The Trinity for Dummies

A Muslim asked me regarding the Trinity. The concept of trinity is one that Muslims can’t get their heads around. It is not because it is difficult to understand but because Muhammad could not understand it. If Muslims understand it, then it becomes evident that they are smarter than their prophet, which proves he was not a prophet of God. Since for them such an idea is inconceivable, they will do everything in their power to not understand. Muhammad’s inability to comprehend the concept of Trinity is evident in the Quran.

“People of the Book, … Do not say that there are three gods. It is better for you to stop believing in the Trinity. There is only One God.” ^{(Q. 4: 171)}

He also made up a conversation between God and Jesus where God Asks Jesus whether he has claimed to be God.

“When God asked Jesus, son of Mary “Did you tell men to consider you and your mother as their gods besides m he replied, “Glory be to you!” How could I say what I have no right to say? Had I ever said it, You would have certainly known about it.” ^{(Q. 5:116)}

Any rational person will agree that such conversation that would show God’s ignorance of what Jesus was doing and saying behind his back is not likely. Even Muhammad was aware of the absurdity of his story. Why would he then make it up? He repeats his ignorance of the Trinity again:

“Those people who say that God is the third of three are defying [the truth]: there is only One God. If they persist in what they are saying, a painful punishment will afflict those of them who persist. Why do they not turn to God and ask his forgiveness, when God is most forgiving, most merciful? The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a messenger; other messengers had come and gone before him; his mother was a virtuous woman; both ate food. See how clear We make these signs for them; see how deluded they are.” ^{(Q. 5:72-75)}

Apparently Muhammad was impressed by himself. In this brief article I am going to make things clear for Muslims to show that the one who was deluded was Muhammad. This article is not to prove the Trinity, but to explain the concept of it and show that it is not absurd and contrary to science and reason. In the past people had to rely on faith to believe in the Trinity. With our new found understanding of the quantum universe we don’t need to rely solely on faith.

Before explaining the concept of God’s Trinity let me dispel the mystery behind this word. The truth is that everyone is a trinity. Is it not true that each person consists of a mind, a body and a soul? So are you one or three? The question is absurd. Your soul, your mind and your body are different dimensions of you. The three is one. Does your trinity challenge your oneness? Another example is space. The width, the height and the depth of space do not contradict its integrity and oneness.

We can understand complex ideas with simple examples. Sun shines on all things. Things become visible when they reflect the light of the sun. All objects absorb some of the light and reflect some. Depending what frequencies they absorb, we see them colorful. There is one object that reflects light in its entirety. That object is the mirror. If you hold a clean mirror in front of the sun you can see the sun inside the mirror. You can point at the mirror and say that is the sun, and you would be right. You are not talking about the mirror which is made of glass. You are talking of the reflection of the sun in it. This does not mean that the sun is divided in two or has descended physically to enter the mirror. The sun remains intact, while at the same time it can be viewed in the mirror.

Now compare God to the sun and the immaculate soul of Jesus to the mirror. If God is present in the soul of every human, can’t He appear in all His glory in the soul of a sinless man such as Jesus?

We all carry the spirit of God in us. Our soul is the breath of God. Where there is life there is consciousness and all consciousness is from God. There is a piece of God in every living being. All life forms are divine. Since God’s consciousness is present in every creature, to the extent of the perfection of that creature, is it not possible that a perfect man could reflect God’s consciousness more faithfully than others?

When we say Jesus was God, we are not talking about his physical body. We know that he ate and drank like everyone else. So his body was made of the same molecules and atoms that make any other person. We also know that the molecules composing a human body are recycled constantly. Old cells die and new ones are born every day. In seven years, not a single atom in your body will remain the same. So clearly we are not talking about the physical body of Jesus. (Unfortunately many Christians make this mistake, which Muslims take advantage of.) We are talking of his soul, which became the mirror, upon which the spirit of God shined. This example although easy to understand has its flaws, because Jesus was not a reflection of God, He was God walking on earth without God descending from his throne or setting foot on earth. When you copy a file on your hard drive, the copy is the same as the original.

• “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
• “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)
• “He who beholds Me beholds the One who sent Me.” (John 12:45)

What is the Holy Spirit? In the above example we compared God to sun and Jesus to a mirror. The Holy Spirit can be compared to the rays of the sun that reflect on the mirror. The Holy Spirit made God reflect on Jesus.

Now let us move to science and reason. An object made of matter cannot be divided and maintain its integrity at the same time. If you divide an apple in two, it is no longer one. Objects that are smaller than atom are not subject to this law. Particles are subject to a different set of laws called quantum physics. A Particle can be split in two and still be one. And it can be in the past and the present at once. Particles are not affected by space and time. Space and time are properties of matter and are essentially the same. This means that if you are a particle, you are timeless and all over places, popping in and out of now and here. This is observable. Einstein showed that matter gives birth to time and space. Where there is no matter, there is no space-time.

If consciousness is a form of energy independent from body, which I believe to be the case, as I have shown here and here, it also can’t be subject to the time-space quantum. If the behavior of particles are any clue as to how a timeless and space less world works, then we should assume that our consciousness will be ubiquitous as well as eternal, just like electrons and photons. If particles can be in multiple places, why can’t consciousness? Although it is hard to imagine, it can be understood logically that where there is no time and space, past and future are the same, and here is just as near as the edge of the universe. This means our consciousness can be in two places at the same time, much like the way our thoughts can be in two places at the same time. If this is possible for us, why it should not be so for God?

Another example is information. A teacher can share his knowledge with his students and while the students experience an increase in their knowledge the teacher does not lose any of his. You can’t do that with physical objects. If you give some of your money to another person, in the same proportion that he is enriched you are impoverished.

The essence of God is consciousness. God is not subject to time and space. Once we leave this physical body we also won’t be subject to them. Future and past are present and present is eternity. It is all the same. Here and there will have no meaning. As a spirit you can be in two different places at once. In fact it is not unlikely that you may be in another body at this very moment, living an entirely different life. You may be of different gender, of different age and belong to different race, or even live in a different planet in another galaxy. You may even see yourself in the street and not recognize yourself. Past and future reincarnations are also meaningless. In the spiritual world, there is no past and future. Everything is happening now. This is the weirdness of a world not bound by space-time quantum. We know this through our knowledge of quantum mechanics. Consciousness is also a form of energy that is not subject to the space-time.

If the above is within the realm of possibilities for us, how can God not be able to be in different places at once? How can He be subject to time and space when He is the one who has made them?

The world that you see is a mirage. It is not real. The foundation of this visible world is the sub atomic world. When the particles form the matter, they also give birth to space and time. God is not made of matter. He is pure consciousness. He can deposit His essence in His creatures without losing any of His own. God is in all of us and yet, He is not diminished. Consciousness, like knowledge, can be shared and given away without being reduced. Therefore, if God is said to be in Jesus, the oneness of God is not affected. He is not split in two nor is diminished. God is one and at the same time He can be three, and even millions. In fact God is infinite. Every life form is a manifestation of God. If you see the sun reflected in millions of mirrors, it does not mean the sun is divided in pieces. This should also make clear the concept of multitudes of deities in Hinduism. Despite believing in two million gods, Hindus are monotheists. But Muslims will never understand this mystery, even when it is so simple.

Consciousness is another term for spirit. All living beings are conscious because they have the spirit of God in them. The difference between Jesus and us is only in degrees. We can say he was like a mirror, reflecting God’s consciousness in its full glory, while we are like other objects reflecting Him partially.

With this explanation, it is clear that Muhammad did not know the nature of God. Had he known that God is consciousness he would not have had any difficulty understanding the concept of Trinity. If God were a person made of matter like us, then Muhammad would have been right. This proves Muhammad had no spiritual insight. Despite being a superbly cunning man, spiritually he was a dunce. Muslims who bring up the argument of Trinity to beat up Christians are just showing their own spiritual ignorance.

Not only Muhammad did not understand the concept of Trinity, he was also confused about the belief itself. He thought the three persons representing the Trinity are Jesus, Mary and God. That is because his knowledge of the Bible was second hand. Being an illiterate man he had not read the Bible himself.

The above is my understanding of the Trinity. I am not speaking on behalf of the Christians. I know many Christians are also confused about the Trinity and they believe in it as a dogma. I am a rationalist not a dogmatic. I rejected God for lack of reason and now I believe in God through reason. Therefore my views of God may differ from those who have blind faith.

More evidence from the weird world of quantum entanglement

Another peculiarity of a world that is not subject to space and time can be seen in quantum entanglement. One particle can split and the two parts can become intertwined so that they always share the same properties, even if they’re separated by billions of light years. If you then affect a change of status in one of them, its counterpart will be affected instantly even if it is on the other side of the universe. This is what Einstein called the spooky action at a distance.

This is strange. Since our notion of reality is based on space and time it is difficult for us to make sense of it. However, quantum entanglement opens a new door to the understanding of the subatomic world. This so called spooky action is not the property of particles; it is rather a characteristic of the timeless and spaceless world.

Particles are energy. Thoughts and consciousness are also energy. Since they are not subject to space and time, they must behave similarly. Therefore, it is not irrational to say that consciousness/spirit can split in two, like particles, and remain entangled. One part can come to Earth as Jesus and the other part remain in the immaterial world as God. They are not half of each other. Each part is whole and undivided and both are one.

We have no way of understanding the spiritual world, but quantum physics is a window into a different world that does not follow the Newtonian laws of physics. This allows us to think differently, unrestrained by the constraints of the atomic wold of matter. And when we do that, we don’t have to base our belief in God on faith but on reason and science.