The Doctrine of Trinty and Holy Ghost
About the Doctrine of the Trinity.....
I guess my first inclination is to ask people to differentiate between what Jesus taught, what makes sense, and what was taught by the Roman Empire as it became the Roman Catholic Empire.
Rather than boring you with another long blog, I will give you some links, and some of my comments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_of_the_Trinity#Historical_view_and_usage
So if Jesus, as God, was begotten, not made, then he is of an essence, which seems to me to limit God to that which can be either created sexually or in a petrie dish and either way, is too narrow a view for me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_of_the_Trinity#Theory_of_pagan_origin_and_influence
That whole Triad business has been done before, and probably with less confusion. For examle, see the above link and also look in the texts of Hinduism, admittedly polytheistic, and with a great triad over its little deities.
The paraclyte, often refered to as the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, seems awfully human when Jesus describes him in John 14:26 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit (here substitute the word paraclyte), whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
From the Catholic Encyclopedia we find-- Paraclete, Comforter (L. Consolator; Gr. parakletos), an appellation of the Holy Ghost. The Greek word which, as a designation of the Holy Ghost at least, occurs only in St. John (xiv, 16, 26; xv, 26; xvi, 7), has been variously translated "advocate", "intercessor", "teacher, "helper", "comforter". This last rendering, though at variance with the passive form of the Greek, is justified by the Hellenistic usage, a number of ancient versions, patristic and liturgical authority, and the evident needs of the Johannine context.
Now, I really dig the Book of John, but it is the one written farthest from the lifetime of Jesus and the one which borrows so much from earlier sources. Even its first line is nabbed right from the beginning of Genesis. And refer to my previous blog entry about that whole Flesh thing. Not to mention that the word logos used there was the word adopted by Greek philosophers when they changed it from the conviving, convincing speech of women (logoi) to logic. It used to be that the Greek warriors spoke mythoi, an honest, true manly speech meant to get the job done.
(See Bruce Lincoln http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/00/13864.ctl )
Anyway, so as not to confuse.... then we have to look at my old favorite The Pauline Writers that those not trained to recognize that it couldn't have been one guy writing all this stuff, call Saint Paul. This isn't related so much to the Trinity notion as it is to the fact that like the Trinity, Pauline Christianity (not the one of Jesus, but of Paul) was sooo hard on women. No wonder there is no female in the Trinity!!! Read I Timothy 2: 9 I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
11A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. 13For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15But women[a] will be saved[b] through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
Now in the Qur'an, we also have the story of Adam and Eve. They ate of the fruit, both sinned, were both punished, both forgiven, end of story. No one is responsible, their is no original sin and everyone is obligated to seek their own salvation. And as far as covering the head, yes but both men and women are obligated to be modest and chaste.
http://www.islamicity.com/QuranSearch/ Al-Nour (The Light)
24:30 Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity: Asad(24,36)[36] this will be most conducive to their purity – [and,] verily, God is aware of all that they do. 24:31 And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms [in public] beyond what may [decently] be apparent thereof; Asad(24,37)[37] hence, let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms. Asad(24,38)[38] And let them not display [more of] their charms to any but their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands’ fathers, or their sons, or their husbands’ Sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their womenfolk, or those whom they rightfully possess, or such male attendants as are beyond all sexual desire, Asad(24,39)[39] or children that are as yet unaware of women’s nakedness; and let them not swing their legs [in walking] so as to draw attention to their hidden charms Asad(24,40)[40] And [always], O you believers - all of you - turn unto God in repentance, so that you might attain to a happy state! Asad(24,41)[41]
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