Anthropomorphic "Tritheism"

Anti-Trinitarian Dale Tuggy likes to depict popular Trinitarian piety as tritheistic. Dale often lampoons the Christian faith with his smirky, cutesy illustrations. For instance

http://trinities.org/blog/archives/3295

Now, it’s true that when Christians pray to the Trinity, they may imagine or visualize the Trinity in “tritheistic” terms. However, that’s simply an innocuous mental aid. We might dub this anthropomorphic tritheism, in the sense that the worshipper is relating to God in implicitly (or explicitly) tritheistic mental imagery.

But the Bible itself often depicts God in anthropomorphic or angelomorphic terms. So there’s nothing inherently heretical or impious about worshiping God in this rather cartoonish fashion. Anthropomorphic tritheism is no more absurd or unorthodox than anthropomorphic monotheism. For instance:

The Lord says to my Lord:

    “Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”

(Ps 110:1)

19 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left;

(1 Kgs 22:19)

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

(Isa 6:1-7)

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;

    the foundations also of the mountains trembled

    and quaked, because he was angry.

8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,

    and devouring fire from his mouth;

    glowing coals flamed forth from him.

9 He bowed the heavens and came down;

    thick darkness was under his feet.

10 He rode on a cherub and flew;

    he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,

    thick clouds dark with water.

12 Out of the brightness before him

    hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,

    and the Most High uttered his voice,

    hailstones and coals of fire.

14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;

    he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.

(Ps 18:7-14)

9 “As I looked,

thrones were placed,

    and the Ancient of Days took his seat;

his clothing was white as snow,

    and the hair of his head like pure wool;

his throne was fiery flames;

    its wheels were burning fire.

10 A stream of fire issued

    and came out from before him;

a thousand thousands served him,

    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;

the court sat in judgment,

    and the books were opened.

(Dan 7:9)

55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

(Acts 7:55-56)

 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings[a] and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

    who was and is and is to come!”

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

    to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

    and by your will they existed and were created.”

(Rev 4)