I did my best where possible to talk to as many of the attendees that I could at times. I wanted to get to know everyone’s faith viewpoints and experiences. In so doing, I began to discover an unfortunate and all-too-common shared experience. Though I myself had come across the same thing over the years (perhaps to a much lesser degree), it was disconcerting that the majority of the attendees I spoke with shared very similar stories of this happening to them in such profound ways.

What I’m speaking of is the usual reaction one tends to get from someone who believes in The Trinity when you tell them that you do not. Over and over again, person after person spoke of the fact that once they began to attempt to explain to others that after studying the Bible in earnest they came to the conclusion (usually after much prayer and reflection) that The Trinity was false and they believed that Scripture plainly taught that Jesus was not “God the Son”, but simply the “Son of God” – God’s chosen fully human Messiah, the person (or persons) who believed in the Trinity, almost instantly became agitated, angry and often downright mean-spirited.

Time and again attendees spoke of people who they considered to be Christian friends, fellow church members, clergy, or even fellow believers in their own family, suddenly turning nasty and becoming outwardly hostile in their demeanor towards them on the issue. It was like that they abruptly switched to being a different person. A Christian attitude of love, patience and compassion suddenly if not instantly is overtaken by an attitude of contempt, bitterness, and barely constrained rage.

To me this kind of behavior speaks volumes about its authenticity and ultimate source. Matthew 7:16 & 20 says “you will know them by their fruits”. If that type of outward hostility isn’t a clear indicator of bad fruit, I don’t know what would be. Where did the proper Christian mindset and attitude go? What happened to Paul’s instruction to “be kind to all”, to be “patient when wronged”, and “with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition” (2 Timothy 2:24-25)?

Of course these very Apostolic instructions went right out the window very early on in Christian history. From the time that the Trinity became official orthodox dogma through numerous church councils in the 2nd to 4th centuries (mainly the Councils of Nicaea, Constantinople, and Chalcedon), belief in the Doctrine of the Trinity was enforced BY FORCE. Dissenters were excommunicated, imprisoned, tortured, and put to death for daring to disagree with the Trinity. Jesus’ commission to “love your enemies” and to “turn the other cheek”, became “believe that Jesus is God the Son of the Holy Trinity or we’re going to kill you”. Those who saw themselves as defenders of Christian orthodoxy tortured and murdered their fellow Christians because of their refusal to accept a requirement to believe Jesus was a co-equal, co-eternal member of a triune Godhead. But how could this ever come to fruition? What type of Christ-like behavior could possibly condone much less participate in such barbarous cruelty? How could thousands upon thousands of Christians (and many more times that for Jews) be forced to suffer persecution and violence by those who profess to love and believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob and His Christ? Could they not see that by their very actions they were the ones that Jesus himself predicted would come to be in John 16:2-3? “…an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.”

Thankfully the death penalty for not believing in the Trinity fell by the wayside a little over 300 years ago. But those that are misguided and don’t truly know God and his Messiah still have the same anger and violent predisposition of their bad-spirited forefathers. To this day there are those who would be willing to be like John Calvin and have non-trinitarian dissenters like Michael Servetus murdered in cold blood. There are those who would light the first match and fan the flames to burn all those believed to be heretical to the orthodox position on the Trinity. Don’t believe that could happen in this day and age? I think it could happen given the right circumstances. For example, recently some unitarian Christian friends of mine were on an online Evangelical Christian forum and were engaging in a debate with some Trinitarian believers on the Trinity. After my friends commented on the historical persecution of non-trinitarians, a couple of the Trinitarian posters openly made the suggestion that it would be good if they were “put to death – like in the old days” for spreading their heresy online. In jest or not, that is NOT the way a Christian should think or talk to anyone – much less fellow believers in Christ.

Today even when Trinity espousers do not advocate the evil extremes of the past, there typically remains that hostile spirit. Not only did I hear of it in the numerous personal experiences from so many of the conference attendees and also from other Christian friends who don’t believe in the Trinity, but I myself have encountered it on many an occasion. I’ve seen it occur in debates I’ve had with people online, over email, and in person. I’ve seen it happen in other public debates presented online and on the radio. Typically when discussing with someone how Scripture actually provides far greater evidence that the Trinity is false, it seems that the majority of Trinitarians immediately start exhibiting behavioral signs of agitation, animosity, indignation, and resentment. I’ve witnessed repeated examples of Trinitarians giving debate responses that were highly sanctimonious, haughty, and condescending. I even had a preacher tell of a fellow preacher who was a friend of his but they differed in their belief in the Trinity. In a discussion about it, the one who believed in the Trinity told the other one that they had to stop their discussion because he was becoming “full of rage” towards his friend. Again, these behaviors are the exact polar opposite of what the apostles said we are to have. Traits such as kindness, brotherly love, gentleness, humbleness, patience just are not usually there when it comes to a defense of the Trinity – something that most who believe in it, say comes from God.

Yes by their fruits we will know them. And the fruit of the Trinity is bad to the core. It doesn’t come from God. It doesn’t come from His Holy Spirit. And it sure doesn’t come from His Messiah who practiced and preached peace and love to all. It doesn’t even come later from any of the Apostles or Paul. No such a hostile, dark spirit can only come from one source – the god of THIS age (2 Cor 4:4). Who else but Satan could be behind such acrimony and ill will? Who else would cause Christians to feel rage and wish to do violence to their fellow Christian over a belief who’s very term (Trinity) never exists in all of Scripture? Who else could be behind the almost demonic possession of people who find themselves filled with malice and antagonism when defending the Trinity belief to those that feel it isn’t true? It has to be the one that Paul warned us about. He said that the same serpent that deceived Eve by his craftiness would lead them astray from the “simplicity” in Christ (2 Cor. 11:3) – and the Trinity is anything but simple when it typically is admitted to be an “incomprehensible mystery”. Paul went on to say that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” and that there were “false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2 Cor. 11:13-14). Were the actions in enforcing the Trinity belief with such violence down through the centuries done by true apostles or “false” ones? Was such evil behavior done by true workers or “deceitful workers”? The answer is clear. Such vile fruit comes from its architect – Satan. The Apostle John said that “the WHOLE WORLD lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

It shouldn’t be surprising that the Trinity belief took over the Jewish “Shema” and its view of God as a single person. Lies, misinformation and confusion are Satan’s favorite tools. Jesus called Satan for what he really is – “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand for truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Peter called Satan our “enemy” and said that he “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 ). And with the construction of the Trinity, Satan has been able to “devour” a lot of good people. He has deceived the majority of the world. Throughout history he has bitterly persecuted and murdered those that dared to oppose it.

If you have been a believer in the Trinity and have found yourself getting angry while reading this or while reading or hearing other logical and Scriptural arguments against the Trinity, think about if those feelings are the feelings you should be having. If you feel bitterness and animosity towards people like myself and others who try to show that Scripture overwhelmingly disproves the Trinity, then is your viewpoint really the truth of God? Shouldn’t you be calm, compassionate, and feel a warm sense of Christian love for your brothers & sisters that aren’t on the path of truth? Wouldn’t the correct response to be to try and convince those of us that are mistaken with tenderness and great patience? If you find yourself agitated, resentful, and just generally unfriendly in defending the Trinity, shouldn’t that speak volumes to you about its probable source? Think long and hard about that ultimate source. Would God want or cause people to behave and feel in such ways? I don’t think so. And if you’re really honest with yourself, I believe you’ll come to the same conclusion.

As Scripture tells us – the side of truth and love, the side of righteousness will exhibit the right behavior:

tidytim: Very true