Decepto-Meter

Deceptive quote: Trinitarian

Gives false impression that the majority who opposed the Nicene creed believed Jesus is a creature.

What Anti-Trinitarians quote:

"The decisions of Nicea were really the work of a minority, and they were misunderstood and disliked by many" (Documents of the Christian Church, Henry Bettenson)

What they left out to deliberately misrepresent the source and deceive you:

Attempts to overthrow the Nicene Formulas: The decisions of Nicaea were really the work of a minority, and they were misunderstood and disliked by many who were not adherents of Arius. In particular the terms [Greek] aroused opposition, on the grounds that they were unscriptural, novel, tending to Sabellianism (taking [Greek] in the sense of particular reality and erroneous metaphysically. Athanasius was twice exiled, and when ninety bishops assembled at Antioch for the dedication of Constantine's 'Golden Church' a council was held and a 'Creed of the Dedication' put forward as a substitute for that of Nicaea, in spite of, or perhaps because of, a letter from Pope Julius urging Athanasius' restoration. (Documents of the Christian Church, Henry Bettenson, 2nd Ed 1963, p 41)

Our comment

1. Anti-Trinitarians leave off the important "who were not adherents of Arius" because they want you to think that the "majority who disliked" the Nicene creed, were aligned with the Arians who taught Jesus was a creature. The "majority who disliked" firmly believed that Jesus was God, they didn't like the Greek terms used to describe Jesus deity, not that they rejected the deity itself!
2. The opposition was also from those who "misunderstood" what the creed was saying. In other words, they felt the creed could lend support to Sabellianism (modalism, as taught today by the United Pentecostal church UPCI) of which they were equally opposed, when in fact it did not!
3. Equally damaging is the fact that Athanasius, who was in agreement with the creed, was banished as well as Arius! These two represented the two main factions in the Nicene council!

Deception Exposed:

The deception is in projecting the false impression into the readers mind that the majority who opposed the Nicene council rejected the deity of Christ and the personality of the Holy Spirit. Such is a false dilemma, deceptively created in the mind of the reader, that any who opposed the Nicene council believe Jesus was a creature!