Michael Servetus

[Fowdy92]

Just happened to come across this guy on the front page of wikipedia, (today being the annivesery of his execution)

For those who might not know, he was a 16th century theologian who was executed as a heretic for preaching his own brand of non-trinitarianism, he argued the following:

• The trinity was not a biblical doctrine- it was influenced by Greek Philosophy
• Non-trinitarianism was a subject of the Early Church prior to the Nicene Creed
• The trinity made Christianity "Tri-Theist"
• Argued that Jesus Christ as the divine "logos" was not eternal but only generated from the moment of conception (obviously, we would disagree on this point, with views about pre-mortal ex
• istence and such)

Anyone else familar with this guy? Surely he has some valid points on establishing non-trinitarian arguments. For me personally, I actually havent looked deep into online resources into studying arguments against the trinity. Although I am after some, anyone able to provide?

[Vance]

This doesn't speak well of Calvin.

FTA,

Calvin believed Servetus deserving of death on account of what he termed as his "execrable blasphemies".[22] Calvin expressed these sentiments in a letter to Farel, written about a week after Servetus

[Fowdy92]

Also found out that this guy was also executed for being guilty of

• denying original sin
• opposing infant baptisms.

Odd to see, how consistent some historical theologians actually were with LDS doctrine. They identified elements of the great apostasy easily. But all shared the common fate of being executed a heretic. Maybe this is why the restoration did not occur until the 1800's, because it would have been tolerated even less at any time before that. A time of religious revival had to be chosen, so that at least a plurality in religious belief would be socially acceptable.

[changed]

Anyone else familar with this guy? Surely he has some valid points on establishing non-trinitarian arguments. For me personally, I actually havent looked deep into online resources into studying arguments against the trinity. Although I am after some, anyone able to provide?

I think the best resource is just to look at the scriptures...

Gen 17:1 AND the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three *men (people - Strong's H582) stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground

[Robert F. Smith]

Also found out that this guy was also executed for being guilty of

denying original sin

• opposing infant baptisms.

Odd to see, how consistent some historical theologians actually were with LDS doctrine. They identified elements of the great apostasy easily. But all shared the common fate of being executed a heretic. Maybe this is why the restoration did not occur until the 1800's, because it would have been tolerated even less at any time before that. A time of religious revival had to be chosen, so that at least a plurality in religious belief would be socially acceptable.

Yes, the Restoration certainly had to wait for religious freedom to be established. My own people dropped Presbyterianism (and thereby Calvinism) for Methodism (and free will) early in t9th century America. They didn't have to worry about someone trying them for heresy.

John Calvin got his doctrine of divine predestination from Stoic determinism. Servetus was correct.

However, not only Servetus was killed for what he believed: Huge numbers were systematically killed by well-meaning Protestants and Catholics, and we can easily recall figures such as St. Joan of Arc. Less well-known are men like Giordano Bruno, who was burnt at the stake in 1600 by the Holy Inquisition because he taught principles such as the plurality of inhabited worlds, the infinity of the universe, and heliocentrism a la Copernicus. And that was in the midst of the Renaissance!! The last gasp of that sort of auto de fe played itself out in Salem, Massachusets, in the late 17th century. We're more civilized now -- we only crucify people on computerized social networks.

[Once4all]

...For me personally, I actually havent looked deep into online resources into studying arguments against the trinity. Although I am after some, anyone able to provide?

HI. I'm not LDS, but I am a non-trinitarian Christian. I have some Bible studies against the trinity doctrine on my blog at http://web.cloudbow.com/blog/

[RBoylan]

==G-d does not forsake Himself. He does not cry out to Himself. He is not schizophrenic