Tuesday, January 02, 2007

THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

www.bible4islam.com

M. Do you still believe in the Trinity?

C. Sure; it is written in the First Epistle of John (5:7 and8): "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."

M. Oh, that is in the King james Version, authorized in 1611, and formed the strongest evidence for the Doctrine of the Trinity. But now this part, "the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one," has been expunged in the Revised Standard Version of 1952 and 1971 and in many other Bibles, as it was a gloss that had encroached on the Greek text.
I John 5:7 and 8 in the New American Standard Bible reads as follows: "And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are in agreement." Also, in the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures used by the Jehovah's Witnesses, you will find: "For there are three witness bearers, the spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are in agreement." I can understand if you don't know that this important part has been removed, but I wonder why many ministers and preachers are not aware of this.
The Trinity is not Biblical. The word Trinity is not even in the Bible or Bible dictionaries, was never taught by Jesus and was never mentioned by him. There is no basis or proof in the Bible whatsoever for the acceptance of the Trinity.

C. But in Matthew 28: 19 we still find: "... baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." This part is not removed yet; is this not a proof of the Trinity?

M. No. If you mention three persons are sitting or eating together, does it mean that they are forming one person? No. The formulation of the Trinity by Athanasius, an Egyptian deacon from Alexandria, was accpted by the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, i.e. more than three centuries after Jesus had left. No doubt Roman paganism had influence in this doctrine, the triune god; Sabbath was shifted to Sunday; December 25, which was the birthday of their sun-god Mithra, was introduced as Jesus' birthday, although the Bible clearly predicted and forbade the decoration of Christmas trees in Jeremiah 10:2-5: "Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold, they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good."
Because Christianity had deviated a long way from the original teachings of Jesus, Allah then sent as part of His original plan His last Prophet, Muhammad, as revivalist to restore all these changes: the Roman Julian calendar introduced as the Christian era; pork not prohibited; circumcision abolished by Paul (Galatians,5:2): "Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing."
The Holy Qur'an warns in Surah 5:73: "Surely they are disbelievers, those who said: 'Allah is one of the three in a Trinity.' But there is none who has the right to be worshiped but one God (i.e. Allah). And if they cease not from what they say, verily a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them."
Do you still believe in the Trinity which was never taught by Jesus?

C. But God and Jesus are one (John 14:11): "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me."

M. Read then John 17:21.

C. "That they [the disciples] all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may also be one in us..."

M. It is clear here that God and Jesus are one, but also that the disciples are one in Jesus and God. If Jesus is God because he is in God, why are the disciples then nor God, as they all are like Jesus also in God? If God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost form one unit of Trinity, then with the disciples included they should form a God unit of fifteen.

C. But Jesus is God according to John 14:9: "...he that hath seen me hath seen the Father."

M. See to the context now—what is before and after this: (John 14:8): "Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." (John 14:9): "Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hast seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?"
So finally Jesus asked Philip how to show the appearance of God to the disciples, which is not possible. You should believe in God by admiring his creation: the sun, the moon, all creation, and Jesus himself who was created by God. He said (John 4:24): "God is a Spirit..." and (John 5:37): "...ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape." How can you see a spirit then? What they saw was Jesus and not God. Also Paul said (I Timothy 6:16): "...whom no man hath seen, nor can see..." So what you can see is never God.
Our Holy Qur'an says (Surah 5:103): "Vision comprehendeth Him not, but He comprehendeth (all) vision. He is the Subtile, the Aware."

C. To be honest, it is difficult to deny what has been taught to us since childhood.

M. Maybe the following questions will give you a better understanding of the Triniry: What is the Holy Spirit?

C. The Holy Spirit is the Holy Ghost, is also God. We are taught, the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Ghost is God. We are not allowed to say Three Gods, but One God.

M. Read Matthew 1:18.

C. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

M. Compare now with Luke 1:26 and 27.

C. "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary."

M. So in the miraculous birth of Jesus, Matthew mentioned the Holy Ghost and Luke mentioned the angel Gabriel. What is the Holy Ghost then?

C. The Holy Ghost is then the angel Gabriel.

M. Do you still believe in the Trinity now?

C. Then God is God, the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel, and Jesus is...

M. Let me help you: Jesus is a Prophet, son of Mary.

C. How can you solve what we call a mystery?

M. We use the Holy Qur'an as the standard to correct changes made by men in the previously revealed scriptures. If you can now believe in One God, and Jesus, son of Mary, as a Prophet, why don't you goone step further and accept Muhammad as the Last Messenger? Read with me the Shahadah or Witness (Testimony), first in English, then in Arabic.

C. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, Who has no partner, and Muhammad is His slave servant and messenger. Ash-hadu an-la Ilaha illal-Lahu wahdahu la shareekalahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu.
But what about my great-grandparents? I would like to stay with them; they were all Christians.

M. Abraham had left his parents and great-grandparents when the Truth, i.e. Islam, was revealed to him. Everyone is responsible for himself. Maybe the Truth hadn't come to your ancestors as clearly as it comes to you now. The Holy Qur'an says in Surah 17:15: "Whoever goes right, then, he goes right only for his own soul's benefit. And whoever goes astray, then he goes astray only to his own loss. No laden soul can bear another's load. And We never punish until We have sent an apostle (to give warnings)."
So the Truth has come to you now and it is up to you.

C. Is it not possible to accept both Islam and Christianity?

M. There is no compulsion in religion. You can do whatever you want. But if you combine both faiths, you haven't surrendered to Allah yet. You are still a disbeliever, as He states in Surah 4:150-152: "Verily those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and wish to make distinction between Allah and His messengers [by believing in Allah and disbelieving in His messengers] saying 'We believe in some and reject others,' and wish to take a way in between [this and] that: They are disbelievers in truth. And We have prepared for disbelievers a humiliating torment. To those who believe in Allah and His messengers and make no distinction between any of them [messengers], We shall give them their rewards, and Allah is ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
You may later agree with me if we discuss further.

C. Is it not better that we do not make any Confession or Shahadah, so that we are not committed?

M. As soon as you reach adulthood and you are mentally competent, you are then committed whether you make the Shahadah or not. Allah created this world not for nothing. He has supplied you with the organs to differentiate between right and wrong. He has sent many Prophets as warners. We are created to worship Him and that we may compete with each other in good deeds in this world.
Surah 3:191: "...Our Lord! You have not created [all] this without purpose, Glory to You!..."
Surah 90:8-10: "Have We not made for him [mankind] a pair of eyes? And a tongue and a pair of lips? And shown him the two ways [good and evil]?"
Surah 51:56: "And 1 created not the Jinns and mankind except they should worship Me [alone]." Every deed for the pleasure of Allah is worship.
Surah 18:7: "Verily! We have made that which is on earth as an adoration for it [the earth] in order that We may test them [mankind] as to which of them is better in deeds."

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