I accept it.

It’s unlikely that any conservative will allow this principle to be used in this case. Since I’m not committed to inerrancy, I accept textual criticism even when it produces embarrassing results. This isn’t a difference we’re likely to resolve.
 
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Hoghead1

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Good summary. I heartedly agree.
 
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Hoghead1

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Because you reject something doesn't mean that it isn't defined what it is defined as. A definition is not based on whether you or anyone else rejects said definition.


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Your post makes no sense. I am well aware how classical theism viewed eternity, and I am simply offering an alternative.
 
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ScottA

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You are allowing emotion to rule over you contrary to the word of God.

It is a biblical fact that God has confused all language Genesis 11:7 and that He sends rain on the just and the unjust Matthew 5:45.

And you can discount the spirit of God by referring to Him and His doings as "Gnosticism" and for "only the illuminated", but it is also a biblical fact that the things of the spirit of God can only be discerned spiritually 1 Corinthians 2:14.
 
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Hoghead1

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You are allowing emotion to rule over you contrary to the word of God.

It is a biblical fact that God has confused all language Genesis 11:7 and that He sends rain on the just and the unjust Matthew 5:45.
The traditional Protestant position on this matter, dating back to Calvin, is that Scripture speaks so plainly that even a stump can understand it, even the Devil understands and will witness to Scripture. That's why the reprobate are said to be without excuse. Also, there was the matter of the lux naturalis, the natural light. All creatures are born with a clear knowledge of God, not enough to save tem, but at least enough to damn them. So I don't know where you got this notion that God goes around confusing people.
 
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Hoghead1

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The point is...God is in control of what comes through as a result of human stumbling over issues of language: There can be no credible claim regarding any text, for or against, unless it is confirmed by the Spirit whom inspired it.
Yes, but you still end up with the notion that God is a deceiver. So maybe God deceived us via the Genesis account of creation.
 
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