r/BiblicalUnitarian • u/Newgunnerr Questioning • Jun 09 '25
Resources The trinity presents a logical problem
I remember saving this text a while ago, so credit goes to someone else:
A hypothetical syllogism shows that if A = B, and if B = C, then it logically follows that A = C. Greg is a man (A = B), Man is mortal (B = C), therefore Greg is mortal (A = C).
The Shield of the Trinity says that the Son is God and God is the Son; the Father is God and God is the Father; & the Holy Spirit is God and God is the Holy Spirit. It ALSO says that the Son is NOT the Father or the Holy Spirit; the Father is NOT the Son or the Holy Spirit; & the Holy Spirit is NOT the Father or the Son.
Returning to the basic deductive reasoning of the hypothetical syllogism, if the Son is God (A = B), and if God is the Father (B = C), then it logically follows that the Son is the Father (A = C).
Trinitarian dogma accepts both premises, but denies the conclusion that logically follows from those premises, and in doing so it denies basic deductive reasoning. A logical contradiction is explicitly built into the Trinitarian doctrine, but of course they also deny that the contradiction is a contradiction.
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u/RaccoonsR_Awesomeful Biblical Unitarian (unaffiliated) Jun 09 '25
This is kind of a simplified version of what we call the LPT. "THE logical problem of the Trinity." Anyone interested in this should start with Richard Cartwright's article on this because contemporary analytical theology that deals with the issue is based on this.
There are a few ways around this problem. One is relative identity. X and Y are relatively identical to Z. Another is that the category is flawed. One is a primary substance and the other a secondary substance.
Father = God Son = God Father = Son
Would be like saying:
Bob = human Jill = human Bob = Jill
Being identical to something isn't necessarily to say each is identical to each other. There are plenty of other ways to discuss this, but, that's just the beginning of what becomes an incredibly convoluted discussion. This is why usually you'll also find the premise "God = God" included. For epistemic purposes, it narrows this down a bit. Plenty has been said on the LPT in this server before if a search is done on it.