The most fashionable heresy of the last 200 years has been arianism. theological problems aside churchs that adapt arianism soon die.
this is what happened to most european churches. this is what is happening now to american liberal churches.
mormonism is the exception...
arianism is the belief that jesus is fully man but not fully God. It stems from a 4th century dispute started by an egyptian named Arius that was resolved at the counsil of Nicea. The nicean creed spoken in many denominations comes from this period.’
The arian heresy was brought back to life and popularized in the english speaking by Issac Newton. Likely he got it from the tree of knowledge put out a century early by the french philosopher Decartes and the englishman Francis Bacon. They put theology—along with witchcraft — down as a branch subbranch of philosophy.
Decarte’s & Bacon’s tree of knowledge does bear some similiarities to the tree of knowledge in the garden of eden. But you’ll notice that God resides outside of the garden of eden and outside the tree of knowledge.
IMO, mormonism is the attempt by man to equal God, and Joseph Smith, the founder of mormonism, has said: I have more to boast of than any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such work as I (History of the Church, Vol.6, pp. 408-09).