Dear
@BarnyFife
I understand that ELOHIM the plural manifestation of God
is what the HOLY SPIRIT is used to represent.
In fact, one group the IDMR teaches Father/Son/HolySpirit
as Yahweh/Yeshua/Elohim
The CONFLICT is when people refer to Father/Son/HolySpirit
by saying things like "Jesus is God" which has different meanings in different contexts.
To people who see this as DENYING that God is infinite and greater
than the Son Jesus who is INCARNATED in man,
this is what causes the whole conflict over false teaching.
My understanding of why Unitarians as well as Unitarian Universalists
rejected the Trinity teaching was the DOGMA or purpose in using the DOCTRINE
to divide and persecute others for not teaching/understanding God using this way of teaching.
This becomes as divisive as Atheists who are actually opposed to THEISTS abusing THEISM
to INDOCTRINATE and judge/punish others based on their theology,
vs real skeptics who either do not believe in God or believe there is not a God.
Once people get it into their heads that
* Trinitarians are trying to impose FALSE DOCTRINE OR CONDITIONS
that becomes the issue similar to Atheists being against THEISTS or THEISM more than having an issue over God
* or Unitarians and Jehovah's Witnesses rejecting the Trinity "cannot be Christian"
because "they deny the divinity of Jesus"
then this becomes a battle between groups "whose elders or church is teaching it all wrong"
With JW and with other Unitarians, I find we have NO ISSUE
if we STICK WITH THE BIBLE and where it says
Father/Son/Holy Spirit, just using those terms and not arguing over other phrases.
As long as we agree that John 10:29-30 is true, simultaneously,
that the Father is greater than all, and the Son and Father are One,
then we can agree on both things without getting entangled in
arguments over wording it any other way.
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I don't understand why people argue about this. There is just as much scriptural evidence for one as for the other.
As early as Genesis 1:26, we read:
Then God
אֱלֹהִ֔ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine
plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative
said,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say
“Let Us make
נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה (na·‘ă·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common
plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make
man
אָדָ֛ם (’ā·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being
in Our image,
בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ (bə·ṣal·mê·nū)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common
plural
Strong's 6754: A phantom, illusion, resemblance, a representative figure, an idol
Every single one of the 27 most popular English translations featured on BibleHub.com describes God as being "the plural one."
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Having said all of this, I don't require anyone to hold a trinitarian position for me to consider them a brother or sister in Christ.
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