God in Christianity

=== Trinitarian differences ===
In [[Eastern Orthodox Christian theology|Eastern Orthodox theology]], [[ousia|essence]] of God being that which is beyond human comprehension and can not be defined or approached by human understanding.<ref>''The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church'' by [[Vladimir Lossky]] ISBN page 77</ref> Roman Catholic teachings are somewhat similar in considering the mysteries of the Trinity as being beyond human reason.<ref name=VaticanReason/> However, differences exist in that in [[Roman Catholic theology]] and teaching, God the Father is the eternal source of the Son (begot the Son by an eternal generation) and of the Holy Spirit (by an eternal procession [[Filioque|from the Father and the Son]]) and the one who breathes the Holy Spirit with and through the Son, but the Eastern Orthodox consider the Spirit to proceed from the Father alone.<ref>''Systematic Theology'' by Francis Schussler Fiorenza and John P. Galvin (1 May 2011) {{ISBN|0800662911}} pages 193–194</ref>

Most [[Protestant denominations]] and other traditions arising since the [[Reformation]] hold general Trinitarian beliefs and theology regarding God the Father similar to that of Roman Catholicism. This includes churches arising from [[Anabaptism]], [[Anglicanism]], [[Baptist]], [[Lutheranism]], [[Methodism]], [[Moravian Church|Moravianim]], [[Plymouth Brethren]], [[Quakerism]] and [[Reformed Christianity]]. Likewise, ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' describes the Trinity as "the central dogma of Christian theology".<ref name="Kraybill2010">{{cite book |last1=Kraybill |first1=Donald B. |title=Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites |date=1 November 2010 |publisher=JHU Press |isbn=978-0-8018-9911-9 |language=en |quote=The classical doctrine of the Trinity—God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has been generally accepted by Anabaptist groups but not highly developed.}}</ref><ref name="ODCC">The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press, 2005 {{ISBN|978-0-19-280290-3}}), article ''Trinity, doctrine of the''</ref><ref name="Tavast2012">{{cite book |last1=Tavast |first1=Timo |title=Unity in the Triune God: Trinitarian Theology in the Full-Communion Agreements of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |date=21 December 2012 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-61097-901-6 |page=152 |language=en |quote=The Moravian side's trinitarian emphasis in ecumenically-oriented ecclesiology can be generally concluded as follows: first, it deals with the ontological foundation of the church's unity and structure. As chapter 4 elucidates, the first aspect, that is, the church's ontological foundation, is stated in ''Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion''. The Moravians emphasize that the Holy Trinity has called the church into being and that the triune God is the source of the church's being and mission. In addition, the idea of the church's and its member's ontological participation in the Trinity is clearly presented by the Moravians: the church is linked "in an intimate union with the Triune God."}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Barley |first1=L. M. |last2=Field |first2=C. D. |last3=Kosmin |first3=B. A. |last4=Nielsen |first4=J. S. |title=Religion: Recurrent Christian Sources, Non-Recurrent Christian Data, Judaism, Other Religions |date=28 June 2014 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-1-4832-9599-2 |page=25 |language=en}}</ref> However, a precise representative view of Protestant Trinitarian theology regarding "God the Father", etc., is more difficult to provide, given the diverse and less centralized nature of the various Protestant churches.<ref name="ODCC"/>