one God

[bytor2112]

It really comes down to understanding. We have further light and knowledge on the nature of God........and an eyewitness account. In 1820, Joseph Smith humbly petitioned Heavenly Father...seeking answers.....and through his humble prayer, the heavens were again opened to mankind and God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him forever dispelling the myth of the Trinity. They are one God....God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost....not one in substance....but rather, one in purpose.

[Islander]

Originally Posted by mnn727

But my question is (and I seriously mean no disrespect) "Who cares?"

If God came down to you and said "M, I want you to know you were wrong about me, I am really all 3 the same person"
OR
If God came down to you and said "M, I want you to know you were wrong about us, we really are 3 seperate Gods making up one Godhead"

Would it really matter? Are there really any possible ramifications? If it were truly important to your salvation don't you think it would have been made clear?

Its all semantics people and IMHO is not that important in the scheme of things.

I can see your point and I completely agree.

Because we are three dimensional being we almost need to visualize what we conceptualize. Later in life as out thinking becomes more abstract we are able to expand our analytic capacity into more complex patters but in terms of worship, at least for us Latter day Saints, it is simple. We pray to the Father in the name of the Son. And it was Him the God of Abraham, it was Him Jesus, the crucified that rose on the third day , that was and is with the Father, and He made all things, and we worship Him and He is the author and finisher of our salvation thru and by the Atonement. That is the witness that we bare and the fundamental pillar of our religion.

Beyond that my friends, the theological/semantic debate, truly, does not add anything of value to our lives. Like I said before, our Hebrew brethren had no such problems. So, why should we? Just my thoughts

[abqfriend]

I am a Catholic-we have different views on the Trinity and the Godhead or however we wish to express them. Such a topic has been debated for hundreds of years.
Please be respectful of my religious tradition even if you do not believe in it. What you and others may consider an "abomination" are core tenents of my and other faith traditions.
-thankyou.
-Carol

Originally Posted by bytor2112

It should no longer be a debate......and I think it is important to know and undertand the true nature of the God we serve. If it were not important, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ would not have appeared to Joseph and declared the creeds of Chistendom to be an abomination. Creeds deal primarily with the nature of the Godhead. Understanding and accepting the truth about God is essential to understanding who we are and our purpose for being here. The truth that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have bodies of flesh and bone and the Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit is essential to our understanding of why we came here and attained a body. The belief that the Godhead as being three in one, incomprehensible, unknowable, uncreated, incorporeal and without body, parts or passions is indeed an abomination. I am fairly certain that the author of the creeds and the councils that adopted them did not claim that revelation was present in their formulation.

[Maureen]

The belief that the Godhead as being three in one, incomprehensible, unknowable, uncreated, incorporeal and without body, parts or passions is indeed an abomination. I am fairly certain that the author of the creeds and the councils that adopted them did not claim that revelation was present in their formulation.

I agree with Carol, there are many that post here that believe in the Trinity; and deem it as sacred and significant. I think the rules of the board in regards to respecting doctrines should apply to all posters. You don't have to agree with everything, but being respectful is important.

[prisonchaplain]

Originally Posted by mnn727

But it is all semanticsl
Is the Father God?
Is Jesus God?
Is the Holy Spirit God?
Does that make 1 God or 3 Gods -- its all 100% semantics (and 100% irrelivant IMHO)
God does not fit into a nice little package that mankind can put on a shelf with a lable describing it.

In a vacuum it might seem like semantics, but considered in light of the doctrine of humanity's nature, the variance becomes clear.

1. Is God the one God, creator of heaven and earth and all that is, eternally alone in his supremacy, his eternal nature, and his position as God over all that is?

2. Or is he three gods working together to fashion out of eternal matter, our world, Lord over us and our planet in this dispensation, preparing us to become Lords ourselves.

Both visions can be majestic, inspiring, beautiful religious belief systems...but they are different.

[mnn727]

Originally Posted by prisonchaplain

Both visions can be majestic, inspiring, beautiful religious belief systems...but they are different.

And again, with no disrespect meant - So What? What possible difference could it make to our salvation?
Is God going to consign to hell someone who believes in Christ and loses themselves in service towards others and lives a Christlike life (lets say for example someone like Mother Teresa), for misunderstanding this one thing?

[August]

Originally Posted by mnn727

And again, with no disrespect meant - So What? What possible difference could it make to our salvation?
Is God going to consign to hell someone who believes in Christ and loses themselves in service towards others and lives a Christlike life (lets say for example someone like Mother Teresa), for misunderstanding this one thing?

Is anyone here necessarily saying it makes a difference to salvation? That doesn't mean it isn't a significant issue worthy of discussion and study.

[bytor2112]

Carol and Maureen......I meant no disrespect to your beliefs or anyone elses....I should have made it clear that my post was directed as a response to another LDS member and I have changed the post to reflect that. PLease accept my apology and I will try to be sensitive to the beliefs of others that may read my posts......again, it was a response to another member and not an attempt to insult anothers beliefs.

[bytor2112]

Originally Posted by mnn727

But my question is (and I seriously mean no disrespect) "Who cares?"

If God came down to you and said "M, I want you to know you were wrong about me, I am really all 3 the same person"
OR
If God came down to you and said "M, I want you to know you were wrong about us, we really are 3 seperate Gods making up one Godhead"
OR
If God came down to you and said "M, I want you to know you were wrong about us, we really are 3 seperate beings making up one God('God' being an office not a person).

Would it really matter? Are there really any possible ramifications? If it were truly important to your salvation don't you think it would have been made clear?

Its all semantics people, and IMHO is not that important in the scheme of things. Many people (not saying you personally)are so concerned about things like this and then they don't do what Christ taught us about living and dealing with others.

It should no longer be a debate......and I think it is important to know and undertand the true nature of the God we serve. If it were not important, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ would not have appeared to Joseph and declared the creeds of Chistendom to be an abomination. Creeds deal primarily with the nature of the Godhead. Understanding and accepting the truth about God is essential to understanding who we are and our purpose for being here. The truth that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have bodies of flesh and bone and the Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit is essential to our understanding of why we came here and attained a body. The belief that the Godhead as being three in one, incomprehensible, unknowable, uncreated, incorporeal and without body, parts or passions is indeed an abomination. I am fairly certain that the author of the creeds and the councils that adopted them did not claim that revelation was present in their formulation.

[mnn727]

Bytor, I am not debating this from a Mormon point of view (even though I am one) I am trying to point out to general everyday Christians that it just isn't that important. Even from an LDS viewpoint I don't thinks its anywhere near as important as believing in Christ's atoning sacrifice and following His teachings are.
Some doctrine is more important than others.