Does God have 3 minds?

[Goya]

Too late to edit, so I had to C&P here:

YOU: To clarify this point, God made us "their " image (or likeness) That did not necessarily have meant our body, even though it is possible. But He certainly made us according to His likeness regarding soul, and spirit.
God is not some 3 headed monster that has no resemblance to us.

MY REPLY: I never suggeted that He was a monster or anything of the sort. Further, making us in His image, does not necessitate that He have a mind–or anything else limiting. e.g.–a body. We are encapsulated in a body; is God encapuslated, or trapped in a body? Why must His omnicience then, be encapsulated or trapped in a mind?

(Limiting was misspelt above, as ‘liming’. There are a few other typos, but most are easy to discern from context–this one I thought might be a bit confusing, and the change–‘limiting’ goes to the substance of my reply).

 

[FCEGM]

human genome;10753757]Regarding Goya statements;

ME: Does the Father ‘think’?
YOU:*Of course He does! He is a creator, The Creator. Did you ever know of a creator that did not think? Do you think that we were not well thought out before He made us? He must have thought long and hard, as He says in His word, "we were on His mind before the beginning of the world! We were the most important part of His Creation. Go to psalm 139, that should give you some idea of God’s thinking.
When God considers us, you don’t think He thinks about us? He sure does, Scripture says so, repeatedly. *

My reply: You misunderstand. Completely. “thinking” is a lame attempt at knowing. It is seeking knowledge. God is omniscient; He has all knowledge; He therefore has not need to ‘attempt’ or strive for knowlege, and therefore no need to think, or use for ‘thought’. . .[etc.]…

Bravo!! :clapping:

 

[ConstantineTG]

Does the Father ‘think’?

Does the Son ‘think’?

Does the Holy Spirit ‘think’?

Does God ‘think’?

Or rather, does God simply know?

If God knows all according to the godly attribute of omnisicience, what need is there for a ‘mind’? What purpose would a mind serve?

Can omniscience be part of a mind? Can such even ‘fit into’ a mind?

Would the lack of a mind–or three minds–defeat the distinction between the distinct hypostases?

Would we dare deny omniscience to one person of the Trinity? E.g.–God the Father is omniscient; but not God the Son–since He was human…

IMO–seems to me, we are often inclined to extrapulate and extend ad infinitem, temporal limitations that God the Son took on, temporarily, during the incarnation–as part of His human existence. Yet that human existence, was temporally limited, was it not?

Maybe I have it wrong here.

Did Christ remain human, after the Ascension?

Certainly–rather, perhaps–our image of Him, remains so–but that does not necessarily make it so.

God the Son was indeed human, when he took on the form of a humble human being, in the person* of Jesus of Nazareth (*=for lack of a better word–that is, not to suggest an additional ‘Person’ or hypostasis) .

But did The Son/Christ retain the dual natures of humanity and divnity, even after the Ascension?

Or was the humanity surrendered and/or consumed, into his divnity, post Ascension?

Does the mere fact that The Son became human necessitate a ‘different’ mind? A mind at all?

Would, or must, such a ‘mind’ have survived the Ascenstion?

Couldn’t God the Son have had a mind during the incarnation, then such mind have been essentially rendered obsolete upon the Ascension?

Could Christ have been human without a ‘mind’?

(Not being difficult–or pretentious–just pointing out how little we know, and how grand and varried, the possibilities in this ‘terrain’.)

Well, we cannot hope to know the entire mechanics of God. We cannot know him fully. In Orthodoxy this is what we call the essence/energies distinction. We can only know as much about God as that has been revealed to us through our experience of and with Him. What we do know as much is that the persons of the Trinity are distinct while of one essence, that is Divine. How their thinking functions actually work, we do not know. But given that they are distinct, it is safe to assume they are full and complete individually. God is not a collective with a hive mind, the same way that we who enter the Kingdom do not become a part of the collective. We remain distinct but the communion with God affects us in a way that we do not rebel anymore. Perhaps the communion enables us to know the mind of God and while we have still the capacity to sin, we won’t because with the full knowledge of good it makes no sense to do anything else.

As to Christ being human, yes. From the point of the incarnation and forward, Christ is human as much as He is divine.

 

[ConstantineTG]

And lastly, ConstantineTG is incorrect in his assessment reagarding when and where we start thinkng and acting like our Lord Jesus. When we are born again (saved), we receive the mind of Christ. We now live in Him and He in us. That means that we can start thinking like Him right there, and also start acting like Him right then and there. After we accept Christ we have the Holy Spirit living in us. He is the One that gives us the power and convictions to “do the right things” (live a righteous life according to Christ , by His grace).

I am not denying what you said here. I am talking about the fullness of communion we will achieve when we enter into what we call Theosis in the East.

 

[human_genome]

I am not denying what you said here. I am talking about the fullness of communion we will achieve when we enter into what we call Theosis in the East.

Theosis in the East. hmm, interesting, that’s a new one to me, perhaps you care to digress? You know, I learn more things here than in many other places

 

[human_genome]

I am not denying what you said here. I am talking about the fullness of communion we will achieve when we enter into what we call Theosis in the East.

The Christian is the one who wherever he or she looks, everywhere sees Christ and rejoices in him. We are to go out, then, from the Liturgy and see Christ everywhere.
–Fr. Alexander Schmemann

Why is it that if this Catholic Friar believes in what he is saying that few other Catholics follow that notion? They talk about Mary, about your prayer bead, your sacraments, your traditions, your rules and regulations etc. etc. and nothing about Jesus, yet is not that the VERY thing that Jesus was so much against in His day on this earth? That was exactly what the pharisees were doing, totally disregarding the essence of God’s message to mankind? They even got to a point of knowing all the laws, rules and regulations, yet Jesus had some “choice words” for them and their hypocrisy (brood of vipers, children of the devil, “vessels of a rotting substance”). The thief on the cross next to Jesus heard these words, “Surely I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise!” Yet, he knew nothing of the law and ordinances that most of you Catholics say are so important. How is your relationship with Jesus, or is that not as important as your religion? Religion is something all people’s have, and the majority do not have a relationship with their “deity”. A deity that demands things of them, sets strict rules, punishes them when they have done wrong, stays at a good distance from them and never shares in their lives, never has compassion on them. Rule is a key word.
Christianity is supposed to be different, since we have a living God, a compassionate God, a God that loves unconditionally, a God that WANTS a relationship with mankind, it is THE thing that He is desiring. Why don’t I hear that from the Catholics that I know, my friends, and from you here on this website? Could it be that walking in the Spirit is not easy to do? You have to give up too much of yourself? So you have to find substance, material “stuff” that makes it “easier”, and the fact that you have a hard time believing will be made up for in this kind of worship of idols? Idols, yes, because that is what Jesus call them, …,“not to make any graven image likened unto God” Is not that what the Jews did in the desert and many of them died for?
I am really interested in a reply from anyone

 

[aemcpa]

I am really interested in a reply from anyone.

I’m not so sure you are.

 

[ConstantineTG]

The Christian is the one who wherever he or she looks, everywhere sees Christ and rejoices in him. We are to go out, then, from the Liturgy and see Christ everywhere.
–Fr. Alexander Schmemann

Why is it that if this Catholic Friar

Fr. Alexander is an Orthodox priest.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Theosis in the East. hmm, interesting, that’s a new one to me, perhaps you care to digress? You know, I learn more things here than in many other places

Theosis means divinization. In the East we believe the goal of a Christian life is full participation in the life of God where we are in perfect Communion in Him that He literally lives in us and us in Him that we are divinized. Not divinized in a sense that we become divine like God, but enough that we like in the eternal bliss of heaven, to simplify the explanation.

 

[Goya]

The Christian is the one who wherever he or she looks, everywhere sees Christ and rejoices in him. We are to go out, then, from the Liturgy and see Christ everywhere.
–Fr. Alexander Schmemann

Why is it that if this Catholic Friar believes in what he is saying that few other Catholics follow that notion? They talk about Mary, about your prayer bead, your sacraments, your traditions, your rules and regulations etc. etc. and nothing about Jesus, yet is not that the VERY thing that Jesus was so much against in His day on this earth? That was exactly what the pharisees were doing, totally disregarding the essence of God’s message to mankind? They even got to a point of knowing all the laws, rules and regulations, yet Jesus had some “choice words” for them and their hypocrisy (brood of vipers, children of the devil, “vessels of a rotting substance”). The thief on the cross next to Jesus heard these words, “Surely I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise!” Yet, he knew nothing of the law and ordinances that most of you Catholics say are so important. How is your relationship with Jesus, or is that not as important as your religion? Religion is something all people’s have, and the majority do not have a relationship with their “deity”. A deity that demands things of them, sets strict rules, punishes them when they have done wrong, stays at a good distance from them and never shares in their lives, never has compassion on them. Rule is a key word.
Christianity is supposed to be different, since we have a living God, a compassionate God, a God that loves unconditionally, a God that WANTS a relationship with mankind, it is THE thing that He is desiring. Why don’t I hear that from the Catholics that I know, my friends, and from you here on this website? Could it be that walking in the Spirit is not easy to do? You have to give up too much of yourself? So you have to find substance, material “stuff” that makes it “easier”, and the fact that you have a hard time believing will be made up for in this kind of worship of idols? Idols, yes, because that is what Jesus call them, …,“not to make any graven image likened unto God” Is not that what the Jews did in the desert and many of them died for?
I am really interested in a reply from anyone

The ‘laws’ of the Pharisees and Sadduccees that Christ dismissed, were the thousands of arbitrary requirements that were developed over time by man, for man–and which had no place in the worship of God. Literally, thousands of rules over the most minute aspects of life. So many pointless laws obscured God, rather than bringing people closer to God.

Catholic traditions and Church requirements in stark contrast, are all geared towards, and lead us to Christ.

e.g.–the requirement of confession at least once a year (yes*, the requirement is only once per year*)—designed to bring/keep us closer to God.

e.g. 2–the requirement to take the Eucharist at least once a year (yes, again only only once per year), during the Easter season–designed to bring us closer to God, as Jesus Christ is fully present, in the Eucharist.

This is not man made: Unless ye eat of the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have not life in you. Jesus Christ, John 6:31, et. seq.; “This is my body…this is my blood…do this in memory of me”. (don’t recall specific citation, but these were Chirst’s words at the Last Supper. Point being, the celebration of the Eucharist, was instituted by Christ; not man.

What’s more, per Christ’s own words, he came to fulfill the law, not to undo it.

Further still, Christ Himself, was baptized, and called us all to be baptized.

The sacraments are cleary designed to bring us closer to Chirst, and do just that. They hardly obscure God, let alone stear us away from Him.

 

[nuntym]

+JMJ+

I’ve heard or read somewhere that the Trinity has three Perspectives, but one Mind, in that each Person is a way of looking, doing, and thinking of things, but it is only one God that does.

 

[dronald]

Mark 13:32 might be worth noting:

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Maybe someone can explain that for me.

 

[nuntym]

+JMJ+

Mark 13:32 might be worth noting:

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Maybe someone can explain that for me.

One way to answer that is that the Son gained a human body. He had to learn how to do many things while He was growing up even though He was God. The knowledge of the day of the end of times could have been suppressed by His human nature.