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Close...but not quite. The same water molecules cannot be all 3 states at the same time. Water would be an illustration of modalism--where God manifests as any 1 of the 3, but not all 3 at once.
The Triple Point of water, rather than just water itself, is a better analogy. There all three states exist simultaneously.
I most certainly do. No i dont believe Cinderella is true and i'd bet not a single person on the planet believes it either. Therefore, due to the holy spirit and faith, Christianity is believed on by many.
Everything was tested and approved.
A faithful saying: for if we be dead with him, we shall live also with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. If we believe not, he continueth faithful, he cannot deny himself.
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What exactly was tested and "approved"?
That the earth is flat was once believed by many.
Also that evil spirits caused disease.
Does the number who believe determine a fact?
Is that true of the Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, etc, etc?
The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts is a 2001 book about the archaeology of Israel and its relationship to the origins of the Hebrew Bible. The authors are Israel Finkelstein, Professor of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, and Neil Asher Silberman, a contributing editor to Archaeology Magazine.
Prologue: "The historical saga contained in the Bible—from Abraham's encounter with God and his journey to Canaan, to Moses' deliverance of the children of Israel from bondage, to the rise and fall of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah—-was not a miraculous revelation, but a brilliant product of the human imagination."
Last edited by ancient warrior; 09-26-2012 at 05:03 PM..
Reason: typo
Is that true of the Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, etc, etc?
The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts is a 2001 book about the archaeology of Israel and its relationship to the origins of the Hebrew Bible. The authors are Israel Finkelstein, Professor of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, and Neil Asher Silberman, a contributing editor to Archaeology Magazine.
Prologue: "The historical saga contained in the Bible—from Abraham's encounter with God and his journey to Canaan, to Moses' deliverance of the children of Israel from bondage, to the rise and fall of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah—-was not a miraculous revelation, but a brilliant product of the human imagination."
The Triple Point of water, rather than just water itself, is a better analogy. There all three states exist simultaneously.
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This is a commonly used but very inappropirate analogy to the Trinity. In the case of the three states of water, the cause is external to the water itself.
Is someone going to try to convince us that the change in the Creator is caused by creation? I don't think so.
Last edited by ancient warrior; 09-26-2012 at 07:48 PM..
Reason: typo
Some people just can't handle the evidence. Fortunately, the scripture scholars at Tel Aviv University
can.
Incidentally, much of The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts by Israel Finkelstein, Professor of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, and Neil Asher Silberman, a contributing editor to Archaeology Magazine, is now on-line.
Those interested and and reality oriented may want to read it and thank the Caltech folks!
This is a commonly used but very inappropirate analogy to the Trinity. In the case of the three states of water, the cause is external to the water itself.
Is someone going to try to convince us that the change in the Creator is caused by creation? I don't think so.
No, what's inappropriate is your objection. Torturing an analogy beyond its intended use and then using that to poorly attempt to make some pseudo-point is a little silly, IMO.
If the concept of the Trinity is to be explained, even in part... I'd choose the concept of governance.
In any good government, there is always a Legislative, Judiciary and the Executive.
The Legislators invent laws that will be good for the people
The Judges interpret the laws to ensure justice, and ...
The Executives implement the law to sustain society...
These three branches are just one government, and they function distinctly for the benefit of the people. They have equal powers in their respective functions and domain. They are in harmony although they are three yet they are one.
So is the Trinity...
The Father invented the 10 Commandments...
The Son interpreted the 10 Commandments and...
The Holy Spirit implemented the 10 Commandments...
The Father gave the Law to regulate our lives
The Son gave a New Commandment to Love one another as He loved us to relate us with one another... and
The Holy Spirit was poured out to rejuvenate the Life we received from God...
I would like fellow Catholics to help me out here. It has been said constantly that the concept of the trinity is not explainable. It is beyond our minds to grasp. However, I feel like I have come to a basic explanation.
God, being who he is, is a being that is beyond our imagination. We cannot possible comprehend God. To comprehend God would make us God ourselves. God is infinite. Human beings, however, are not. While we have a basic understanding of the term infinite, we can never be infinite or experience infinity the way God can. God was, is, and always will be. God's form is such that while we can grasp the concept of it, we can never fully comprehend, 100%.
In order for God to join us on our world, God would have to take the form of something that we COULD understand. That we could easily wrap our minds around. That is why through the holy spirit, God impregnated Mary with the Son, who while being God, is a separate but same entity. In this form, human beings are able to grasp on a level the divinity of God through Jesus, the Son.
Have I at least touched on it? What am I missing? Am I completely off?
Thank you for an interesting and insightful post! I'm not sure that I can add much to what has already been said, but, would like to offer my own perspective:
There are many things we can understand about God ... and some we cannot (for example, "the peace of God that passes all understanding" and, in most respects, "the Trinity"). However, scripture reveals sufficient, demonstrable truths about God and His plans and purpose --to enable people to trust and believe His Word when it comes to things we do not fully comprehend. (There are similarly a myriad of things in our own world and lives that we believe and accept as truth, without fully understanding their 'mechanics').
If we do not believe that we can trust the entire Bible, as God's inspired Word, then any discussion about what it contains is moot. Understanding the 'mechanics' of the Trinity (which we would all like to do), is not really pivotal to accepting it's core truth: The equal authority of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. While people often view themselves as 'co-equal' in terms of reasoning and logic, ... there is only one God ... and we are not Him.
No, what's inappropriate is your objection. Torturing an analogy beyond its intended use and then using that to poorly attempt to make some pseudo-point is a little silly, IMO.
RESPONSE:
Some insist on all the facts to avoid fallacious arguments.
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