The Characters
Clark– Pastor
Madeleine– His daughter
It was a wintry evening, around 9 O’clock, and Rev. Clark was busy in his Study preparing for the Sunday Service, when Madeleine, his daughter of age 13, came to him and broke in “Dad, I wanted to ask something.”
Clark [turning around at her]: What is it, my dear?
Madeleine: Doesn’t God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit make three gods? [Then, pointing to a picture on the wall] God is that old Father, Jesus is the Son, and that dove is the Holy Spirit. They also look so different from each other.
Clark: This picture is just a painting. Somebody imagined it that way. There are not three gods. Only one God, and…
Madeleine: But, you said that Jesus is God, and also the Holy Spirit?
Clark: Yes, that’s right.
Madeleine: Then, there are three gods.
Clark: No, there is only one God. It’s not very easy to understand how, but there’s only one God.
Madeleine: How can that be, dad?
Clark: Well, it’s difficult to understand how, but the Bible teaches that the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and that these are three; but, yet, there is only one God.
Madeleine: And, who is that one God, dad?
Clark: God the Father is that God. Jesus is that God. The Holy Spirit is that God.
Madeleine: Oh, you mean God is like Spider-man. He is both Peter Parker and Spider-man at the same time.
Clark: Well, perhaps; but, I don’t think so. Peter Parker and Spider-man is the same person, but the Father is a different person, Jesus is a different person, and the Holy Spirit is a different person.
Madeleine: You confuse me, dad.
Clark: God is not one person like we humans are; He is three-persons.
Madeleine: Okay, you mean He is like Brahma who got four heads, four hands, but two feet.
Clark: Why do you think so?
Madeleine: I thought there are as many persons as there are heads to count.
Clark: Why, you can have two or three hard disks or processors in a computer, but it’s still one.
Madeleine: But, a computer is not a person, and the various disks and processors are just parts.
Clark: So, the head could also just be a part.
Madeleine: Well, if each of the processors had consciousness, then the computer made up of two processors would not be one person, but still it would be one computer.
Clark: I don’t think so. The two processors would merely be two thinking units of one person, like we have a tussle between the good and evil, reasoning and feeling, within us.
Madeleine: Well, the two thinking units would not be against each other but would operate seamlessly. But, I think you may be right. Still, there are two thinkers already there.
Clark: For that to be possible, each unit will need to have a separate will of its own.
Madeleine: Granted.
Clark: But, yet the units are just parts of a whole, the computer, while, God is not made up three different parts: each Person is fully God.
Madeleine: It’s not necessary to think of them as only parts. Granted each possesses consciousness, each will distinctly be conscious of being the computer.
Clark: So, there will be three consciousnesses but, seamlessly, one computer.
Madeleine: Yes.
Clark: I’m a bit afraid of this analogy, though it, at least, makes some sense. However, God is Spirit and we can’t talk of Him in the way we talk of a human body or a machine.
to be continued…
Clark– Pastor
Madeleine– His daughter
It was a wintry evening, around 9 O’clock, and Rev. Clark was busy in his Study preparing for the Sunday Service, when Madeleine, his daughter of age 13, came to him and broke in “Dad, I wanted to ask something.”
Clark [turning around at her]: What is it, my dear?
Madeleine: Doesn’t God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit make three gods? [Then, pointing to a picture on the wall] God is that old Father, Jesus is the Son, and that dove is the Holy Spirit. They also look so different from each other.
Clark: This picture is just a painting. Somebody imagined it that way. There are not three gods. Only one God, and…
Madeleine: But, you said that Jesus is God, and also the Holy Spirit?
Clark: Yes, that’s right.
Madeleine: Then, there are three gods.
Clark: No, there is only one God. It’s not very easy to understand how, but there’s only one God.
Madeleine: How can that be, dad?
Clark: Well, it’s difficult to understand how, but the Bible teaches that the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and that these are three; but, yet, there is only one God.
Madeleine: And, who is that one God, dad?
Clark: God the Father is that God. Jesus is that God. The Holy Spirit is that God.
Madeleine: Oh, you mean God is like Spider-man. He is both Peter Parker and Spider-man at the same time.
Clark: Well, perhaps; but, I don’t think so. Peter Parker and Spider-man is the same person, but the Father is a different person, Jesus is a different person, and the Holy Spirit is a different person.
Madeleine: You confuse me, dad.
Clark: God is not one person like we humans are; He is three-persons.
Madeleine: Okay, you mean He is like Brahma who got four heads, four hands, but two feet.
Clark: Why do you think so?
Madeleine: I thought there are as many persons as there are heads to count.
Clark: Why, you can have two or three hard disks or processors in a computer, but it’s still one.
Madeleine: But, a computer is not a person, and the various disks and processors are just parts.
Clark: So, the head could also just be a part.
Madeleine: Well, if each of the processors had consciousness, then the computer made up of two processors would not be one person, but still it would be one computer.
Clark: I don’t think so. The two processors would merely be two thinking units of one person, like we have a tussle between the good and evil, reasoning and feeling, within us.
Madeleine: Well, the two thinking units would not be against each other but would operate seamlessly. But, I think you may be right. Still, there are two thinkers already there.
Clark: For that to be possible, each unit will need to have a separate will of its own.
Madeleine: Granted.
Clark: But, yet the units are just parts of a whole, the computer, while, God is not made up three different parts: each Person is fully God.
Madeleine: It’s not necessary to think of them as only parts. Granted each possesses consciousness, each will distinctly be conscious of being the computer.
Clark: So, there will be three consciousnesses but, seamlessly, one computer.
Madeleine: Yes.
Clark: I’m a bit afraid of this analogy, though it, at least, makes some sense. However, God is Spirit and we can’t talk of Him in the way we talk of a human body or a machine.
to be continued…
[...] A Dialogue on Trinity-2 August 1, 2010 Posted by Domenic in Essays, Stories, Studies, Thoughts. Tags: doctrine, faith, Philosophy, theology, Trinity trackback continued from “A Dialogue on Trinity” [...]
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