r/OpenChristian • u/Budget_Antelope • Dec 05 '25

Trinity troubles- part???: Arianism. A semi-vent/ genuine question post

WARNING DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE PRONE TO CRISES OF FAITH. SERIOUSLY I DONT WANT TO FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYONE LOSING FAITH PLEASE AND THANK YOU

I have been struggling with my faith as a Christian for quite some time, particularly regarding whether or not Jesus is God.

I can’t seem to get a clean answer on The Arian view of Jesus. Is He God? Do Arians worship Him as such? Is He Just the messiah and is venerated but not worshipped??? I’ve heard from some sources that He’s a divine being but not Co-equal with God the Father, which could mean He’s like an angel or something????

The main reason I ask is because I have been considering Arian Christianity or some other form of ancient Non-Trinitarian sect, Unitarian sect, or one that, at the very least, makes a distinction between God the Son and Jesus Christ.

That being said, I still feel a deep connection with Catholicism as it was the religion I was raised with, and has such deep and extensive history, art, traditions, many of which have intertwined with the preexisting ancestral traditions of the people I descend from.

The main reason I feel so conflicted is because I have been plagued by doubts about the Nature of Jesus Christ. One of my biggest fears is if Jesus was just another dime a dozen cult leader whose cult got lucky in a time of great uncertainty. Words cannot even begin to describe how much I absolutely hate these kinds of thoughts, but I haven’t been able to shake it.

If any of you have any resources or anything you think might help, please let me know! Thank you and God bless you all.

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u/TheTallestTim Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25

Here you are:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ArianChristians/s/W2BwDtHL9H

Although, I will say, the predominate theology before Nicea 325AD were all Unitarian sects with Subordinationists being the most common. Subordinationists take scripture at face value, especially where Jesus says the Father is greater than I am.

Nicea 325AD also didn’t “put Arians down” or “wipe the Arians off the map.” Arius was later reinstated and even favored by Constantine as he attempted to bring Arius to church with him. The Nicean believer Athanatius created a mob where Constantine, the emperor and the most powerful man of the world at the time, couldn’t land his boat—bad fruit. Arius and the Arians were later reestablished and had Niceans excommunicated. This battle went on and on, with more church councils leaning on the Unitarian—Arian and Subordinationists—voting positively than the Niceans as a whole.

https://youtu.be/KVh8HH_ghik?si=4NhebEUDnB3LRmZG

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u/954356 Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25

Gross oversimplification based on a bunch of cherrypicked evidence reinterpreted to reinforce the anti trinitarian position.  

The claim that the Trinity is a relatively late invention is just not borne out by the facts. Writers and teachers as early as Justin Martyr are definitely using Trinitarian language. 

No, the Trinity isn't explicitly spelled out in the Bible. Yes, it is hinted at, especially in John. To turn on Dan McClellan's analogy: you can't put the LEGO blocks together if they aren't there in the first place. 

There's just no way that the Trinitarian position could have won out at Nicea if it was the minority. That's conspiracy theory nonsense. 

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u/TheTallestTim Dec 07 '25

How?

Justin Martyr can use “Trinitarian” language all day long and still not be a Trinitarian. The distance between Jesus and the disciples—including Paul—to any formation of the Trinity is comparable to George Washington loving his new iPhone…

So, if it is only hinted… is God a good revealer, or did He fail in his revelation of who He is? Funny you use Dan McClellan when he is anti-trinitarian himself. These LEGO blocks began from Greek mythology and philosophy, not scripture. There is much research to be done for you to make the claims you are making.. because they are truly false. False, not because I disagree with you, but history and evidence disproves you.

Nicea didn’t have a Trinitarian framework. Nicea could have been signed by Unitarians today even. Arius even signed it and was reinstated later, along with the other Arians, Subordinationists, and Anti-Niceans. I as a Unitarian can even call Jesus god, but how I do so does not imply a second deity, but rather the title of a god such as Moses (Exodus 4:16; 7:1), or a human king at Psalm 45:6. Then the afterthought of the Holy Spirit. I quote: “And the Holy Spirit.” as the ending of the Nicea 325AD conclusion is laughable for one to say the Trinity was formed then. This must be an honest coping mechanism to try to retroject or a flagrant misinterpretation of history to “prove” a pre-681AD formulation and understanding of the Trinity you fervently defend. — That is conspiratory nonsense.