Originally posted by Cow Poke
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For starters, let's not pretend that Christians have always represented the "Trinity" consistently. There is STILL debate amongst Christians concerning that doctrine.
Second, I would say that LDS views are often considered similar to a version of the Trinity, one that has been called "Social Trinitarianism".
While I have McConkie's quotes open from the thread, let me pull a few more from him, because he supposedly represents "hard line" Mormonism.
"Thus there are, in the Eternal Godhead, three persons–... These three are one — one God if you will – in purposes, in powers, and in perfections."
"Though each God in the Godhead is a personage, separate and distinct from each of the others, yet they are ‘one God’”
He also says,
"First, be it remembered that most scriptures that speak of God or of the Lord do not even bother to distinguish the Father from the Son, simply because it doesn’t make any difference which God is involved. They are one. The words or deeds of either of them would be the words and deeds of the other in the same circumstance."
But keep in mind that he says "would be... in the same circumstance". However, they are not technically in the same circumstance. Members of the Godhead have different "roles". For example, God the Father is the Father of my spirit, and Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of my sins.
Explanations of the Godhead get tricky, because we say that there are "three". On the other hand, we say that they are "one". Well, in what sense are they three, and in what sense are they "one"?
When discussing their unity, you end up sounding like a modalist. When discussing their diversity, you end up sounding like a tritheist.
I think that one main difference between LDS and mainstream Christians is when it comes to terms like "BEING" and "SUBSTANCE".
Mormons do not believe that God the Father and Jesus Christ are the same being nor do we believe that they are the same substance. We instead would say that Jesus Christ is the image of the same Being/Substance.
Another way to look at it is this:
I know that this is impossible, but let's pretend for a moment that God the Father (and/or the Holy Spirit) were suddenly to drop out of existence tomorow. In that scenario, Jesus Christ would STILL be fully God. (i.e. the FULNESS of Deity would still exist in Christ.)
I am not sure if most Trinitarians would hold that position.
-7up
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