TYLER - In 2 Nephi 25:29 it tells us to worship Jesus Christ
with all our might, mind and strength etc. If you
don't believe in the trinity (where Jesus would
therefore BE God) How can you justify worshiping
both God the Father and Jesus Christ? wouldn't that be
in direct violation of the commandment quoted by Jesus
himself, "thou shalt worship the Lord
thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." it seems to
me that regaurdless of whether you believe other gods
exist you are only allowed to worship ONE God and only
one. (and a polytheistic view of the Godhead
would be included, you cannot worship the father and
the son if they are not the same God.)
Also, why does Thomas say to Jesus, "My Lord and my
GOD" John 20:28. It appears as though Thomas believed in the trinity,
(and John as well since it is him who is writing it).
JOEL - The Father and the Son are the same God, even though
we believe they are separate individuals. We worship
only one God, and that one God is God the Father,
Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. They are separate
and distinct beings and are individually called
"Gods"(plural), but the three of them
together are also called "God"(singular). The word
"God" can represent one being or all three beings; it
depends on the context in which the word is used.
We believe that scriptures that tell us to worship
only one God are refering to the Godhead, consisting
of the three. We do not worship Gods of other
universes in the past or present; only the God of this
universe. It's kind of like a basketball team. People
in Utah are fans of the basketball team called
"Jazz"(well most are). They are fans of each team
member who is a "Jazz" and they are fans of the team
as a whole which is also called "Jazz".
When Thomas felt with his own hands the risen Christ,
he was just expressing his testimony that Jesus is
Lord and God. Jesus can be called Lord and/or God and
God the Father can be called Lord and/or God. They are
just different names used for identifying a member of
the Godhead. I don't see how this scripture is proof
of the concept of the trinity. It's all in how you
personally interpret it.
The words "Lord" and "God" are a little different in
that "Lord" can refer to one who is a master over many
and "God" refering to an all-powerful, all-knowing,
supreme devine being. So Thomas is
professing his realization and belief that Jesus is
both his master and his devine being(God). But
God the Father can be called both of these things as well.
See also the following page:
http://www.mormonhaven.com/tomjohn2.htm
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