On Thu, 18 Jan 2001, Allen Roy wrote:
> However, they would have no reason to communicate with the only fallen
> planet in the universe, for they are watching with interest everything that
> is happening. Satan has accused God of duplicity in front of the universe
> and
> they are watching to see who is right. God is on trial and we (just as Job
> and co. was) are the witnesses for the defense or the prosecution. This
> planet (not the universe) is the stage on which the drama of truth and evil
> is being played out.
I find this fascinating, Allen. Your description above replicates, in
some places nearly verbatim, the belief system of the Manichaeans, which
was a 3rd-7th century religious movement that was frequently identified
with early Christianity, but was later rejected by the Christian Church as
heretical. Augustine was an adherent of the sect for several years as a
young man, but later wrote extensively against it. A nearly complete copy
of a document (Kephala, or Principles) written by Mani, the sect's
founder, was located in 1931 outside of Cairo -- and some of its language
("we are the witnesses for the defense or the prosecution. . ."; "the
stage on which the drama of truth and evil is being played out") is an
eerie rendition of your own.
The difficulty that Christianity has always had with Manichaeanism is that
the latter is ontologically dualist, meaning that the cosmos is
fundamentally divided between two opposing forces, God and Satan.
Manichaeanism had no scruple over declaring God not the original creator,
but a redeemer who had come to take back the world from Satan. The only
way God could emerge victorious was to be vindicated by the people of the
earth, who are to declare themselves on the side of God or of Satan. For
Mani, it was winner take all, with human beings the ones to decide.
This sounds very much like the position you voiced above, Allen. Is that
a fair assessment? If so, how do you understand the traditional Christian
confession of God as a providential creator who has never lost control of
his creation? How could God be "on trial" unless He is somehow subject to
another authority? Who is the judge in this cosmic courtroom? Is it
possible that the verdict in this "trial" may go against God? If so,then
what?
I'm afraid this all sounds very Manichaean to me -- and thus outside
the bounds of orthodox Christianity. Can you say more about this?
Tom Pearson
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Thomas D. Pearson
Department of History & Philosophy
The University of Texas-Pan American
Edinburg, Texas
e-mail: pearson@panam1.panam.edu
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