CHRISTIANITY through the lens of CHRISTIAN & MUSLIM SCHOLARS Part One

“The Christians have only one God, but also three. The Trinity, Three in One. But sometimes two, Father and Son. Then again, only One. But if you want, maybe three. Or maybe two. No, just One. How 'bout two? Only One. How 'bout three? Maybe two? Whaddya want! Gimme three. No! Just two. A One and A Two and A Three and A One? I don’t understand it myself!”

Dario Foo, Essay by Donald Kuspit in ‘Aperture’ [1]

Countless pages have been written attempting to explain the Trinity. Yet after struggling through the labyrinth of confusing theological terms and explanations, investigators still come away unsatisfied. We can understand then, why “The New Catholic Encyclopedia” emphasizes that:

“There are few teachers of Trinitarian theology in Roman Catholic seminaries who have not been badgered at one time or another by the question, “But how does one preach the Trinity?” And if the question is symptomatic of confusion on the part of the students, perhaps it is no less symptomatic of similar confusion on the part of their professors.”[2]

Dr Hans Kung, a Catholic Theologian of our time and a Professor at the Tubbington Catholic University has the following to say about the doctrine of the Trinity:

“The Dogma of the tribune God of the Trinity—the word came from the third century and the classical formulation of the doctrine from the fourth, is stressed by some as the central mystery of Christianity and rejected by others as Hellenistic speculation alien to Scripture…The Feast of Trinity was inaugurated by the Avignon Pope John XXII only in 1334 A.D for the Church as a whole. It is a feast on which even in the Catholic Churches, it is frequently possible to hear either a scarcely intelligible explanation of traditional teaching or a deafening silence. There is a story about a Bavarian parish priest who announced to his…congregation on the Feast of Trinity that this was so great a mystery of which he understood nothing, and that they would unfortunately be no sermon.”[3]

In this regard, Jesuit Joseph Bracken observes in his book “What Are They Saying About The Trinity”:

“Priests who with considerable effort learned …the Trinity during their seminary years naturally hesitated to present it to their people from the pulpit, even on Trinity Sunday…Why should one bore people with something that in the end they wouldn’t properly understand anyway? …Yet, it is the central doctrine of the Churches!”[4]

Because of the problem of understanding, some Christians even dare to ignore the doctrine altogether. Karen Armstrong, in her “A History of God” confesses:

“The doctrine of the Trinity has often been misunderstood in the Western world. People tend to imagine three divine figures or else ignore the doctrine altogether and identify “God” with the Father and make Jesus a divine friend—not quite on the same level.”[5]

The Trinity is one reason why the churches have been unable to make any significant headway with non-Christian peoples. In his book “Christianity and the World Religion” Dr Hans Kung says:

“Even well-informed Muslims simply cannot follow, as the Jews thus far have likewise failed to grasp, the idea of the Trinity…The distinctions made by the doctrine of the Trinity between one God and three hypostases do not satisfy Muslims, who are confused, rather than enlightened, by theological terms derived from Syriac, Greek, and Latin. Muslims find it all a word game…Why should anyone want to add anything to the notion of God’s oneness and uniqueness that can only dilute and nullify that oneness and uniqueness?”[6]

This has led to the conversion of many Christians to Islam that preaches the pure and simple Unity of Allah, God Almighty. Dr H Victor Stykes, a renowned Scholar and moderator of Presbyterian Church of Liberia admits:

“Even though the Muslims accept the virgin birth, and ever to Jesus as (one of) the greatest Prophet that ever lived, they still say that he is not the Son of God …this teaching of theirs posses a serious and difficult problem for the Christian Church …this teaching of Islam confuses the Christian, whose faith is weak and causes him to doubt the deity of Christ. If that happens, many Christians would be lost (to) Islam.”[7]

[1] (Imagini Holiane), 1993, 17

[2] Should You Believe in The Trinity, 4

[3] Does God Exist (William Collns Sons & Co Lmtd, London), 1980, 699

[4] Should You Believe in The Trinity?, 4

[5] A History Of God, 130

[6] Should You Believe in The Trinity?, 4

[7] The Muslim World League Journal, Volume 23, April 1996, 30 (in brackets are mine)