Dale Nelson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sawfish, re Manichaeism -- that's basically strict
> dualism; there are two "divine" principles, one
> light, one dark;

That I knew...

> one spiritual, one associated
> with matter.

That I did not know.

Interesting implication, then.

I'm intrigued with Manichaeism because unlike what I get form my limited exposure to mainstream Christianity, both good and evil exist right from the get-go, rather than God being the creator of his opponent, Satan. There is a sort of divine balance of power, therefore.

You know, one way to look at the Judeo-Christian God is that He is very, very egotistical, much like Donald Trump. Absolutely He was here first, and he's the complete and total boss of everything, Bunky.

So ask no questions.

This is handled in a very comedic way in the original Bedazzled (1967) starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.


BTW, which principal is associated with matter and which with spirit?

>
> I'd say that the view of traditional, orthodox
> Christianity includes a "modified dualism." It's
> dualistic because the diabolus is taken seriously,
> but is understood as a created being not
> originally evil. This site probably isn't the
> place to go into these things, but I would commend
> to the attention of anyone interested a book by
> Gregory Boyd called God at War. It should
> interest Christian fans of Lovecraft.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 4 Feb 21 | 12:39PM by Sawfish.

To answer your question, I had to check for something relating to Manichaeism and St. Augustine, since it was in connection with a little reading by and about the latter that, I suppose, I learned most of what I know (or knew) about it. I found this:

"Mani combined impressive teaching, reinforced by hymns and splendidly produced books, with effective organisation. He taught that Good and Evil are equal powers, and both have always existed. Each has a kingdom, Good the kingdom of Light and Evil the kingdom of Darkness. Darkness invaded Light, and fragments of light are still entrapped in the darkness; this world was created in order to free them. Jesus of Light, who is pure spirit, shows humans how the light may be freed, and the Suffering Jesus is the Light which is entrapped in this world. The human soul is a fragment of Light which has fallen from its home, the kingdom of heaven, and is trapped in the body. It can escape by disciplining the body and with the help of saving powers."

[www-personal.umich.edu]

Thanks, Dale!

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks very much for posting the extract, Dale! I reckon you’re right about M.R. James, but would also reckon he shared HPL’s perspective as well - ie, that maybe he was both sympathetic and sceptical.

Looking up the definition of Manichaiesm - the notion that light (by which I’m guessing the sublime) is slowly but gradually being separated from matter (the mundane) made me wonder how new life figures in the equation? This in turn, reminded me of an acquaintance, who came from another large Irish family like myself, who reckoned his mother always saw herself in the business of producing more souls for heaven.

Cathbad, I remember, many years ago on a visit to the West Coast (US), seeing a bumper sticker that said:

SOULS OF GREAT LIGHT ARE WAITING TO BE BORN. HAVE ONE!

--MOTHER