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Revision as of 13:19, 16 November 2007 editDbachmann (talk | contribs)227,714 edits rv summary decapitalization of God. This article for the greater part is ostensibly about a monotheist perspective. Polytheism is explicitly mentioned where applicable.← Previous edit Revision as of 14:02, 16 November 2007 edit undoIlkali (talk | contribs)2,670 editsm Reverted 1 edit by Dbachmann; Common nouns don't capitalise. it doesn't matter if their denotations are implicitly restricted. using TWNext edit →
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In ], the sentiment arises in the context of ] (the ], the ]). A famous literary expression of misotheistic sentiment is ]'s '']'', composed in the 1770s, not coincidentially contemporary to the ] of ]. In ], the sentiment arises in the context of ] (the ], the ]). A famous literary expression of misotheistic sentiment is ]'s '']'', composed in the 1770s, not coincidentially contemporary to the ] of ].


A related concept is '''dystheism''' (Greek δύσθεος "ungodly"), the belief that God is not wholly ], and is possibly evil. ] gods found in polytheistic belief systems often have a dystheistic nature. One example is ], a trickster God from ] who deliberately fostered violence between groups of people for his own amusement, saying that "causing strife is my greatest joy." A related concept is '''dystheism''' (Greek δύσθεος "ungodly"), the belief that a god is not wholly ], and is possibly evil. ] gods found in polytheistic belief systems often have a dystheistic nature. One example is ], a trickster god from ] who deliberately fostered violence between groups of people for his own amusement, saying that "causing strife is my greatest joy."


But ] deities since prehistoric times have been assumed to be neither good nor evil (or to have both qualities). Thus dystheism is only meaningful in reference to a ], ] God. Indeed, the moral absolute of ] has historically arisen in parallel with monotheism. In ] as the ], the proposition of God not being wholly good would of course be a ]. But ] deities since prehistoric times have been assumed to be neither good nor evil (or to have both qualities). Thus dystheism is normally used in reference to a ], ] god. Indeed, the moral absolute of ] has historically arisen in parallel with monotheism. In ] as the ], the proposition of God not being wholly good would of course be a ].


A historical proposition close to "dystheism" is the ''']''' (''{{lang|fr|dieu trompeur}}'') of ]' '']'', which has been interpreted by ] critics as the ] proposition of an omnipotent God of malevolent intent. But Kennington<ref>{{cite book|title=Rene Descartes: Critical Assessments|editor=Georges Joseph Daniel Moyal|pages=139|date=1991|publisher=Routledge|id=ISBN 0415023580|author=Richard Kennington|chapter=The 'Teaching of Nature' in Descartes' Soul Doctrine}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|pages=146|title=On Modern Origins: Essays in Early Modern Philosophy|author=Richard M. Kennington|chapter=The Finitude of Descartes' Evil Genius|date=2004|publisher=Lexington Books|id=ISBN 0739108158}}</ref> states that Descartes never declared his "evil genius" to be omnipotent, but merely no less powerful than he is deceitful, and thus not explicitly an equivalent to an omnipotent God. A historical proposition close to "dystheism" is the ''']''' (''{{lang|fr|dieu trompeur}}'') of ]' '']'', which has been interpreted by ] critics as the ] proposition of an omnipotent god of malevolent intent. But Kennington<ref>{{cite book|title=Rene Descartes: Critical Assessments|editor=Georges Joseph Daniel Moyal|pages=139|date=1991|publisher=Routledge|id=ISBN 0415023580|author=Richard Kennington|chapter=The 'Teaching of Nature' in Descartes' Soul Doctrine}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|pages=146|title=On Modern Origins: Essays in Early Modern Philosophy|author=Richard M. Kennington|chapter=The Finitude of Descartes' Evil Genius|date=2004|publisher=Lexington Books|id=ISBN 0739108158}}</ref> states that Descartes never declared his "evil genius" to be omnipotent, but merely no less powerful than he is deceitful, and thus not explicitly an equivalent to an omnipotent god.


==Terminology== ==Terminology==
*''']''' first appears in a dictionary in 1907.<ref>], under ''miso-''; also explicitly in 1913, .</ref> The Greek μισόθεος is found in Aeschylus ('']'' 1090). The English word appears as a nonce-coinage, used by ] in 1846.<ref>"On Christianity As An Organ of Political Movement" (1846).</ref> It is comparable to the original meaning of Greek '']'' of "rejecting the gods, rejected by the gods, godforsaken." Strictly speaking, the term connotes an attitude towards the gods (one of hatred) rather than making a statement about their nature. Schweizer (2002) stated "that the English vocabulary seems to lack a suitable word for outright hatred of God... <nowiki></nowiki> history records a number of outspoken misotheists," believing "misotheism" to be his original coinage. Applying the term to the work of ] ('']''), Schweizer clarifies that he does not mean the term to carry the negative connotations of ]: "To me, the word connotes a heroic stance of ] affirmation and the ] to defy the powers that rule the universe."<ref>Bernard Schweizer, 'Religious Subversion in ''His Dark Materials'' in: Millicent Lenz, Carole Scott (eds.) ''His Dark Materials Illuminated: Critical Essays On Philip Pullman's Trilogy'' (2005), p. 172, note 3.</ref> *''']''' first appears in a dictionary in 1907.<ref>], under ''miso-''; also explicitly in 1913, .</ref> The Greek μισόθεος is found in Aeschylus ('']'' 1090). The English word appears as a nonce-coinage, used by ] in 1846.<ref>"On Christianity As An Organ of Political Movement" (1846).</ref> It is comparable to the original meaning of Greek '']'' of "rejecting the gods, rejected by the gods, godforsaken". Strictly speaking, the term connotes an attitude towards the gods (one of hatred) rather than making a statement about their nature. Schweizer (2002) stated "that the English vocabulary seems to lack a suitable word for outright hatred of God... <nowiki></nowiki> history records a number of outspoken misotheists", believing "misotheism" to be his original coinage. Applying the term to the work of ] ('']''), Schweizer clarifies that he does not mean the term to carry the negative connotations of ]: "To me, the word connotes a heroic stance of ] affirmation and the ] to defy the powers that rule the universe."<ref>Bernard Schweizer, 'Religious Subversion in ''His Dark Materials'' in: Millicent Lenz, Carole Scott (eds.) ''His Dark Materials Illuminated: Critical Essays On Philip Pullman's Trilogy'' (2005), p. 172, note 3.</ref>
*''']''' is the belief that ] ] but is not wholly ], or that he might even be ]. The opposite concept is '''eutheism''', the belief that ] exists and is wholly good. ''Eutheism'' and ''dystheism'' are straightforward Greek formations from '']'' and '']'' + '']'', paralleling '']''; {{polytonic|δύσθεος}} in the sense of "godless, ungodly" appearing e.g. in ] ('']'' 1590). The terms are ] coinages, used by ] philosophy professor Robert C. Koons in a ] . According to Koons, "eutheism is the thesis that God exists and is wholly good, dystheism is the thesis that God exists but is not wholly good." However, many proponents of dystheistic ideas (including ] and David Blumenthal) do not offer those ideas in the spirit of ''hating'' God. Their work notes God's apparent evil or at least indifferent disinterest in the welfare of humanity, but does not express hatred towards him because of it. *''']''' is the belief that ] ] but is not wholly ], or that he might even be ]. The opposite concept is '''eutheism''', the belief that ] exists and is wholly good. ''Eutheism'' and ''dystheism'' are straightforward Greek formations from '']'' and '']'' + '']'', paralleling '']''; {{polytonic|δύσθεος}} in the sense of "godless, ungodly" appearing e.g. in ] ('']'' 1590). The terms are ] coinages, used by ] philosophy professor Robert C. Koons in a ] . According to Koons, "eutheism is the thesis that God exists and is wholly good, dystheism is the thesis that God exists but is not wholly good." However, many proponents of dystheistic ideas (including ] and David Blumenthal) do not offer those ideas in the spirit of ''hating'' God. Their work notes God's apparent evil or at least indifferent disinterest in the welfare of humanity, but does not express hatred towards him because of it.
*''']''' is an ad-hoc coining appearing on ] in 1985,<ref>Apparently coined by Paul Zimmerman in August 1985, on referring to the misotheistic belief in a "Damager-God".</ref> referring to the belief in a malevolent God inspired by the thesis of ] that "even if a God as described in the Bible does exist, he is not fit for worship due to his low moral standards".<ref>Original Usenet posting of Maroney's "Even If I Did Believe" essay, </ref> The same term has also seen use among designers and players of ] to describe a world with a malevolent deity.<ref>Naylor et al. (1994)</ref> *''']''' is an ad-hoc coining appearing on ] in 1985,<ref>Apparently coined by Paul Zimmerman in August 1985, on referring to the misotheistic belief in a "Damager-God".</ref> referring to the belief in a malevolent god inspired by the thesis of ] that "even if a God as described in the Bible does exist, he is not fit for worship due to his low moral standards."<ref>Original Usenet posting of Maroney's "Even If I Did Believe" essay, </ref> The same term has also seen use among designers and players of ] to describe a world with a malevolent deity.<ref>Naylor et al. (1994)</ref>
* ''']''' is direct opposition to ]. As such, it is generally manifested more as an opposition to belief in a God (to theism per se) than as opposition to God himself, making it more associated with ]. But antitheism by this definition does not necessarily imply belief in any sort of God at all, it simply stands in opposition to the idea of theistic religion. Under this definition, antitheism is a rejection of theism that does not necessarily imply belief in God on the part of the antitheist. Some (particularly religious extremists) might equate any form of antitheism (or even ]) to an overt opposition to God, since these beliefs run contrary to the idea of making devotion to God the highest priority in life. * ''']''' is direct opposition to ]. As such, it is generally manifested more as an opposition to belief in a god (to theism per se) than as opposition to gods themselves, making it more associated with ]. But antitheism by this definition does not necessarily imply belief in any sort of god at all, it simply stands in opposition to the idea of theistic religion. Under this definition, antitheism is a rejection of theism that does not necessarily imply belief in gods on the part of the antitheist. Some (particularly religious extremists) might equate any form of antitheism (or even ]) to an overt opposition to God, since these beliefs run contrary to the idea of making devotion to God the highest priority in life.
* Certain forms of ''']''' make the assertion that the God we experience in this world is evil, but that a true benevolent God exists beyond this world. The ]s believed that the God worshipped by Jews and Christians was really a ] that stood between us and some greater, more truly benevolent real God. Similarly, ] held beliefs deemed maltheistic in nature, depicting the ] God as a wrathful, genocidal, malicious demiurge. * Certain forms of ''']''' make the assertion that the god we experience in this world is evil, but that a true benevolent god exists beyond this world. The ]s believed that the god worshipped by Jews and Christians was really a ] that stood between us and some greater, more truly benevolent real god. Similarly, ] held beliefs deemed maltheistic in nature, depicting the ] god as a wrathful, genocidal, malicious demiurge.
* ''']''', as represented by the ] (founded by ]) does not, as commonly presumed, advocate worship of Satan as a literal existing entity, but rather advocated rebellion against an all too real manifested God. As LaVey wrote about God: * ''']''', as represented by the ] (founded by ]) does not, as commonly presumed, advocate worship of Satan as a literal existing entity, but rather advocated rebellion against an all too real manifested god. As LaVey wrote about God:
{{cquote|''<nowiki></nowiki> 'God takes care of drunks and fools' is inaccurate. In truth, he doesn't even notice them. That's why nothing bad happens to them. I proceed on the assumption that God is an asshole, and only notices those who don't deserve his dubious 'attention': the sensitive, the just, the capable, the talented, the gifted. They are the butterflies whom God pulls the wings off of. You must be something special to be cursed by God.''}} {{cquote|''<nowiki></nowiki> 'God takes care of drunks and fools' is inaccurate. In truth, he doesn't even notice them. That's why nothing bad happens to them. I proceed on the assumption that God is an asshole, and only notices those who don't deserve his dubious 'attention': the sensitive, the just, the capable, the talented, the gifted. They are the butterflies whom God pulls the wings off of. You must be something special to be cursed by God.''}}


==Theodicy== ==Theodicy==
{{main|Theodicy|Problem of evil|Holocaust theology}} {{main|Theodicy|Problem of evil|Holocaust theology}}
Dystheistic speculation arises from consideration of the ]&mdash;the question of why an omnipotent, omniscient, and supposedly omnibenevolent God would allow evil to exist in the world. Koons notes that this is only a theological problem for a eutheist, since a dystheist would not find the existence of evil (or God's authorship of it) to be an obstacle to theistic belief. In fact, the dystheistic option would be a consistent non-contradictory response to the problem of evil. Thus Koons concludes that the problem of ]&mdash;explaining how God can be good despite the apparent contradiction presented in the problem of evil&mdash;does not pose a challenge to ''all'' possible forms of theism (i.e., that the problem of evil does not present a contradiction to someone who would believe that God exists but that he is not necessarily good). Dystheistic speculation arises from consideration of the ]&mdash;the question of why an omnipotent, omniscient, and supposedly omnibenevolent god would allow evil to exist in the world. Koons notes that this is only a theological problem for a eutheist, since a dystheist would not find the existence of evil (or a god's authorship of it) to be an obstacle to theistic belief. In fact, the dystheistic option would be a consistent non-contradictory response to the problem of evil. Thus Koons concludes that the problem of ]&mdash;explaining how God can be good despite the apparent contradiction presented in the problem of evil&mdash;does not pose a challenge to ''all'' possible forms of theism (i.e., that the problem of evil does not present a contradiction to someone who would believe that God exists but that he is not necessarily good).


This conclusion implicitly takes the first horn of the ], asserting the independence of ] ] from the God defined in ]. Historically, the notion of "good" as an absolute concept has emerged in parallel with the notion of a single God identified with it. In this sense, dystheism amounts to the abandonment of a central feature of historical monotheism: the de facto association of God with the ]. This conclusion implicitly takes the first horn of the ], asserting the independence of ] ] from the god defined in ]. Historically, the notion of "good" as an absolute concept has emerged in parallel with the notion of a single god identified with it. In this sense, dystheism amounts to the abandonment of a central feature of historical monotheism: the de facto association of God with the ].


] wrote: ''"This world could not have been the work of an all-loving being, but that of a devil, who had brought creatures into existence in order to delight in the sight of their sufferings."'' ] wrote: ''"This world could not have been the work of an all-loving being, but that of a devil, who had brought creatures into existence in order to delight in the sight of their sufferings."''


Critics of ]'s doctrines of ] frequently argued that Calvin's doctrines did not successfully avoid describing God as "the author of evil." Critics of ]'s doctrines of ] frequently argued that Calvin's doctrines did not successfully avoid describing God as "the author of evil".


Much of ], especially in ] theological circles, is devoted to a rethinking of God's goodness. Examples include the work of David R. Blumenthal, author of ''Facing the Abusing God'' (1993) and John K. Roth, whose essay "A Theodicy of Protest" is included in ''Encountering Evil: Live Options in Theodicy'' (1982): Much of ], especially in ] theological circles, is devoted to a rethinking of God's goodness. Examples include the work of David R. Blumenthal, author of ''Facing the Abusing God'' (1993) and John K. Roth, whose essay "A Theodicy of Protest" is included in ''Encountering Evil: Live Options in Theodicy'' (1982):
{{cquote|''Everything hinges on the proposition that God possesses&mdash;but fails to use well enough&mdash;the power to intervene decisively at any moment to make history's course less wasteful. Thus, in spite and because of his sovereignty, this God is everlastingly guilty and the degrees run from gross negligence to mass murder...<br/><br/>To the extent that <nowiki></nowiki> are born with the potential and power to <nowiki></nowiki>, credit for that fact belongs elsewhere. "Elsewhere" is God's address.''<ref>Roth et al. (1982) - Extracted from a of Roth's essay, in which the author comments that "Roth is painting a picture of God as the ultimate example of a bad and abusive parent!"</ref>}} {{cquote|''Everything hinges on the proposition that God possesses&mdash;but fails to use well enough&mdash;the power to intervene decisively at any moment to make history's course less wasteful. Thus, in spite and because of his sovereignty, this God is everlastingly guilty and the degrees run from gross negligence to mass murder...<br/><br/>To the extent that <nowiki></nowiki> are born with the potential and power to <nowiki></nowiki>, credit for that fact belongs elsewhere. "Elsewhere" is God's address.''<ref>Roth et al. (1982) - Extracted from a of Roth's essay, in which the author comments that "Roth is painting a picture of God as the ultimate example of a bad and abusive parent!"</ref>}}


On a lighter note, ], the eccentric and extremely prolific ]-born ], referred to God as "the Supreme Fascist" (SF) who deliberately hid things from people, ranging from socks and passports to the most elegant of mathematical proofs. On a lighter note, ], the eccentric and extremely prolific ]-born ], referred to God as "the Supreme Fascist", who deliberately hid things from people, ranging from socks and passports to the most elegant of mathematical proofs.


==Divine malevolence in Scripture== ==Divine malevolence in Scripture==
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* ] 5:8-10 - God expressly admitting jealousy and in turn, punishing children - innocent of "iniquity of their fathers" - for generations after. * ] 5:8-10 - God expressly admitting jealousy and in turn, punishing children - innocent of "iniquity of their fathers" - for generations after.
===New Testament=== ===New Testament===
The ] scriptures in the ] contain references to an "evil god", specifically the "prince of this world" (John 14:30, {{lang|grc|ο του κοσμου τουτου αρχων}}) or "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4, {{lang|grc|ο θεος του αιωνος τουτου}})who has "blinded the minds of men." The ] scriptures in the ] contain references to an "evil god", specifically the "prince of this world" (John 14:30, {{lang|grc|ο του κοσμου τουτου αρχων}}) or "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4, {{lang|grc|ο θεος του αιωνος τουτου}})who has "blinded the minds of men".


Mainstream Christian theology sees these as references to Satan ("the Devil"), but ], ], and ] saw these as references to ] himself, and saw Jesus as rebelling against Yahweh.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} But these groups were ] that held to the notion that the god of this world, the ], was evil, but that there was a transcendent world greater than this one ruled by a true good God. Mainstream Christian theology sees these as references to Satan ("the Devil"), but ], ], and ] saw these as references to ] himself, and saw Jesus as rebelling against Yahweh.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} But these groups were ] that held to the notion that the god of this world, the ], was evil, but that there was a transcendent world greater than this one ruled by a true good god.


Although God as depicted in the New Testament is considered to be a "kinder, gentler" God than his characterization in the Old Testament, there are numerous examples that he has not really "changed his ways" after all: Although God as depicted in the New Testament is considered to be a "kinder, gentler" god than his characterization in the Old Testament, there are numerous examples that he has not really "changed his ways" after all:
* ] 5:1-11 - Ananias and Sapphira killed by God for withholding from God a portion of proceeds from a land sale. * ] 5:1-11 - Ananias and Sapphira killed by God for withholding from God a portion of proceeds from a land sale.
* ] 9 - Paul relates (9:9-13) how the destinies of Jacob and Esau were fixed by God before either had done any good or evil works, and concludes (9:14-18) that salvation and damnation are determined not by man's will or actions, but by God's will. He then considers (5:19) the question of how God can justly condemn evil men for fulfilling his will, and answers (5:20-21) that, just as a potter has power to shape clay, God has the right to form evil men for his own purposes, specifically, (5:22) to evince his wrath and power by destroying them. * ] 9 - Paul relates (9:9-13) how the destinies of Jacob and Esau were fixed by God before either had done any good or evil works, and concludes (9:14-18) that salvation and damnation are determined not by man's will or actions, but by God's will. He then considers (5:19) the question of how God can justly condemn evil men for fulfilling his will, and answers (5:20-21) that, just as a potter has power to shape clay, God has the right to form evil men for his own purposes, specifically, (5:22) to evince his wrath and power by destroying them.
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*]'s '']'' *]'s '']''
* ]<ref>Iwan Bloch, ''Marquis De Sade: His Life and Works'' (2002), p. 216.</ref> * ]<ref>Iwan Bloch, ''Marquis De Sade: His Life and Works'' (2002), p. 216.</ref>
* ]'s poem "Apparently With No Surprise" depicts God as approving of suffering in the world, relating the tale of a flower "beheaded" by a late frost as the sun "measure off another day for an approving God." * ]'s poem "Apparently With No Surprise" depicts God as approving of suffering in the world, relating the tale of a flower "beheaded" by a late frost as the sun "measure off another day for an approving God".
* ] argued against God in a posthumously published book, ]. He talks, in part, about the African "sleeping sickness", ]. * ] argued against God in a posthumously published book, ]. He talks, in part, about the African "sleeping sickness", ].
* ] in Fyodor ]'s 1879 '']'' articulates what might be termed a dystheistic rejection of God. Koons covered this argument in the the one . It was also discussed by ] in his essay entitled "." * ] in Fyodor ]'s 1879 '']'' articulates what might be termed a dystheistic rejection of God. Koons covered this argument in the the one . It was also discussed by ] in his essay entitled "".
* ] * ]
* The characters in several of ]' plays express dystheistic attitudes, including the Rev. T. Lawrence Shannon in ''].'' * The characters in several of ]' plays express dystheistic attitudes, including the Rev. T. Lawrence Shannon in ''].''
* ]'s poem "Design" questions how a good God could create death. * ]'s poem "Design" questions how a good god could create death.
* In Jewish author ]'s play, ''The Trial of God'' (1979) the survivors of a ], in which most of the inhabitants of a 17th-century Jewish village were massacred, put God on trial for his cruelty and indifference to their misery. The play is based on an actual trial Wiesel participated in that was conducted by inmates of the ] ] during the ] ], but it also references a number of other incidents in Jewish history including a similar trial conducted by the ] ] ]:{{cquote|''Men and women are being beaten, tortured and killed. True, they are victims of men. But the killers kill in God's name. Not all? True, but let one killer kill for God's glory, and God is guilty. Every person who suffers or causes suffering, every woman who is raped, every child who is tormented implicates Him. What, you need more? A hundred or a thousand? Listen, either he is responsible or he is not. If he is, let's judge him. If he is not, let him stop judging us.''}} * In Jewish author ]'s play, ''The Trial of God'' (1979) the survivors of a ], in which most of the inhabitants of a 17th-century Jewish village were massacred, put God on trial for his cruelty and indifference to their misery. The play is based on an actual trial Wiesel participated in that was conducted by inmates of the ] ] during the ] ], but it also references a number of other incidents in Jewish history including a similar trial conducted by the ] ] ]:{{cquote|''Men and women are being beaten, tortured and killed. True, they are victims of men. But the killers kill in God's name. Not all? True, but let one killer kill for God's glory, and God is guilty. Every person who suffers or causes suffering, every woman who is raped, every child who is tormented implicates Him. What, you need more? A hundred or a thousand? Listen, either he is responsible or he is not. If he is, let's judge him. If he is not, let him stop judging us.''}}
* Several non-Jewish authors share Wiesel's concerns about God's nature, including ] ('']'', '']'') and ] (''In the Shadow of the Ark''): * Several non-Jewish authors share Wiesel's concerns about God's nature, including ] ('']'', '']'') and ] (''In the Shadow of the Ark''):
{{cquote|''Why would you trust a God that doesn't give us the right book? Throughout history, he's given the Jewish people a book, he's given the Christians a book, and he's given the Muslims books, and there are big similarities between these books, but there are also contradictions. ... He needs to come back and create clarity and not ... let us fight over who's right. He should make it clear. So, my personal answer to your question, "Should we trust ," I wouldn't.''<ref>Transcript of with Anne Provoost by ] for his "Faith and Reason" PBS TV series</ref>}} {{cquote|''Why would you trust a God that doesn't give us the right book? Throughout history, he's given the Jewish people a book, he's given the Christians a book, and he's given the Muslims books, and there are big similarities between these books, but there are also contradictions. ... He needs to come back and create clarity and not ... let us fight over who's right. He should make it clear. So, my personal answer to your question, "Should we trust ," I wouldn't.''<ref>Transcript of with Anne Provoost by ] for his "Faith and Reason" PBS TV series</ref>}}
* A number of ] stories present a dystheistic perspective. Most prominent is ]'s '']'' (included as the first story in ]'s famous '']'' anthology), in which a fugitive God is hunted down across the universe by a vengeful humanity seeking to "put him in his place." ]'s influential novel '']'' is another prime example, as is ]'s previously mentioned trilogy, '']''. * A number of ] stories present a dystheistic perspective. Most prominent is ]'s '']'' (included as the first story in ]'s famous '']'' anthology), in which a fugitive God is hunted down across the universe by a vengeful humanity seeking to "put him in his place". ]'s influential novel '']'' is another prime example, as is ]'s previously mentioned trilogy, '']''.
* Additionally, the original series of ] had numerous episodes with dystheistic themes, in which the crew of the ] sought to thwart powerful deities from exercising authoritarian control over people, including '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']''. * Additionally, the original series of ] had numerous episodes with dystheistic themes, in which the crew of the ] sought to thwart powerful deities from exercising authoritarian control over people, including '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']''.
* Dystheistic sentiment has also made its way into popular music, evincing itself in controversial songs like "]"<ref>, performed by (written by ])</ref> by the band ] (later covered by ]) and "]"<ref>, performed by (written by Martin L. Gore)</ref> by ], which tells the story of a teenage girl who attempted suicide, survived, and turned her life over to God, only to be hit by a car, wind up on life support, and eventually die. The output of Oscar-winning songwriter/composer ] also includes several songs expressing dystheistic sentiment, including the ironic "He Gives Us All His Love" and the more overtly maltheistic "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)",<ref>, performed by (written by Randy Newman)</ref> both from his acclaimed ] album '']''. In the latter song, Newman bemoans the futility of dealing with a God whose attitude towards humanity is one of contempt and cruelty. * Dystheistic sentiment has also made its way into popular music, evincing itself in controversial songs like "]"<ref>, performed by (written by ])</ref> by the band ] (later covered by ]) and "]"<ref>, performed by (written by Martin L. Gore)</ref> by ], which tells the story of a teenage girl who attempted suicide, survived, and turned her life over to God, only to be hit by a car, wind up on life support, and eventually die. The output of Oscar-winning songwriter/composer ] also includes several songs expressing dystheistic sentiment, including the ironic "He Gives Us All His Love" and the more overtly maltheistic "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)",<ref>, performed by (written by Randy Newman)</ref> both from his acclaimed ] album '']''. In the latter song, Newman bemoans the futility of dealing with a god whose attitude towards humanity is one of contempt and cruelty.
* In 2006, Australian artist created a paper sculpture called "Maltheism", which was considered for a Telstra Art award in Australia during 2006. The piece was intended as a representation of a church made from pages of the Bible, specifically the Book of ]: {{cquote|''...and within its text is the endorsement from God to Moses for invasion of other nations. It says that you have the right to invade, take all their resources, kill all the men (non-believers) and make no treaty with them.''<ref>From the educational resource pamphlet accompanying the presentation of the </ref>}} * In 2006, Australian artist created a paper sculpture called "Maltheism", which was considered for a Telstra Art award in Australia during 2006. The piece was intended as a representation of a church made from pages of the Bible, specifically the Book of ]: {{cquote|''...and within its text is the endorsement from God to Moses for invasion of other nations. It says that you have the right to invade, take all their resources, kill all the men (non-believers) and make no treaty with them.''<ref>From the educational resource pamphlet accompanying the presentation of the </ref>}}


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Misotheism is the "hatred of God" or "hatred of the gods" (from the Greek adjective μισόθεος "hating the gods", a compound of μίσος "hatred" and θεός "god"). In some varieties of polytheism, it was considered possible to inflict punishment on gods by ceasing to worship them. Thus, Hrafnkell, protagonist of the eponymous Icelandic saga set in the 10th century, as his temple to Freyr is burnt and he is enslaved states that I think it is folly to have faith in gods, never performing another sacrifice, a position described in the sagas as goðlauss "godless". Jacob Grimm in his Teutonic Mythology observes that

It is remarkable that Old Norse legend occasionally mentions certain men who, turning away in utter disgust and doubt from the heathen faith, placed their reliance on their own strength and virtue. Thus in the Sôlar lioð 17 we read of Vêbogi and Râdey â sik þau trûðu, "in themselves they trusted".

In monotheism, the sentiment arises in the context of theodicy (the problem of evil, the Euthyphro dilemma). A famous literary expression of misotheistic sentiment is Goethe's Prometheus, composed in the 1770s, not coincidentially contemporary to the first modern expressions of atheism.

A related concept is dystheism (Greek δύσθεος "ungodly"), the belief that a god is not wholly good, and is possibly evil. Trickster gods found in polytheistic belief systems often have a dystheistic nature. One example is Eshu, a trickster god from Yoruba mythology who deliberately fostered violence between groups of people for his own amusement, saying that "causing strife is my greatest joy."

But polytheistic deities since prehistoric times have been assumed to be neither good nor evil (or to have both qualities). Thus dystheism is normally used in reference to a monotheistic, omnipotent god. Indeed, the moral absolute of good and evil has historically arisen in parallel with monotheism. In conceptions of God as the summum bonum, the proposition of God not being wholly good would of course be a contradiction in terms.

A historical proposition close to "dystheism" is the deus deceptor (dieu trompeur) of Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, which has been interpreted by Protestant critics as the blasphemous proposition of an omnipotent god of malevolent intent. But Kennington states that Descartes never declared his "evil genius" to be omnipotent, but merely no less powerful than he is deceitful, and thus not explicitly an equivalent to an omnipotent god.

Terminology

  • Misotheism first appears in a dictionary in 1907. The Greek μισόθεος is found in Aeschylus (Agamemnon 1090). The English word appears as a nonce-coinage, used by Thomas de Quincey in 1846. It is comparable to the original meaning of Greek atheos of "rejecting the gods, rejected by the gods, godforsaken". Strictly speaking, the term connotes an attitude towards the gods (one of hatred) rather than making a statement about their nature. Schweizer (2002) stated "that the English vocabulary seems to lack a suitable word for outright hatred of God... history records a number of outspoken misotheists", believing "misotheism" to be his original coinage. Applying the term to the work of Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials), Schweizer clarifies that he does not mean the term to carry the negative connotations of misanthropy: "To me, the word connotes a heroic stance of humanistic affirmation and the courage to defy the powers that rule the universe."
  • Dystheism is the belief that God does exist but is not wholly good, or that he might even be evil. The opposite concept is eutheism, the belief that God exists and is wholly good. Eutheism and dystheism are straightforward Greek formations from eu- and dys- + theism, paralleling atheism; Template:Polytonic in the sense of "godless, ungodly" appearing e.g. in Aeschylus (Agamemnon 1590). The terms are nonce coinages, used by University of Texas at Austin philosophy professor Robert C. Koons in a 1998 lecture. According to Koons, "eutheism is the thesis that God exists and is wholly good, dystheism is the thesis that God exists but is not wholly good." However, many proponents of dystheistic ideas (including Elie Wiesel and David Blumenthal) do not offer those ideas in the spirit of hating God. Their work notes God's apparent evil or at least indifferent disinterest in the welfare of humanity, but does not express hatred towards him because of it.
  • Maltheism is an ad-hoc coining appearing on Usenet in 1985, referring to the belief in a malevolent god inspired by the thesis of Tim Maroney that "even if a God as described in the Bible does exist, he is not fit for worship due to his low moral standards." The same term has also seen use among designers and players of role-playing games to describe a world with a malevolent deity.
  • Antitheism is direct opposition to theism. As such, it is generally manifested more as an opposition to belief in a god (to theism per se) than as opposition to gods themselves, making it more associated with antireligion. But antitheism by this definition does not necessarily imply belief in any sort of god at all, it simply stands in opposition to the idea of theistic religion. Under this definition, antitheism is a rejection of theism that does not necessarily imply belief in gods on the part of the antitheist. Some (particularly religious extremists) might equate any form of antitheism (or even atheism) to an overt opposition to God, since these beliefs run contrary to the idea of making devotion to God the highest priority in life.
  • Certain forms of dualism make the assertion that the god we experience in this world is evil, but that a true benevolent god exists beyond this world. The Gnostics believed that the god worshipped by Jews and Christians was really a demiurge that stood between us and some greater, more truly benevolent real god. Similarly, Marcionites held beliefs deemed maltheistic in nature, depicting the Old Testament god as a wrathful, genocidal, malicious demiurge.
  • Satanism, as represented by the Church of Satan (founded by Anton Szandor LaVey) does not, as commonly presumed, advocate worship of Satan as a literal existing entity, but rather advocated rebellion against an all too real manifested god. As LaVey wrote about God:

'God takes care of drunks and fools' is inaccurate. In truth, he doesn't even notice them. That's why nothing bad happens to them. I proceed on the assumption that God is an asshole, and only notices those who don't deserve his dubious 'attention': the sensitive, the just, the capable, the talented, the gifted. They are the butterflies whom God pulls the wings off of. You must be something special to be cursed by God.

Theodicy

Main articles: Theodicy, Problem of evil, and Holocaust theology

Dystheistic speculation arises from consideration of the problem of evil—the question of why an omnipotent, omniscient, and supposedly omnibenevolent god would allow evil to exist in the world. Koons notes that this is only a theological problem for a eutheist, since a dystheist would not find the existence of evil (or a god's authorship of it) to be an obstacle to theistic belief. In fact, the dystheistic option would be a consistent non-contradictory response to the problem of evil. Thus Koons concludes that the problem of theodicy—explaining how God can be good despite the apparent contradiction presented in the problem of evil—does not pose a challenge to all possible forms of theism (i.e., that the problem of evil does not present a contradiction to someone who would believe that God exists but that he is not necessarily good).

This conclusion implicitly takes the first horn of the Euthyphro dilemma, asserting the independence of good and evil morality from the god defined in monotheism. Historically, the notion of "good" as an absolute concept has emerged in parallel with the notion of a single god identified with it. In this sense, dystheism amounts to the abandonment of a central feature of historical monotheism: the de facto association of God with the summum bonum.

Arthur Schopenhauer wrote: "This world could not have been the work of an all-loving being, but that of a devil, who had brought creatures into existence in order to delight in the sight of their sufferings."

Critics of Calvin's doctrines of predestination frequently argued that Calvin's doctrines did not successfully avoid describing God as "the author of evil".

Much of post-Holocaust theology, especially in Judaic theological circles, is devoted to a rethinking of God's goodness. Examples include the work of David R. Blumenthal, author of Facing the Abusing God (1993) and John K. Roth, whose essay "A Theodicy of Protest" is included in Encountering Evil: Live Options in Theodicy (1982):

Everything hinges on the proposition that God possesses—but fails to use well enough—the power to intervene decisively at any moment to make history's course less wasteful. Thus, in spite and because of his sovereignty, this God is everlastingly guilty and the degrees run from gross negligence to mass murder...

To the extent that are born with the potential and power to , credit for that fact belongs elsewhere. "Elsewhere" is God's address.

On a lighter note, Paul Erdős, the eccentric and extremely prolific Hungarian-born mathematician, referred to God as "the Supreme Fascist", who deliberately hid things from people, ranging from socks and passports to the most elegant of mathematical proofs.

Divine malevolence in Scripture

Main article: Ethics_in_the_Bible § God's_benevolence

There are various examples of arguable dystheism in the Bible, sometimes cited as arguments for atheism (e.g. Bertrand Russell 1957). Most of these are from the Pentateuch, the theological nature of which is still close to henotheism. A notable exception is the Book of Job, a classical case study of theodicy, which can be argued to consciously discuss the possibility of dystheism (e.g. Carl Jung, Answer to Job).

Thomas Paine wrote in "The Age of Reason" that "whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the word of God." But Paine's perspective was a deistic one, critical more of common beliefs about God than of God himself.

Hebrew Bible

  • The story of Adam and Eve, Genesis 2:16: God setting up a trap for Adam and Eve.
  • Tower of Babel, Genesis 11:1: God jealously chastising humanity for attempting to succeed using their own talent.
  • The Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart in the story of Moses in Exodus: God is explicitly shown to inspire impious behaviour on the Pharaoh's part (interfering with free will) so he can punish him for it.
  • Deuteronomy 7:1-6, 20:16-17, God calling for cruelty and even genocide against the Canaanites (mitzvot 596-598)
  • In the Book of Job God is shown to play idle games with Satan over the suffering of a pious man.
  • Deuteronomy 5:8-10 - God expressly admitting jealousy and in turn, punishing children - innocent of "iniquity of their fathers" - for generations after.

New Testament

The Christian scriptures in the New Testament contain references to an "evil god", specifically the "prince of this world" (John 14:30, ο του κοσμου τουτου αρχων) or "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4, ο θεος του αιωνος τουτου)who has "blinded the minds of men".

Mainstream Christian theology sees these as references to Satan ("the Devil"), but Gnostics, Marcionites, and Manicheans saw these as references to Yahweh himself, and saw Jesus as rebelling against Yahweh. But these groups were dualists that held to the notion that the god of this world, the demiurge, was evil, but that there was a transcendent world greater than this one ruled by a true good god.

Although God as depicted in the New Testament is considered to be a "kinder, gentler" god than his characterization in the Old Testament, there are numerous examples that he has not really "changed his ways" after all:

  • Acts 5:1-11 - Ananias and Sapphira killed by God for withholding from God a portion of proceeds from a land sale.
  • Romans 9 - Paul relates (9:9-13) how the destinies of Jacob and Esau were fixed by God before either had done any good or evil works, and concludes (9:14-18) that salvation and damnation are determined not by man's will or actions, but by God's will. He then considers (5:19) the question of how God can justly condemn evil men for fulfilling his will, and answers (5:20-21) that, just as a potter has power to shape clay, God has the right to form evil men for his own purposes, specifically, (5:22) to evince his wrath and power by destroying them.
  • Revelation 21:8 - God threatens those who do not believe in him with the eternal punishment (being thrown into a lake of burning sulphur).

In art, literature, and popular culture

This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (October 2007)

Why would you trust a God that doesn't give us the right book? Throughout history, he's given the Jewish people a book, he's given the Christians a book, and he's given the Muslims books, and there are big similarities between these books, but there are also contradictions. ... He needs to come back and create clarity and not ... let us fight over who's right. He should make it clear. So, my personal answer to your question, "Should we trust ," I wouldn't.

  • A number of science fiction stories present a dystheistic perspective. Most prominent is Lester del Rey's Evensong (included as the first story in Harlan Ellison's famous Dangerous Visions anthology), in which a fugitive God is hunted down across the universe by a vengeful humanity seeking to "put him in his place". Olaf Stapledon's influential novel Star Maker is another prime example, as is Philip Pullman's previously mentioned trilogy, His Dark Materials.
  • Additionally, the original series of Star Trek had numerous episodes with dystheistic themes, in which the crew of the Enterprise sought to thwart powerful deities from exercising authoritarian control over people, including The Squire of Gothos, Who Mourns for Adonais?, Day of the Dove, and Return of the Archons.
  • Dystheistic sentiment has also made its way into popular music, evincing itself in controversial songs like "Dear God" by the band XTC (later covered by Sarah McLachlan) and "Blasphemous Rumours" by Depeche Mode, which tells the story of a teenage girl who attempted suicide, survived, and turned her life over to God, only to be hit by a car, wind up on life support, and eventually die. The output of Oscar-winning songwriter/composer Randy Newman also includes several songs expressing dystheistic sentiment, including the ironic "He Gives Us All His Love" and the more overtly maltheistic "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)", both from his acclaimed 1972 album Sail Away. In the latter song, Newman bemoans the futility of dealing with a god whose attitude towards humanity is one of contempt and cruelty.
  • In 2006, Australian artist Archie Moore created a paper sculpture called "Maltheism", which was considered for a Telstra Art award in Australia during 2006. The piece was intended as a representation of a church made from pages of the Bible, specifically the Book of Deuteronomy:

    ...and within its text is the endorsement from God to Moses for invasion of other nations. It says that you have the right to invade, take all their resources, kill all the men (non-believers) and make no treaty with them.

Notes

  1. Jacob Grimm: Teutonic Mythology Chapter 1. page 2. (Grimm's Teutonic Mythology Translation Project.)
  2. Richard Kennington (1991). "The 'Teaching of Nature' in Descartes' Soul Doctrine". In Georges Joseph Daniel Moyal (ed.). Rene Descartes: Critical Assessments. Routledge. p. 139. ISBN 0415023580.
  3. Richard M. Kennington (2004). "The Finitude of Descartes' Evil Genius". On Modern Origins: Essays in Early Modern Philosophy. Lexington Books. p. 146. ISBN 0739108158.
  4. New English Dictionary, under miso-; also explicitly in 1913, Noah Webster's Dictionary of the English Language.
  5. "On Christianity As An Organ of Political Movement" (1846).
  6. Bernard Schweizer, 'Religious Subversion in His Dark Materials in: Millicent Lenz, Carole Scott (eds.) His Dark Materials Illuminated: Critical Essays On Philip Pullman's Trilogy (2005), p. 172, note 3.
  7. Apparently coined by Paul Zimmerman in August 1985, on net.origins referring to the misotheistic belief in a "Damager-God".
  8. Original Usenet posting of Maroney's "Even If I Did Believe" essay, 31 December 1983
  9. Naylor et al. (1994)
  10. Roth et al. (1982) - Extracted from a review of Roth's essay, in which the author comments that "Roth is painting a picture of God as the ultimate example of a bad and abusive parent!"
  11. Iwan Bloch, Marquis De Sade: His Life and Works (2002), p. 216.
  12. Transcript of interview with Anne Provoost by Bill Moyers for his "Faith and Reason" PBS TV series
  13. "Dear God", performed by XTC (written by Andy Partridge)
  14. "Blasphemous Rumours", performed by Depeche Mode (written by Martin L. Gore)
  15. "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)", performed by Randy Newman (written by Randy Newman)
  16. From the educational resource pamphlet accompanying the presentation of the 23rd Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

References

  • Blumenthal, David R. (1993). Facing the Abusing God: A Theology of Protest. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993. p. 348. ISBN 0-664-25464-0.
  • Mirabello, Mark, The Crimes of Jehovah (1997), ISBN 1884365132.
  • Naylor, Janet (1994). GURPS Religion. Austin, TX: Steve Jackson Games, 1994. p. 176. ISBN 1-55634-202-0. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Phillips, D. Z. (2005). The Problem of Evil and The Problem of God. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2005. p. 280. ISBN 0-8006-3775-5.
  • Provoost, Anne (2004). In the Shadow of the Ark. Minneapolis, MN: Arthur A. Levine, 2004. p. 384. ISBN 0-439-44234-6.
  • Roth, John K. ; et al. (1982). Encountering Evil: Live Options in Theodicy. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1982. p. 182. ISBN 0804205175. {{cite book}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |first= (help)
  • Russell, Bertrand (1957). Why I Am Not A Christian. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1957. p. 266. ASIN B000JX1TIK.
  • Sutherland, Robert (2006). Putting God on Trial: The Biblical Book of Job. Victoria, BC: Trafford Publishing, 2006. p. 226. ISBN 1-4120-1847-1. {{cite book}}: External link in |title= (help)
  • Schweizer, Bernard (2002). Rebecca West: Heroism, Rebellion, and the Female Epic. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002. p. 184. ISBN 0-313-32360-7.
  • Wiesel, Elie (1979). The Trial of God. New York, NY: Random House, 1979. p. 208. ISBN 0-8052-1053-9.

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