text: where did the trinity come from ? the three monotheistic religions - judaism, christianity, and islam - all  purport to share one fundamental concept: belief in god as the supreme  being, the creator and sustainer of the universe. known as "tawhid" in  islam, this concept of the oneness of god was stressed by moses in a  biblical passage known as the "shema," or the jewish creed of faith:  "hear, o israel: the lord our god is one lord." (deuteronomy 6:4)   it was repeated word-for-word approximately 1500 years later by jesus  when he said: "...the first of all the commandments is, hear, o israel; the  lord our god is one lord." (mark 12:29)   «"muhammad came along approximately 600 years later, bringing the same message again: "and your god is one god: there is no god but he, ..."» (the qur'an 2:163)  christianity has digressed from the concept of the oneness of god,  http://www.beconvinced.com/en/article.php?articleid=0115&catid=&subcatname= trinity in the bible   references in the bible to a trinity of divine beings are vague, at best.   in matthew 28:19, we find jesus telling his disciples to go out and  preach to all nations. while the "great commission" does make mention of the three persons who later become components of the trinity, the phrase  "...baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the  holy ghost" is quite clearly an addition to biblical text - that is, not  the actual words of jesus - as can be seen by two factors:   1) baptism in the early church, as discussed by paul in his letters, was  done only in the name of jesus; and   2) the "great commission" was found in the first gospel written, that of  mark, bears no mention of father, son and/or holy ghost - see mark 16:15.   the only other reference in the bible to a trinity can be found in the  epistle of i john 5:7, biblical scholars of today, however, have admitted  that the phrase "...there are three that bear record in heaven, the  father, the word, and the holy ghost: and these three are one" is definitely a "later addition" to biblical test, and it is not found in any of today's versions of the bible.   it can, therefore, be seen that the concept of a trinity of divine beings  was not an idea put forth by jesus or any other prophet of god. this  doctrine, now subscribed to by christians all over the world, is entirely  man-made in origin.   the doctrine takes shape   while paul of tarsus, the man who could rightfully be considered the true  founder of christianity, did formulate many of its doctrines, that of the  trinity was not among them. he did, however, lay the groundwork for such when he put forth the idea of jesus being a "divine son." after all, a  son does need a father, and what about a vehicle for god's revelations to  man?   in essence, paul named the principal players, but it was the later church  people who put the matter together.   tertullian, a lawyer and presbyter of the third century church in  carthage, was the first to use the word "trinity" when he put forth the theory that the son and the spirit participate in the being of god, but all are of one being of substance with the father.   a formal doctrine is drawn up   when controversy over the matter of the trinity blew up in 318 between  two church men from alexandria - arius, the deacon, and alexander, his bishop - emperor constantine stepped into the fray.   although christian dogma was a complete mystery to him, he did realize  that a unified church was necessary for a strong kingdom. when negotiation failed to settle the dispute, constantine called for the first ecumenical council in church history in order to settle the matter once and for all.   six weeks after the 300 bishops first gathered at nicea in 325, the  doctrine of the trinity was hammered out. the god of the christians was  now seen as having three essences, or natures, in the form of the father,  the son, and the holy spirit.   the church puts its foot down   the matter was far from settled, however, despite high hopes for such on  the part of constantine. arius and the new bishop of alexandria, a man  named athanasius, began arguing over the matter even as the nicene creed was being signed; "arianism" became a catch-word from that time onward for anyone who did not hold to the doctrine of the trinity.   it wasn't until 451, at the council of chalcedon that, with the approval  of the pope, the nicene/constantinople creed was set as authoritative.  debate on the matter was no longer tolerated; to speak out against the trinity was now considered blasphemy, and such earned stiff sentences that ranged from mutilation to death. christians now turned on christians, maiming and slaughtering thousands because of a difference of opinion.   debate continues   brutal punishments and even 