Dualism: A Recurring Christian Heresy
Created | Updated May 1, 2003
One of the most popular heresies of all time is called Dualism, that is separating the spirit (which is thought of as being good and coming from God) and the body (which is thought of as being bad and coming from the devil). Although the actual details of the heresy vary generation by generation, some things remain constant.
Firstly there is a rejection of sex and all things that come forth from the womb (this is me being poetic). Those things which come from the flesh are to be despised. This often leads to misogyny and vilification of women.
Next there can be an overemphasis on being born again. Instead of baptism being born again by water and the spirit, it becomes focused on being born again by the spirit. The flesh looses importance compared to the regeneration of one's soul: when one's soul is regenerated (born again), one can at last become one with God.
Footnote: Modern catholic churches (not just the Romans) separate the two parts of baptism into firstly baptism (in water) and secondly confirmation (baptism in the spirit) for ancient reasons that deserve close examination. Pentecostal churches believe that baptism in the spirit should occur prior to baptism in water and that it is the real baptism, the moment of dedication to Christ.
This gives rise to a number of unfortunate preoccupations, one of which is Original Sin. The basic idea that human beings have a tendency to sin as part of free choice is common to all orthodox faiths. This tendency can be called original sin. Yet St Augustine, and later the Western Church, was far more pessimistic, arguing that the flesh is sinful because it born from sinful people because of sin (if we were still in the Garden, there would be no need to for children). Therefore Original Sin is closely tied to the idea of sex in many places.
Another trap is the so-called question of evil. That is, where did it come from? A simple answer is that if the physical world is evil, it must have been co-created (or even in extreme forms, solely created) by the devil. This clearly is counter to the Nicene Creed which state that God created all things visible and invisible. Since God is good, nothing created by God can be anything other than good. Thus either you run with the notion that the devil created the world, or you say that the world must be inherently good. So where does evil come from, if the devil did not create the bad bits of the world? The orthodox response is to reflect on the nature of free will for created things and the ability for people (and the devil) to choose evil and cause evil to be present in the world.
Trick questions such as "If God created everything and everything God creates is good, is the devil good". The Orthodox/catholic Christian answers "Yes, the devil is good, but through free will chooses to be evil". The devil can, if you want to believe these things, make evil things happen, but essentially every thing which happens is a consequence of choice.
So the non-dualists have a far more positive outlook on life. Baptism is about being born again, but not from a physical evil existence into a spiritual good one, but from darkness into light. The newly baptised joins a family and gains the function of a priest of God after the mode of Moses.
Finally, because of this continuing battle between the world and the spirit which is lived out by Dualists by a rejection of the body and embracing of the spiritual, Dualism assumes that Christ has not reconciled God and creation. There is a focus on the end of the world, when Christ will come again and win the battle. Orthodox (and Catholic) Christianity argues that we join in the perfection of Christ to be at one with God (notwithstanding occasional stuff-ups) and that the battle with the devil has been won.
Second footnote: priest in this sense is different from the use to designate a "presbyter" or delegate of a Bishop who may lead a Holy Communion liturgy. Here we mean someone who can stand up-to God and negotiate as God's son negotiated, hence the Christian phrase "The Body of Christ" to refer to the baptised collectively.
Firstly there is a rejection of sex and all things that come forth from the womb (this is me being poetic). Those things which come from the flesh are to be despised. This often leads to misogyny and vilification of women.
Next there can be an overemphasis on being born again. Instead of baptism being born again by water and the spirit, it becomes focused on being born again by the spirit. The flesh looses importance compared to the regeneration of one's soul: when one's soul is regenerated (born again), one can at last become one with God.
Footnote: Modern catholic churches (not just the Romans) separate the two parts of baptism into firstly baptism (in water) and secondly confirmation (baptism in the spirit) for ancient reasons that deserve close examination. Pentecostal churches believe that baptism in the spirit should occur prior to baptism in water and that it is the real baptism, the moment of dedication to Christ.
This gives rise to a number of unfortunate preoccupations, one of which is Original Sin. The basic idea that human beings have a tendency to sin as part of free choice is common to all orthodox faiths. This tendency can be called original sin. Yet St Augustine, and later the Western Church, was far more pessimistic, arguing that the flesh is sinful because it born from sinful people because of sin (if we were still in the Garden, there would be no need to for children). Therefore Original Sin is closely tied to the idea of sex in many places.
Another trap is the so-called question of evil. That is, where did it come from? A simple answer is that if the physical world is evil, it must have been co-created (or even in extreme forms, solely created) by the devil. This clearly is counter to the Nicene Creed which state that God created all things visible and invisible. Since God is good, nothing created by God can be anything other than good. Thus either you run with the notion that the devil created the world, or you say that the world must be inherently good. So where does evil come from, if the devil did not create the bad bits of the world? The orthodox response is to reflect on the nature of free will for created things and the ability for people (and the devil) to choose evil and cause evil to be present in the world.
Trick questions such as "If God created everything and everything God creates is good, is the devil good". The Orthodox/catholic Christian answers "Yes, the devil is good, but through free will chooses to be evil". The devil can, if you want to believe these things, make evil things happen, but essentially every thing which happens is a consequence of choice.
So the non-dualists have a far more positive outlook on life. Baptism is about being born again, but not from a physical evil existence into a spiritual good one, but from darkness into light. The newly baptised joins a family and gains the function of a priest of God after the mode of Moses.
Finally, because of this continuing battle between the world and the spirit which is lived out by Dualists by a rejection of the body and embracing of the spiritual, Dualism assumes that Christ has not reconciled God and creation. There is a focus on the end of the world, when Christ will come again and win the battle. Orthodox (and Catholic) Christianity argues that we join in the perfection of Christ to be at one with God (notwithstanding occasional stuff-ups) and that the battle with the devil has been won.
Second footnote: priest in this sense is different from the use to designate a "presbyter" or delegate of a Bishop who may lead a Holy Communion liturgy. Here we mean someone who can stand up-to God and negotiate as God's son negotiated, hence the Christian phrase "The Body of Christ" to refer to the baptised collectively.
