13. The Trinity

13A. What is the doctrine of the Trinity?

"Within the nature of the Eternal God there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

The "triunity" of God: means his tri-personality exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in three distinct persons in one God. Each is separate in their personal characteristics, being clearly distinguished from the other, but equal in power, glory and being (i.e., nature).

Father:

"For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
II Peter 1:17

Son:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John 1:1

Holy Spirit:

"But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost

...thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."
Acts 5:3, 4

13B. Are Christians Monotheistic?

Yes, because like the Jewish affirmation of faith they believe in ONE GOD.

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD."
Deuteronomy 6:4

"See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand."
Deuteronomy 32:39

"...before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me."
Isaiah 43:10

"Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
Isaiah 44:6

"...I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me."
Isaiah 46:9

13C. What is Polytheism?

"Belief in a number of Gods"

Webster's 11 New Riverside Dictionary, p. 541.

13D. Are Mormons Polytheists?

Yes,

"I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this text for that express purpose. I will to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the Elders for fifteen years.

I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit; and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods. If this is in accordance with the New Testament, Lo and Behold! we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural: and who can contradict it?"

History of the Church 6:474, Joseph Smith, Jr.

"Many men say there is one God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God! I say that is a strange God anyhow-three in one, and one in three! It is a curious organization...All are to be crammed into one god, according to sectarianism. It would be a wonderfully big God-he would be a giant or a monster."

History of the Church 6:475, 476, Joseph Smith, Jr.

"I am going to inquire after God, for I want you all to know him and to be familiar with Him...God was once as we are now, an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens...I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see...It is the first principal of the Gospel...and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests, the same as all gods before you, namely by going from one small degree to another..."

Times and Seasons, August 1, 1844. Joseph Smith.