Decepto-Meter

Accurate quoting but, Self-quoting: Self-Quoting: Unitarian

No need to misrepresent this guy! He is one of them... A fellow-Arian. To quote a Unitarian theologian, as an authority to prove the pagan origin of Trinity, is about as trustworthy and believable as quoting the a Catholic Bishop to prove that Peter was the first Pope!

"In the book A Statement of Reasons, Andrews Norton says of the Trinity: 'We can trace the history of this doctrine, and discover its source, not in the Christian revelation, but in the Platonic philosophy . . . The Trinity is not a doctrine of Christ and his Apostles, but a fiction of the school of the later Platonists.'" (A Statement of Reasons, Andrews Norton, 1872, Fifth edition, American Unitarian Association, Boston, MA, p 94, 104., as quoted in, Should you believe the Trinity?, Watchtower publication)

Awake Magazine! 11-8-52

Jehovah's Witnesses are unaware that the Awake magazine, (11-8-1952) identified Unitarians like Norton Andrews as rejecting the inspiration of the Bible, Christ as a ransom and the personality of the Devil! Unitarians taught that the devil is the personification of sin and not an actual person, in the same way that Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the Holy Spirit is the personification of God's power and not an actual person. But Unitarians teach that the doctrine of the personality of the Devil IS OF PAGAN ORGIN! Why do JW's quote these guys as authorities?

What other Anti-Trinitarians quote:

"When we look back through the long ages of the reign of the Trinity . . . we shall perceive that few doctrines have produced more unmixed evil." (A Statement of Reasons, Andrews Norton, as quoted by anti-Trinitarians)

"It appears, then, that while other questions of far less difficulty (for instance, the circumcision of the Gentile converts) were subjects of such doubt and controversy that even the authority of the Apostles was barely sufficient to establish the truth, this doctrine [the Trinity], so extraordinary, so obnoxious, and so hard to be understood, was introduced in silence, and received without hesitation, dislike, opposition, or misapprehension." (A Statement of Reasons, Andrews Norton, as quoted by anti-Trinitarians)

What they fail to tell the same article also says:

• "The name of Andrews Norton has long been widely known as that of one of the ablest theologians and most accomplished critics of our time; standing, in his department of service, at the head of the Unitarian movement in this country. His memory will be ever admiringly cherished by those who sympathized with him in his religious views, and who knew him in the fulness of his fine powers" (A Statement of Reasons, Andrews Norton, 1872, Fifth edition, American Unitarian Association, Boston, MA) p ix, biographical notice)
• That Norton is the leader of an Anti-trinitarian "Unitarian" church. Asking Norton what he thinks about the trinity is like asking a Jw if the Watchtower magazine is God's channel of communication to man today or asking the Pope if Peter is the first Pope! Quoting Norton is worthless because it is quoting your own personal opinion!

Our comment

Anti-Trinitarians love quoting Norton, because he is one of them! He is a leader in the Unitarian church!

Deception Exposed:

Within the Watchtower article, Jehovah's Witnesses deliberately fail to tell you that Norton's is an anti-trinitarian. They always tell you when the misrepresent a trinitarian!

How the Watchtower quoted the source

What they left out to deliberately misrepresent the source and deceive you:

"In the book A Statement of Reasons, Andrews Norton says of the Trinity: 'We can trace the history of this doctrine, and discover its source, not in the Christian revelation, but in the Platonic philosophy . . . The Trinity is not a doctrine of Christ and his Apostles, but a fiction of the school of the later Platonists.'" (A Statement of Reasons, Andrews Norton, 1872, Fifth edition, American Unitarian Association, Boston, MA) p 94, 104. as quoted in, Should you believe the Trinity?, Watchtower publication)

"WE can trace the history of this doctrine, and discover its source, not in the Christian revelation, but in the Platonic philosophy; which was the prevalent philosophy [see footnote *] during the first ages after the introduction of Christianity, and of which all the more eminent Christian writers, the Fathers as they are called, were, in a greater or less degree, disciples. [footnote]: * I state the proposition in this general form, in which the authorities to be adduced directly apply to it, But it is to be observed, that the doctrine of the personality of the Logos, and of his divinity, in an Inferior sense of that term, which was the germ of the Trinity, was immediately derived from Philo, the Jewish Plato as he has been called, which fact I shall hereafter have occasion to advert to." ... "The doctrine of the Trinity is not a doctrine of Christ and his Apostles, but a fiction of the school of the later Platonists introduced into our religion by the Fathers, who were admirers and disciples of the philosophy taught in this school. The want of all mention of it in the Scriptures is abundantly compensated by the ample space which it occupies in the writings of the heathen Platonists, and of the Platonizing Fathers." (Andrews Norton, "Statement of reason for not believing the doctrines of the Trinitarians concerning the nature of god and the person of Christ", Boston: American Unitarian Association. 1882. biographical notice, p94, 101)

Our comment

If you notice, Norton labels the JW's doctrine of Christ as pagan! Norton says: "the doctrine of the personality of the Logos ... was immediately derived from Philo"

Deception Exposed:

1. They deceive the public by not telling you that Norton is one of them, being an anti-Trinitarian.
2. The governing body really blundered when the quoted Norton! It is totally deceptive to quote Norton as saying trinity is from pagan Plato, but fail to tell the reader that Norton also says that the exact (false) doctrine of the Christ that JW's teach is also from pagan Plato!