Maltheism
Encyclopedia
Maltheism is the belief that God
exists as a cruel, arrogant, abusive, and untruthful being who is either not worthy of worship or worthy of worshipping only from mere fear and intimidation. The problem of evil does not prove to a maltheist that God does not exist, but rather proves that God is a liar.
Maltheists describe the opposite point of view as theophilia (love of God), a term which refers to all those belief systems claiming that God is good. The term makes a distinction between "theists" and "theophiles", to distance maltheists from the presumptive conclusion that anyone who believes in God must believe that he is good and worthy of human devotion. Theists believe that God created the world, and maltheists qualify by this definition as theists. Theophiles are theists who believe that God is good, who (to take the term literally) love God. (Strictly speaking, those who agree with maltheists that God is not good—or who do not care whether or not God's actions qualify as good—but choose to love it anyway, perhaps out of misplaced devotion, or out of fear, or to curry favor, also qualify as theophiles.) The point is that not all "theists" love God, and the term "theophile" explicitly distinguishes those who love God from those who do not.
Many maltheists believe that God is dependent on the worship and adoration of human beings for its existence, and hope that if it is deprived of humanity's worship, it will wither up and die, leaving humanity better off. Maltheism seeks to encourage people of all theophilic religions to see God as it truly is, to stop worshipping it in any form, in order to achieve true human freedom. If God is indeed evil, as the maltheists say, and if its goal is not the benefit of mankind but rather its own glory (something theophiles typically agree with), worshipping an evil God is a treasonous act against the human race, since it feeds the force that enslaves people in general, even if it might cause the worshippers to gain some short-term benefit for themselves. Note, however, that some maltheists do not advocate forcing theophiles to give up their beliefs; they only wish for theophiles to cease their efforts to force others to believe as they do.
Maltheism can be compared with Satanism
because it advocates rebellion against God, and with some forms of Gnosticism
, which hold that the Demiurge
we perceive as the God
of the old testament
is evil while Christ
is an aspect of the real God.
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
exists as a cruel, arrogant, abusive, and untruthful being who is either not worthy of worship or worthy of worshipping only from mere fear and intimidation. The problem of evil does not prove to a maltheist that God does not exist, but rather proves that God is a liar.
Maltheists describe the opposite point of view as theophilia (love of God), a term which refers to all those belief systems claiming that God is good. The term makes a distinction between "theists" and "theophiles", to distance maltheists from the presumptive conclusion that anyone who believes in God must believe that he is good and worthy of human devotion. Theists believe that God created the world, and maltheists qualify by this definition as theists. Theophiles are theists who believe that God is good, who (to take the term literally) love God. (Strictly speaking, those who agree with maltheists that God is not good—or who do not care whether or not God's actions qualify as good—but choose to love it anyway, perhaps out of misplaced devotion, or out of fear, or to curry favor, also qualify as theophiles.) The point is that not all "theists" love God, and the term "theophile" explicitly distinguishes those who love God from those who do not.
Many maltheists believe that God is dependent on the worship and adoration of human beings for its existence, and hope that if it is deprived of humanity's worship, it will wither up and die, leaving humanity better off. Maltheism seeks to encourage people of all theophilic religions to see God as it truly is, to stop worshipping it in any form, in order to achieve true human freedom. If God is indeed evil, as the maltheists say, and if its goal is not the benefit of mankind but rather its own glory (something theophiles typically agree with), worshipping an evil God is a treasonous act against the human race, since it feeds the force that enslaves people in general, even if it might cause the worshippers to gain some short-term benefit for themselves. Note, however, that some maltheists do not advocate forcing theophiles to give up their beliefs; they only wish for theophiles to cease their efforts to force others to believe as they do.
Maltheism can be compared with Satanism
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
because it advocates rebellion against God, and with some forms of Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
, which hold that the Demiurge
Demiurge
The demiurge is a concept from the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy for an artisan-like figure responsible for the fashioning and maintenance of the physical universe. The term was subsequently adopted by the Gnostics...
we perceive as the God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
of the old testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
is evil while Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
is an aspect of the real God.