I think the dichotomy of “it’s a way to draw near to God” vs. “it’s really true” is false. The reason Gregory felt closer to God via this formula seems to be precisely because he believed in it and it told him something that was important to him. So at a minimum, I agree with Armstrong that we should think of our theologies as poetic and as a way to draw near to God. But I don’t think that means we should stop thinking of them as true.

Furthermore, those that believe in the “it’s not really true, it’s just a way to draw nearer to God” tend to be rejectionists. They came from a believing point of view and somehow manage to maintain the value of beliefs without actually believing them any more. I doubt that approach to religion is effective for the vast majority of people nor over generations. (Actually, we have pretty good proof it’s not.) I think beliefs were meant to be believed.

Eastern Orthodox, like Mormons, believe in a form of Theosis, so it makes me wonder if they also saw the Trinity as a way of understanding both the literal Godhood of Jesus as well as how God will make us one with Him.

Gregory of Nyssa.. is 4th century, a wonderful mystic. And he… formulated the Eastern Orthodox doctrine of Trinity. And he said, first of all, this doctrine can only be understood in a ritual context and in the context of prayer and contemplation. It’s not something like an equation that you can just follow rational. But he said, “When I think of the three I think of the one. When I think of the one I think of the three. And then my eyes feel with tears and I lose all sense of where I am.” And that’s a theological formulation of the Trinity should do to us.