As salamu 'alikum wr wb (May the Peace, Mercy of Allah and Blessings be upon you).
A very simple question for Christians.
In what sense is God one? (Scriptural references are appreciated).
For example if I am part of the tribes of Israel and I hear it said to me 'Hear oh Israel the Lord your God the Lord is One'. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
What would I take away from that message? Would I have to have deep knowledge of theology and philosophy to understand this?
What if I was just a simple shepherd tending to my sheep?
Cf. D. Block, has a book "How Many Is God: An Investigation into the Meaning of Deuteronomy 6:4-5," I thought this was a curious title for a book.
The title of his book is a bit presumptuous. For example why not title the book 'How Many Beings is God: An Investigation into the Meaning of Deuteronomy 6:4-5."
The title of his book is a bit presumptuous. For example why not title the book 'How Many Beings is God: An Investigation into the Meaning of Deuteronomy 6:4-5."
After all if the Tri-Theist are going to keep coining new phrases, employing sophistry and clever semantics why presume anything?
Why presume that God's being is 'one'? I really want to know on what basis do Christians say that God's being is one?
If words have meaning what do they mean by that? Curious Muslims/Christians (and those searching for truth) want to know.
God is that than which a greater cannot be thought. That than which a greater cannot have any equal otherwise I can think of something greater than it (i.e. that there is something so great that it can have no equal), therefore there can only be one God. Here you have one reason why Christians believe that there is one God.
ReplyDeleteAs I have answered your question, perhaps you can answer one of mine.
Why does the Koran contain the untruth that Christians believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary is part of the Trinity (Surah 5:116)? Throughout the history of Christianity anyone believing this to be the case would have been regarded as a heretic. I am not aware of any Christian teacher who ever taught this. It has never been a teaching of Christianity. Please therefore explain why the Koran gets it wrong.
With the name of Allah,
ReplyDeletePeace be unto those who follow the guidance from their Lord.
Aberlard your not really much of a dialectician are you? First you have not answered the question.
If I ask you what is your favourite colour blue or red and you answer lizard that seems really off the mark to me.
I will put your answer up because at least some Christian some where who has come across this site attempted an answer.
I will still await the answer of why do you assume that God's being is one.
On to your mistaken view about Mary being a part of a trinity.
Point #1 you say "the Blessed Virgin Mar is part of the Trinity"...
I note that you say 'The Trinity' and not 'a' Trinity.
You may not be aware that the Orthodox, Catholic and Calvinist all have various takes on a Trinity doctrine. So due be more careful when putting the definite article 'The' before Trinity.
Point #2 You can see Abdullah Kunde's refutation of that point clearly here: http://www.acommonword.net/2010/07/quranic-doctrine-of-trinity-are-there.html
Don't get me wrong the Christians have to have something to level at the Qur'an. You have to be able to come up with something, otherwise people will see the Qur'an as unassailable.
By the way all your comments on this post will be on the topic at hand, any additional comments you have about (The Qur'an allegedly identify Mary as a trinity among many) the second part of your question please direct them to the comment box at the above link (Abdullah Kunde's response).
http://www.acommonword.net/2010/07/quranic-doctrine-of-trinity-are-there.html
May Allah open your heart and guide you.
God is one in the sense that Not only is He one God representing Himself in Three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). But Also He is one in that (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are all unified in purpose. All three persons of the Holy Trinity are distinct in job discriptions that is that the Father Elects and plans salvation, The son wins salvation for the Elect, and the Holy Spirit applies that election to the Elect.
ReplyDeleteBut to be clear one cannot understand the divine being for He is eternally infinite, whereas we are finite creatures in time. We only know so much about Who God is as He determines to reveal to us in accordance to salvation.