[ER25521]

Can someone explain to me what the difference is between God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in Christianity? Is God the same as Jesus? Is Jesus the Son of God? How is everything organized so people would believe in it?

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Name : ER25521, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Edison, State : NJ Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[A. Adams]

As I recall growing up the Trinity was explained as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. What that basically means is God (the Father) is the God they spoke of in the Old Testament (i.e. the flood, burning bush, Jericho, etc.); God (the Son) refers to Jesus or the 'New Testament' God (although it gets a little confusing when he starts praying/talking to 'the Father'); and God the Holy Spirit (or Ghost) is your conscience and/or soul depending on what you believe. I'm not a theologian, but it is an interesting concept for a 'research project'. Check your local library.

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Name : A. Adams, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Paige]

The best way that I have ever heard the trinity described was as it being like a clover. The father, son, and holy spirit all having different 'petals' but all going back to the same stem. God is the father - the creator who sent his son- Jesus to teach others what they should aspire to be as humans. Jesus came to teach, to set an example, and also to show the power of Gods love through is faith. Jesus was suffered and died not only to set an extreme example of faith and love, but for our salvation. As for the holy spirit - some may argue with me, but I feel/think in my faith that I compare it to 'the force.' Unseen but felt, the power of the Lord 'the way, the truth, and the life' that is everywhere - I think present even where you 'think' it isn't. The holy spirit is a ray of sunlight and god is the sun.

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[Mel W.]

Yes, Jesus Christ is the son of God. He is also God. So is the Holy Spirit. The way this makes sense to me(I don't know about anyone else) is that God(in general) is too big for people to deal with all at once, so He presents himself as several different parts(Jesus, Holy Spirit, and God) with slightly different functions(friend, guide, and major-big authority figure) in order for us to understand Him a little more easily. So while people may refer to God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ seperately, and for our intents and purposes they are seperate, underneath they're all the same God. Hope that makes a little sense.

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Name : Mel W., Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 20, City : Gunnison, State : CO Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Sara28336]

From all that I've been taught the concept of the Trinity is that God is actually 3 persons. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. Each 'person' appeals to the specific needs of man, and each has a specific purpose, but all three are equally 'God'. God the Father is viewed as the Creator and loving protector of mankind. Much like an earthly father, God the Father provides for and protects his children. Jesus, or God the Son is the part of God who assumed human form and came to earth, to basically 'walk in man's shoes' for awhile and experience the creation of God the Father from perspective of mankind. Sending the Son (Jesus) to earth and allowing Him to die for the sins of the world is a demonstration of God the Father's love for the rest of mankind. And finally, the Holy Spirit's role is to provide comfort for mankind. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit before He ascended back into Heaven after His death and resurrection, telling his disciples that He (Jesus) is going away but that He is leaving a 'comforter' with them. The impression I always got when reading this passage from the Bible was that since Jesus had just completed His time on earth, He was able to recognize and empathize with mankind about how difficult life on earth can really be. So, He leaves a part of Himself and His Father behind to help mankind.

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[J.M.L.]

The Trinity means different things to different denominations. As a Catholic, I can tell you that the Trinity is made up of one, all-encompassing God, who expresses Himself in three ways: God-the Father (the Creator), God-the Son (Jesus, who was sent to show us a better life), and God-the Holy Spirit (our life force who guides, protects and inspires us). Imagine it as if it were a giant blanket with three different folds. Please also remember that we share the belief that 'us regular folks' do not have the capacity to comprehend what God is all about. If we did, then we'd be gods ourselves. We Christians get just as confused as you (atheists) do, except that our questions are answered in faith.

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Name : J.M.L., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Chicana, Religion : Unsure about religion, Age : 16, City : San Diego, State : CA Country : United States, 

[Gerben Dykstra]

Dear E.R. To explain the Trinity is well done by JML. I like to add that when we are united in heaven it will take us all of eternity to understand the majesty of God, The love of Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit. It will be an endless delight to rejoice and worship the Almighty loving and caring God. G.D.

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[Dan]

I would consider the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit to be three aspects (or personalities) of one person (God).

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[Sandie]

I have heard two explanations that help me. One of the most famous probably is that of a three-leaf clover. To have a complete leaf you need all three parts. If one part is missing then the leaf is not whole. The other example is that of an egg. Each egg has three parts (shell, yolk and white). If any piece is missing you do not have a whole egg.

The three aspects of God are Father/creator, Son/redeemer, Holy Spirit/sustainer. Each "part" is needed to express God completely, and the Trinity is the model we use to try to understand, one God in three persons.

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[Holly]

The trinity is a matter which can cause confusion. The Bible explains who God, Jesus, and the Holy spirit are/is. Incidentally, the word trinity is not found in the bible. It does tell us who God is, explaining that he has a name and who he is: 'That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.'(Psalms 83:18.) In the bible, Jesus is described as God's son, evidently because he was God's first creation: ' After being baptized Jesus immediately came up from the water; and, look! the heavens were opened up, and he saw descending like a dove God's spirit coming upon him. Look! Also, there was a voice from the heavens that said: This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.' (Matthew 3:16, 17.) Colosians 1:15, 16 goes on to say of Jesus: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; because by means of him all other things were created in the heavens and upon the earth ...' As for the Holy Spirit, the Bible does not describe this as a person, but rather as God's active force. An example might be the way electricity is the FORCE that enables our computers to work and so forth. Holy Spirit was poured out upon Jesus' apostles on the day of the festival at Pentecost. Acts 2:3,4 further explains: And tongues as if of fire became visible to them and were distributed about , and one sat upon each one of them, and the all became filled with holy spirit and started to speak with different toungues, just as the spirit was granting them to make utterance.' This speaking in tongues, though, was not what one might think of as often seen in modern-day churches where people seem to be going a little mad, so to speak; but rather it was the ability given to them to communicate in different languages so that they could preach to others. Acts continues: 'And yet, how is it we are hearing, each one of us, his own language in which we were born...Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the magnificent things of God.' (Acts 2:8 then picking up at vrs. 11.) There are many other scriptures that explain all of this in further detail; yet I hope these will shed some light on the subject from a biblical standpoint.

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Name : Holly, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Annapolis, State : MD Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, 

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