Page 213 - Prophet Jesus (Pbuh): A Prophet Not A Son, Of God

HARUN YAHYA 211

Christians Who Support
Monotheism

Following the Protestant
Reformation, Christians began reading
the New Testament independently of

Catholic beliefs. The first modern anti-
trinitarian Christian movement devel-
oped in Italy. Founded by Lelio
Socinus (d. 1562) and his nephew
Faustus Socinus (d. 1604), the move-
ment took the name Socinianism, from
the surnames of its two founders, and
Like John Calvin (1509-64) and
spread by means of secret meetings.
Huldreich Zwingli (1484-1531) , Martin
The Catholic Encyclopedia summarizes Luther (1483-1546) also played an im-
portant part in the emergence of
their beliefs as follows:
Protestantism.
[According to the Socinians] that
there was no Trinity; that Christ was not consubstantial with the
Father and holy spirit; that His Death and Passion were not under-
gone to bring about our redemption. 82
The Socinians were oppressed, and Rome lost no time in excommu-
nicating the two founders. Fausto Socianus said: "The holiness of
Prophet Jesus' life, the revelation of God, will naturally be different to
that of other people. He possessed divine vision and divine inspiration,

but certainly was not a creator. He was equipped with a matchless au-
thority and sent to humanity with a duty to discharge." Socianus main-
83
tained that God had only one essence and that it was irrational to speak
in terms of a trinity. Socinian teachings spread as far as England, a devel-
opment that caused Rome great unease, an unease expressed by the
Union of Norwegian Bishops: