““Show me where it states they are three persons in one being of one substance.”
well the first thing that comes to mind is “show where it doesn’t””
John 17
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, EVEN AS WE ARE ONE:
Are you going to seriously suggest that Christ was asking the Father to turn all his followers into a single being of one substance having several personages?
“They obviously worshipped “one” God, and they also worshipped 3 beings, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Yet they claimed these 3 beings were one God.”
And this does not conflict with our doctrines either. You are missing the point where our doctrines diverge and that is in HOW they are one, in what sense are they one God.
“The mormon boys informed me that the faith “died out” upon the death of the last apostle. I presumed they were referring to the Apostle John.
I asked them if they knew who Polycarp was? No. they didn’t.
Ignatius? No. Didn’t know him either.
Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John.”
Apostolic authority was gone when the apostles were gone. Polycarp and those that came after were not apostles and hence had no authority to lead the church or receive revelation for the church. We do not recognize them as authoritative sources of doctrine although what they wrote has historical interest as you can see in their writings over the centuries the gradual changes that took place as the church slowly fell into apostacy.
“Are you going to seriously suggest that Christ was asking the Father to turn all his followers into a single being of one substance having several personages?”
of course not, and context is everything.
This was Christ’s prayer that his followers be united in faith after his departure.
He was comparing the unity that the trinity shares to the unity of faith in the Church. That is why He said he would send the paraclete after he went to the Father.
If I am to believe the mormon missionaries - this prayer of Christ was denied. The apostles must have been so incompetent? So lazy? such poor instructors, that the faith didn’t even survive one century.
“Apostolic authority was gone when the apostles were gone”
This simply is not true.
“Polycarp and those that came after were not apostles and hence had no authority to lead the church or receive revelation for the church.”
Again. Not true.
The apostles selected successors. The apostles traveled extensively and founded many churches.
They converted many - gentiles and jews to the faith and their disciples proceeded in the task of spreading the gospel.
These are the brave christians who were terribly persecuted by the bloodthirsty Roman emperors.
It is a shame their martyrdom and witness to the gospel would be denied.
“We do not recognize them as authoritative sources of doctrine although what they wrote has historical interest as you can see in their writings over the centuries the gradual changes that took place as the church slowly fell into apostacy.”
I much prefer the writings of early christians as providing reliable information regarding Christ, as compared to an 18th century glass-looker with a stone in his hat.
The mormon missionaries did not say the church “slowly” fell into apostasy.
They said it was dead and gone upon the death of the last apostle.
The books of scripture were not decided upon until long after that.
I am wondering why you have any regard whatsoever for the new testament.