Dualism means the belief that there are two equal and independent powers at the back of everything, one of them good and the other bad, and that this universe is the battlefield in which they fight out an endless war. I personally think that next to Christianity Dualism is the manliest and most sensible creed on the market. But it has a catch in it.
The two powers, or spirits, or gods—the good one and the bad one—are supposed to be quite independent. They both existed from all eternity.
Neither of them made the other, neither of them has any more right than the other to call itself God. Each presumably thinks it is good and thinks the other bad.
One of them likes hatred and cruelty, the other likes love and mercy, and each backs its own view. Now what do we mean when we call one of them the Good Power and the other the Bad Power?
Either we are merely saying that we happen to prefer the one to the other—like preferring beer to cider—or else we are saying that, whatever the two powers think about it, and whichever we humans, at the moment, happen to like, one of them is actually wrong, actually mistaken, in regarding itself as good.
Now if we mean merely that we happen to prefer the first, then we must give up talking about good and evil at all. For good means what you ought to prefer quite regardless of what you happen to like at any given moment. If "being good" meant simply joining the side you happened to fancy, for no real reason, then good would not deserve to be called good.
So we must mean that one of the two powers is actually wrong and the other actually right.
This is from Mere Christianity by CS Lewis.
Is this what those of you versed in theology believe dualism to be?
I agree with the conclusion. But, definitely am not espousing this.
We have a spirit, a soul, housed in 1 body. Our spirit comes alive in Christ Jesus and then we learn to rule soul and body from the position of the kingdom of God within us, and the position of being placed in the heavenly realm with the victorious Son of God. We learn His ways and imitate...put down habits so to speak, and live in newness of mind.
Is this dualism?
The two powers, or spirits, or gods—the good one and the bad one—are supposed to be quite independent. They both existed from all eternity.
Neither of them made the other, neither of them has any more right than the other to call itself God. Each presumably thinks it is good and thinks the other bad.
One of them likes hatred and cruelty, the other likes love and mercy, and each backs its own view. Now what do we mean when we call one of them the Good Power and the other the Bad Power?
Either we are merely saying that we happen to prefer the one to the other—like preferring beer to cider—or else we are saying that, whatever the two powers think about it, and whichever we humans, at the moment, happen to like, one of them is actually wrong, actually mistaken, in regarding itself as good.
Now if we mean merely that we happen to prefer the first, then we must give up talking about good and evil at all. For good means what you ought to prefer quite regardless of what you happen to like at any given moment. If "being good" meant simply joining the side you happened to fancy, for no real reason, then good would not deserve to be called good.
So we must mean that one of the two powers is actually wrong and the other actually right.
This is from Mere Christianity by CS Lewis.
Is this what those of you versed in theology believe dualism to be?
I agree with the conclusion. But, definitely am not espousing this.
We have a spirit, a soul, housed in 1 body. Our spirit comes alive in Christ Jesus and then we learn to rule soul and body from the position of the kingdom of God within us, and the position of being placed in the heavenly realm with the victorious Son of God. We learn His ways and imitate...put down habits so to speak, and live in newness of mind.
Is this dualism?