From the latest Nature magazine:

(Nature 15 April 2010 Volume 464 Number 7291 pp957-1094)

Phosphate oxygen isotopic evidence for a temperate and biologically active Archaean ocean p1029


It has been thought that ocean temperatures during the early Palaeoarchaean era (around 3.5 billion years ago) were 55–85 °C. But a recent study indicated that the temperatures might be no higher than 40 °C. Here, studies are reported of the oxygen isotope compositions of phosphates in sediments from the 3.2–3.5-billion-year-old Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa. The findings indicate a well-developed phosphorus cycle and evolved biological activity in an Archaean ocean with temperatures of 26–35 °C.

Ruth E. Blake, Sae Jung Chang and Aivo Lepland

Amazing how they can determine all of these things. (Just mentally replace "evolved" with "developed" if you have a problem with that. Thanks.)

Trinity Modeling Kit!

Make your own model of the Trinity as a three-sided pyramid!
http://www.sundayschoolkids.com/activities-trinity-god/0-pyramid-1activity.htm



It can also be modified to reflect the structure and teachings of the "Shield of the Trinity":

1. Designate a capstone and label it "God." This label can appear on all three sides.
2. Under the capstone designate a belt to be labeled "Is" on all three sides.
3. Along the three edges add a parallel line about an inch away from the edge, and label this "Is Not." One option is to have "Is" on one side and "Not" on the joining side. Or, "Is Not" could be written on each side to appear twice along each edge.
4. Label the remaining three sides "Son" or "Jesus," "Father," and "Holy Ghost."

Now we have a three-dimensional pyramidal model of the Trinity! How easy it is now to visualize how the Son is not the Father but is God like the Father is not the Son and is not the Holy Ghost but is God!

For further accuracy, you can add more vital information on the side labeled "Son" or "Jesus." Since Jesus has two natures, the divine and physical or human, you can draw a line from "Is Not" to "Is Not," dividing it roughly in half. Then, divide the lower space in half vertically. With the top portion labeled "Son" or "Jesus," label the lower portions "Human Nature" and "Divine Nature" however you wish. Have a vertical label in between the lower two portions labeled "Is Not," perhaps adding ": in Hypostatic Union." Then have a horizontal label on the horizontal division labeled "Is." For further clarification, you may add in parentheses under "Human Nature" "(Outside of Earth's atmosphere)" as Jesus' human nature is in hypostatic union with his divine nature in the heavenly realm and not on earth. How clearly this illustrates Jesus' Dual Nature of the hypostatic union! (See figure below.) Be sure to show your neighbors your Trinity Pyramid! But be careful not to worship it, as that would be idolatry!

Created by JimSpace

For more information on the "Shield of the Trinity," read my other blog entry here.

What a tangled web we weave...

Handcolored woodcut, ca. 1500, origin unknown

Displayed above is the Shield of the Trinity.^[1] What is the Trinity? Trinitarian Kenneth Samples, in typical Trinitarian apologetic fashion, defines it like this:

Unlike traditional Judaism and Islam, the God of Christianity possesses a unique and mysterious plurality of personhood within its single divine essence. In other words, while God is one in being, he nevertheless exists as three distinct persons (or centers of consciousness). One way of expressing this special monotheism is to say that God is "one what and three whos." That is, in terms of what God is, God is one and only one divine being. But in terms of who God is, God is three distinct persons.^[2]

What? Such a description tends to turn God into a cold abstraction.^[3] The truth is, God is one and only one divine being. He alone is almighty. His Chief Agent^[4] though is a separate person, and manifested himself on earth as Jesus. This is very simple and has the ring of truth, unlike the Trinitarian explanation above. The Shield of the Trinity therefore has gaping holes large enough for the spear of truth to pass unhindered.

Footnotes:
^[1] Also known as the Scutum Fidei (ˈskü-təm ˌfi-de-ˌē or 'skootum fiday') meaning "Shield of the Faith." This particular Shield diagram reads clockwise as: "the Father is not the Son is not the Holy Spirit is not... etc." and each of these labels has a line to "God" labeled "is." The figure holding this Scutum Fidei is called a "Trinidad trificela," or a "three-faced Trinity." Note: while the diagrammatic Scutum Fidei is currently employed in Trinitarian symbology, the iconographic depiction of the Trinidad trificela fell into disuse after being outlawed as heterodox in the wake of the Reformation.

^[2] What Makes the Christian God Unique? http://www.reasons.org/what-makes-christian-god-unique (italics original) Additionally, please note that declaring that Trinitarianism is "unlike traditional Judaism" is self-damning as the God of Christianity is the same as traditional Judaism (the God of Abraham), and that Jesus himself was a Jew. Therefore, this declaration also unwittingly and ironically separates Trinitarianism from the theology of Jesus Christ.

^[3] This makes God an impersonal housing for three people, and thus may be illustrated this way:

As one person explained, either "'God' is an impersonal substance in which three persons subsist," or "if God is not impersonal, then you have a Quaternity." To summarize further: Either the Trinitarian God is impersonal or there is no Trinity but a Quaternity. As there is no Quaternity, then the Trinitarian God is impersonal. (Quote from "More on Sharp's Rule, Trinitarianism and Rob Bowman Part Two: Bowman's A Priori Objections" http://jehovah.to/exe/discussion/more_2.htm.)

^[4] Greek arkhegon found in Acts 3:15; 5:31 and Hebrews 2:10; 12:2.

Further Reading:

• Biblical monotheism is... jimspace3000.blogspot.com/2011/01/biblical-monotheism-is-monolatrism.html
• Eye of Providence jimspace3000.blogspot.com/2010/05/eye-of-providence-christian-trinitarian.html
• Trinitarian Symbology jimspace3000.blogspot.com/2010/06/recently-here-have-been-blogging-on.html
• Sundry Dissembling Asunder jimspace3000.blogspot.com/2015/06/sundry-dissembling-asunder.html
• Trinitarian Samples jimspace3000.blogspot.com/2016/04/trinitarian-samples.html