Logic and the Godhead

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I have noticed that Muslims primary objection to the nature of God according to Christianity is � it doesn�t make sense to them. I think that all Muslims contend that the concept of God having a plural nature or God taking on the form of a human is just plain illogical and this is their starting point on the subject. Based on their conviction that such a concept is impossible they debate what the Bible �really� says, etc. but these are just by-products of the initial premise. 

Most Christians agree that a plurality of persons in the Godhead is not intuitive. Except for some imperfect analogies we don�t see such an example elsewhere in nature. On the other hand Christians don�t confuse intuition with logic nor do we dismiss something as illogical when it is only a reflection of limited human knowledge. In this post I would like to demonstrate why the Christian concept of the Godhead is not illogical. If you want to reject it because you don�t like it, fine but you should know that your credibility is undercut if you assert the problem is a logical one.

Limitations of Knowledge

While there are a good many things that we can draw this conclusion about, there are times when people misapply this claim and are just revealing their own limitations. Here are some examples. 

1. If we don�t account for additional dimensions of reality, we will draw a wrong conclusion from logical observations. For example, we all know that a triangle has three angles and the degrees of each of these angles will always add up to 180 degrees � correct? But this is really a na�ve statement because it presumes a two dimensional context. It only works if you are using a two dimensional piece of paper or surface. If we lay out a triangle over a sphere (like the earth for example) each angle of this triangle will be 90 degrees and the total will add up to 270 degrees. In the context of two dimensions, the axiom that a triangle�s angles will add up to 180 degrees makes sense but in the context of three dimensions the axiom is clearly wrong. The point to remember here is - If God exists in a dimension beyond our own, it would be na�ve to use the logic of our time and space dimensions to draw conclusions about God. 

2. If we don�t account for our own subjectivity we may draw a wrong conclusion from logical observations. For example, when we put a straight stick partially into a pool of water, it appears to our eyes that the stick is no longer straight. If we rely on our own observations and thoughts on this we might conclude that the water has bent the stick. Some of us may suspect something else is involved and come up with theories on why the stick appears to bend and straighten as we move it in and out of the water. Until we test our theories objectively we are just guessing. If we refuse to believe anything but our own eyes and feelings on the experience, we are not being logical at all but simply subjective. 

3. A double slight of hand is used when a Muslim says that the Christian concept of God is impossible or incoherent. In addition to the above factors, the Muslim is being hypocritical because they believe in many things that �don�t make logical sense� but they are only objecting to a few. For example, they believe God is eternal but they have no human way to comprehend eternity. They can�t comprehend a spirit or soul within our bodies but they accept it as true. Saying that you reject something on the basis of your own human comprehension is hypocritical.

Apollos