The Godhead

Matthew 3:16-17

"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Imagine this scene in your mind. Christ is in the water being held by John the Baptist. A dove flies overhead. Then a voice booms from above. Would your first thought, as an observer, be "wow, Jesus must be a ventriloquist because He can throw His voice up there and puppet around that bird all while being held in the water!" I am sure not. This discussion is about the Godhead as opposed to The Trinity.

"The Godhead is a type of unity in the attributes, powers, and purposes of its members" (Articles of Faith pg. 10). Just as Jesus had said -- they are ONE. It is not a contradiction, it is a clarification of what most people in the world interpret that to mean.

The very first chapter of Holy Writ clarifies that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are separate. In Genesis 1:26, it reads "And God said, Let us make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness..." which tells us not only that we are created in the image of God (inversely that He looks like US...like a human being) but also that Jesus and God look like each other. The Holy Ghost does not have a body so that He may dwell in us.

In contrast, the Trinity is a confusing, impossible union of...things. The Athanasian Creed, which defines the Trinity for most Christian sects, reads "We worship one god in trinity, and trinity in unity, neither confounding the person, nor dividing the substance. For there is one person of the Father, and another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the godhead of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is all one; the glory equal, the majesty co eternal....The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, the Holy Ghost uncreate. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, the Holy Ghost incomprehensible. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet there are not 3 eternals, but one eternal. As also there are not 3 incomprehensibles, nor 3 uncreated, but one uncreated, and one incomprehensible..." And it goes on. What does that even mean? The answer is nothing. It is the safest guess anyone could make about the personality and substance of the Godhead.

Orson Pratt, in a pamphlet called "Absurdities of Immaterialism" compares Atheists (Those who do not believe in God) to immaterialists (Christians who follow and believe in the above Creed):

Atheists: "There is no God"

Immaterialist: "God is not here nor there, any more than he exists now and then."

Atheist: "He exists nowhere"
Immaterialist: "There is such a substance as god, but it is without parts"

Atheist: "There is no such substance as spirit"

Immaterialist: "A spirit, though he lives and acts, occupies no room, and fills no space."

In conclusion, Pratt says "One class believes in no god, the other believes that Nothing is god and worships it as such."

I wholeheartedly believe in the Godhead as 3 separate beings. Not only does it make total sense, but it allows me to come closer to Them as I understand their roles, responsibilities, and personalities. It is such a simple doctrine that is so misunderstood.

**If anyone has any questions or would like clarification, let me know! Also, if you have a part that you would like me to expound further on, post it here!**