For people like Athanasius, the central issue was a basic theological issue. The Church was worshiping both God the Father and Jesus, so unless Jesus and the Father are two persons within a single godhead, the Church would be worshiping two distinct beings and would be guilty of polytheism. Second, without the deity of Christ, we would be saved by someone other than God. The Emperors after Constantine sided with the Arians, which is why Athanasius had to go into exile four times. No, it was not about politics for the Church, and CERTAINLY not for Athanasius, though the politicians tried to force resolutions on this issue. Actually, the whole thing finally got resolved when a pagan, Julian the Apostate, became emperor, and the Church was left to its own devices without Imperial interference.
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Except it didn't get resolved even then.
The Church is ALWAYS better off when it is not entangled with the state. This is why Christianity in the West is healthier than Orthodoxy (e.g., in Russia). The collapse of the Western Roman Empire was the best (political) thing that ever happened to Christianity. It allowed for the development of a Papacy independent of and equal to the (or any) Empire, whereas in the East (where the Eastern Roman Empire survived until 1453) the Orthodox Patriarchs were subservient to, first the Byzantine emperor, and then (and to this day) to the Tsar of Russia.
The tragic consequences of such an arrangement can be seen in Patriarch Kirill's being "Putin's altar boy" (per Pope Francis).
A short history of Arianism.
It lasted into the 8th century in it's original form, but we still have Unitarians to this day.
And Mormons. Their theology has much in common with Arianism.
Or Jehovah Witnesses.
Arianism never really "died". One of the greatest works in the English language, Milton's 17th Century poem Paradise Lost is (quite unfortunately) pure Arianism. And I say "unfortunately" because, despite its undeniable heresy, it is truly a magnificent piece of literature.
C.S. Lewis loved it.
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