Dear God, It Is Me, You - Atheist & Muslim Strawman

The images above — featuring poignant artistic depictions of Jesus in prayer, overlaid with captions like "Are you there God? It's me... you" and references to John 10:30 ("I and the Father are one") alongside Matthew 26:39 (Jesus praying to the Father in Gethsemane) — capture a widespread and sincere objection to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. These memes, popular in online discussions, suggest that if Jesus is God and the Father is God, then Jesus must be praying to Himself, making the Trinity a logical contradiction, absurd self-dialogue, or something akin to "identical triplets" (three identical entities masquerading as one).

This critique is commonly raised by Muslims (who view the Trinity as shirk, or associating partners with Allah), atheists (who see it as incoherent polytheism or self-contradiction), and others exploring Abrahamic faiths. The error, however, lies in conflating the unity of divine essence (what makes God one) with the distinction of persons (what makes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit three). Orthodox Christianity does not teach that Jesus prays to Himself, nor does it propose three identical gods. Instead, it affirms one God eternally existing in three distinct persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — who share the same undivided divine nature (ousia in Greek), while remaining relationally distinct.

The key to resolving this apparent paradox is the hypostatic union: the doctrine that in the Incarnation, the eternal Son of God assumed a complete human nature, becoming fully God and fully man in one person (hypostasis). Jesus' prayers, especially in Gethsemane, reflect His human nature expressing genuine human emotions, fears, and submission to the Father's will — not divine self-contradiction.

 Understanding the Memes and the Common Misconception

These visuals draw from a long-standing polemic. For instance, one shows Jesus prostrate in prayer with the caption implying absurdity: "Are you there, Dad? It's me, you." Another juxtaposes John 10:30 (unity claim) with Matthew 26:39 (prayer to the Father), suggesting inconsistency. The underlying assumption is often Modalism (one God in three modes) or a misunderstanding that "one God" means "one person." But Christianity rejects this. The Trinity is not 1+1+1=3 gods, nor 1 person wearing three masks. It is 1x1x1=1 God in three co-equal, co-eternal persons.

Muslims frequently cite Jesus' prayers as evidence He is a prophet subordinate to Allah, not divine (Quran 5:116-118 critiques a perceived Trinity involving Mary, though orthodox Christianity never includes her). Atheists argue it's logically impossible for God to pray to God. Both views overlook the biblical and historical nuance of Christ's two natures.

Here are the images referenced for context:

[Imagine the three memes inserted here as a carousel: the first with Jesus looking upward in prayer, the second comparing John 10:30 and Matthew 26:39 with a cartoon of Jesus prostrating, and the third with "ARE YOU THERE, DAD? IT'S ME, YOU."]

These powerfully evoke the question, but the answer lies in careful biblical exegesis, Greek grammar, and patristic theology.

 Biblical Evidence: Unity of Essence and Distinction of Persons

Scripture repeatedly affirms both oneness and distinction.

John 10:30 — "ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν" (egō kai ho patēr hen esmen).  

The critical word is "hen" — neuter gender, not masculine "heis." Masculine would imply "one person" (personal identity). Neuter "hen" denotes "one thing" or unity in essence, nature, power, and purpose. Jesus has just claimed that His sheep are secure in both His hand and the Father's (John 10:28-29), equating their protective power. The Jews respond by accusing Him of blasphemy: "You, being a man, make yourself God" (John 10:33). Yet throughout John's Gospel, Jesus distinguishes Himself: "The Father is greater than I" (John 14:28, spoken in His incarnate humility), and He prays, "Glorify me... with the glory I had with you before the world existed" (John 17:5).

Matthew 26:39 (paralleled in Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42) — "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."  

Here, Jesus addresses "My Father" (using intimate "Abba" in Mark), expressing human anguish over suffering while submitting His human will to the divine will. This is not God praying to God in confusion; it is the incarnate Son, in His humanity, relating to the Father. The divine will remains one; the human will submits in perfect obedience.

Other passages show three distinct persons acting together:  

- The baptism (Matthew 3:16-17): Voice from heaven (Father), Son baptized, Spirit descending.  

- The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19): Baptize in the singular "name" of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  

- Jesus' high priestly prayer (John 17): He speaks to the Father as distinct, yet prays for believers to be "one" (hen again, neuter) as He and the Father are one.

These affirm monotheism (Deut. 6:4, echoed in Jesus' Shema affirmation, Mark 12:29) while revealing intra-Trinitarian relations.

 The Hypostatic Union: The Doctrinal Resolution

Defined at the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD), the hypostatic union states that Jesus Christ is one person with two natures (divine and human), united "without confusion, without change, without division, without separation." The divine nature (eternal, impassible, omnipotent) remains unchanged; the human nature (body, rational soul, will) is assumed fully at the Incarnation (John 1:14: "The Word became flesh").

In Gethsemane:  

- The divine nature shares the Father's will perfectly (no conflict).  

- The human nature experiences real sorrow, fear of death, and temptation (Hebrews 4:15), yet chooses submission.  

This explains why Jesus grows in wisdom (Luke 2:52), hungers, thirsts, sleeps, and prays — all human experiences — while performing divine acts like forgiving sins (Mark 2:5-7) and claiming pre-existence (John 8:58).

Theologians like Thomas Aquinas later clarified that Christ's human will submits to the divine will in dyothelitism (two wills, one person), affirming the reality of His humanity without compromising divinity.

 Church Fathers: Defending Distinction and Unity

Early Christians confronted similar objections, developing precise language.

Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110 AD, disciple of John): "There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh" (Ephesians 7). He affirms unity in the person while distinguishing divine and human.

Athanasius (c. 296–373 AD), against Arianism: "The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God... yet there are not three Gods, but one God" (Orations Against the Arians). He stresses eternal generation: the Son is begotten, not created, so distinct yet consubstantial (homoousios).

Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus (Cappadocians, 4th century): Basil's On the Holy Spirit defends the Spirit's distinct personhood and divinity. Gregory famously said: "No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the splendour of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish Three than I am carried back into the One."

Augustine (354–430 AD): In On the Trinity, he writes: "The Father hath begotten the Son, and so He who is the Father is not the Son... The Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son." He uses analogies (lover, beloved, love) to illustrate relations within unity.

The Athanasian Creed (c. 6th century): "We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance... The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God."

These Fathers built on Scripture to refute heresies like Arianism (Son inferior), Modalism (no real distinctions), and Nestorianism (two persons).

 Addressing Specific Critiques

Muslim Objections: The Quran critiques a perceived Trinity (e.g., Surah 5:73-75, 4:171), sometimes associating Mary, but orthodox Christianity never worships Mary as God. Jesus' prayers show subordination in humanity, not denial of divinity. The Trinity upholds tawhid (unity) in essence while allowing relational distinction.

Atheist Objections: The "God praying to God" charge assumes one person. The hypostatic union resolves it: not self-prayer, but human-to-divine communion in the God-man.

The Trinity remains a mystery — finite minds grasping infinite reality — but not illogical. It explains love within God eternally (1 John 4:8).

 Conclusion

The memes highlight a genuine puzzle, but the Christian answer is profound: Jesus prays to the Father because He is distinct in personhood, yet one in essence with Him. In His humanity, He truly prays; in divinity, He shares perfect unity. This doctrine, rooted in Scripture and clarified by the Fathers, safeguards both God's oneness and Christ's full divinity and humanity.

For further reading: the Nicene Creed (325/381), Chalcedonian Definition (451), and primary sources from the Fathers.

Sources  

- Holy Bible (ESV, NASB; Greek from Nestle-Aland/UBS texts via Bible Hub).  

- Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians (c. 110 AD).  

- Athanasius, Orations Against the Arians (c. 350 AD).  

- Augustine, On the Trinity (c. 400–416 AD).  

- Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit (c. 375 AD).  

- Gregory of Nazianzus, Theological Orations (c. 380 AD).  

- Chalcedonian Definition (451 AD, from Schaff's Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers).  

- Scholarly analyses: CARM.org on Trinity/Hypostatic Union; Answers in Genesis; Wikipedia entries on Nontrinitarianism and Hypostatic Union (for common objections); Greek exegesis from Bible Hub and hermeneutics resources on John 10:30.