Proestants don't believe in the Trinity? Really?

[Generic_Man]

I was debating with my brother last night abou the Bible, and the Trinity was brought up. He said something like that the Trinity was made up by the Church. I said that if you don’t belive in the Trinity you can’t be a Christian. He said I was wrong because Proestants (I think he implied most or all, but I can’t swear to it) don’t belive in it. This came off to me as hogwash. Can any Protestants on this board attest to this? I’m 99% sure that Protestantism is Trinitarian, but there may be some fringe groups.

 

[Mannyfit75]

I was debating with my brother last night abou the Bible, and the Trinity was brought up. He said something like that the Trinity was made up by the Church. I said that if you don’t belive in the Trinity you can’t be a Christian. He said I was wrong because Proestants (I think he implied most or all, but I can’t swear to it) don’t belive in it. This came off to me as hogwash. Can any Protestants on this board attest to this? I’m 99% sure that Protestantism is Trinitarian, but there may be some fringe groups.

Most Protestants believed in the Trinity. Those Protestants who deny the Trinity are called Non-Trinitarians, who based their belief on the Bible that the Trinity is Un-Biblical.

 

[Rolltide]

Unitarians, Universalists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Mormons do not believe in the Trinity. Non-Trinitarians are a tiny fragment of the population, and most Protestants would not even consider these groups Christian.

 

[Rolltide]

John Calvin once famously had a non-Trinitarian burned at the stake. One of the few things that Catholics, Lutherans, and Calvininsts agreed upon during the Reformation was that non-Trinitarianism was a heresy.

 

[AllSaints1631]

I was debating with my brother last night abou the Bible, and the Trinity was brought up. He said something like that the Trinity was made up by the Church. I said that if you don’t belive in the Trinity you can’t be a Christian. He said I was wrong because Proestants (I think he implied most or all, but I can’t swear to it) don’t belive in it. This came off to me as hogwash. Can any Protestants on this board attest to this? I’m 99% sure that Protestantism is Trinitarian, but there may be some fringe groups.

I think United Pentecostals do not accept the Trinity as Catholics and most all other Protestants do. Most all Protestants I know believe the Trinitarian doctrine identically as Catholics do.

 

[HannahLisa]

Protestants, with a few exceptions, definitely believe in the Trinity! I think it’s rather hard to truly be a Christian without believing in it, since not believing in the Trinity usually goes along with not believing in Jesus’ full divinity and full humanity.

 

[rtconstant]

The vast majority of Protestant denominations believe in the Trinity. I know what you’re talking about though, because I’ve experienced it. I’ve ran into an unusual number of individual Protestants who do not believe in the Trinity. Don’t ask me why they don’t since it is core doctrine for most Protestant denominations. But, even when I was a Baptist I had to educate several life long members of my church on the Trinity. A couple fought me vehemenently, saying that I was speaking blasphemy. I finally had to get the Pastor to confirm it.

I don’t say the above to criticize because honestly for the most part Protestants probably do a better job of instructing their members on their denomination’s doctrines than does the CC. However, on this area there seems like there might be at least a minor gap in instruction. It really doesn’t make sense.

 

[SolaFide]

I was debating with my brother last night abou the Bible, and the Trinity was brought up. He said something like that the Trinity was made up by the Church. I said that if you don’t belive in the Trinity you can’t be a Christian. He said I was wrong because Proestants (I think he implied most or all, but I can’t swear to it) don’t belive in it. This came off to me as hogwash. Can any Protestants on this board attest to this? I’m 99% sure that Protestantism is Trinitarian, but there may be some fringe groups.

I’m as Trinitarian as they come. Protestant groups that don’t believe in the Trinity: JWs, Unitarian Universalists, Oneness Pentacostals, Apostolic Church. Those are the only ones I can think of off hand.

 

[Rolltide]

Ok, I found the figures…

Total number of Christians - 2,235,500,000
Catholics - 1,120,000,000
Eastern Orthodox - 225,000,000
Oriental Orthodox - 72,000,000

Protestantism (mainline) - 590,000,000
Pentacostalism - 105,000,000
Non-Trinitarian - 28,500,000
Restorationaism - 18,000,000

That breaks down to 4.8% of Protestants rejecting the Trinity.

 

[HannahLisa]

Does it mention in those figures which denominations are non-Trinitarian? I know that Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarian Universalists, and Mormons don’t believe in it; however, I would also not consider those groups Christian because of their understanding of who Jesus is. Also, Unitarian Universalists are a group of people who embrace multiple faith traditions and believe each person must find their own truth. So they would not qualify as Christian.

 

[SyCarl]

I would think that the 28,500,000 probably includes Jehovah Witnesses whom Protestants would not really call Christian, let alone Protestant. Non-Catholic, non-Orthodox are not all Protestants although some Catholics may like to group them with us.

 

[whatisthetruth]

Hi all

I am not a catholic or a protestant and I believe in the trinity which is believed by our church because it is right in God’s word the Bible

1John 5:7 King James
So there are three witnesses in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are One

While we are on the subject, some peole do not believe Jesus is the word and existed even before Mary was conceived.

We find out from
John1 Jesus is the word

John 1
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

 

[Rolltide]

I’m as Trinitarian as they come. Protestant groups that don’t believe in the Trinity: JWs, Unitarian Universalists, Oneness Pentacostals, Apostolic Church. Those are the only ones I can think of off hand.

Ok, according to Wikipedia, they list the non-Trinitarians as follows:

Nontrinitarianism - 31.28 million
* Jehovah’s Witnesses - 15 million
* Latter Day Saint movement (Mormonism) - 13.25 million
----- Latter-day Saints - 13 million
----- Community of Christ - .25 million
* Iglesia ni Cristo - 1.68 million
* Unitarianism - 0.45 million
* Christadelphians - 0.34 million
* Oneness Pentecostals - 0.31 million

They are NOT included under the definition of Protestantism.

 

[Chellow]

I don’t think you can really call any one that is Non-Trinitarian a Christian due to the fact that Islam is also Non-Trinitarian and believe something about Christ also.

Some Protestant don’t see eye to eye with Catholics and Orthodox pertaining to the Trinity. For example
**
Catholic Question: Is Mary the Mother of God?**

Protestant: No

Catholic: Is Christ not God?

Protestant: Yes

Catholic: Was not Mary the mother of Christ?

Protestant: Yes

Catholic: Then Mary been the mother of Christ must be the mother of God.

Protestant: No

Catholic:

Can anyone explain how a Trinitarian can give an answer like that above.

 

[HannahLisa]

Okay, I would just like to say that as a Protestant, I do believe that Mary is the mother of God…Though this may have something to do with having grown up Episcopalian. So some Protestants would say yes to all those questions. I don’t know what non-Trinitarians would say to those questions though.

I’m afraid I don’t really see the connection between Mary being the mother of God and the doctrine of the Trinity…Could you clarify that?

 

[Stevenson]

That breaks down to 4.8% of Protestants rejecting the Trinity.

I am pretty sure that the vast, VAST majority of Protestants would consider Trinitarian belief to be a dogmatic essential and that, correspondingly, one who rejects the Trinity knowingly, is not only not a Protestant; that person isn’t even a Christian.

One of the things being Protestant means is accepting the Trinity.

 

[Stevenson]

I don’t think you can really call any one that is Non-Trinitarian a Christian due to the fact that Islam is also Non-Trinitarian and believe something about Christ also.

Some Protestant don’t see eye to eye with Catholics and Orthodox pertaining to the Trinity. For example
**
Catholic Question: Is Mary the Mother of God?**

Protestant: No

Catholic: Is Christ not God?

Protestant: Yes

Catholic: Was not Mary the mother of Christ?

Protestant: Yes

Catholic: Then Mary been the mother of Christ must be the mother of God.

Protestant: No

Catholic:

Can anyone explain how a Trinitarian can give an answer like that above.

I think you’d be surprised how many Protestants, once it is explained to them are prepared to accept the doctrine of the Mother of God.

Most Anglicans and Lutherans do, for example, and a startling number of Presbyterians.

 

[Chellow]

Well the point is how can you be a Trinitarian and say Mary is the mother of Christ, (Christ been God) and then not say Mary is the Mother of God.

Sorry please include High Episcopalian , Catholics and Orthodox eye to eye in the Trinity.

 

[Chellow]

I think you’d be surprised how many Protestants, once it is explained to them are prepared to accept the doctrine of the Mother of God.

Most Anglicans and Lutherans do, for example, and a startling number of Presbyterians.

Catholic Question: Is Mary the Mother of God?

Protestant: No

Catholic: Is Christ not God?

Protestant: Yes

Catholic: Was not Mary the mother of Christ?

Protestant: Yes

Catholic: Then Mary been the mother of Christ must be the mother of God.

Protestant: No

Catholic:

That’s was my out come in a conversation with a well read Baptist.

 

[sanblasboy13]

Most Protestants believed in the Trinity. Those Protestants who deny the Trinity are called Non-Trinitarians, who based their belief on the Bible that the Trinity is Un-Biblical.

If you look at all the churches that the Church says that their baptisms are valid…they all believe in the Trinity. The ones that they say are not valid…DON’T!!