Determinism & Apocolypse: the Grim Irony of Our Fortunate Fall

[David Morris]

Re. the origins of the **present state** of the world, the Bible
attributes the creation of evil and the present disastrous state of
this world to a demigod called Lucifer.  Interpretations vary, but a
not-uncommon one depicts Adam as having been given dominion of this
world.  He is then portrayed transferring dominion of the world to
Lucifer, whom the Bible calls "the god of this world."  So both the
present pervasive evil environment and the inherent sin of men
thereafter born into this world are the the creations of this evil
demigod who now has legal possession of it.

Not identical to Gnosticism, but full of similarities.

2 Corinthians 1:20
Where [is] the wise? where [is] the scribe? where [is] the disputer of
this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

2 Corinthians 4:3-4
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
In whom the   **god of this world**   hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Galatians 1:4
Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from  **this
present evil world,**  according to the will of God and our Father:


On Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 2:14 PM, Joseph Tracy <brook7 at sover.net> wrote:
>
> The creation difference is enough for me to find no meaningful connection (Calvinist theology  makes creation the work of The one and only creator God, and casts evil as rebellion and subversion of divine will. Gnosticism  has a demigod with creative powers who creates a physical world which obscures the spiritual universe- that's a big fucking difference ) other than what I mentioned before, that both stem from an agonistic vision of the cosmos.
>