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Dystheism (fromAncient Greek:δυσ-,romanized: dus-,lit. 'bad';θεός,theos, 'god') is the belief that agod is not whollygood and can even be consideredevil. Definitions of the term somewhat vary, with one author defining it as "where God decides to become malevolent".[1]
The broad theme of dystheism has existed for millennia, as shown bytricksters found inethnic religions and by various interpretations of theSupreme Being ofmonotheistic religions. For example, theAbrahamic creator deity, when evaluated from outside the perspective of the Abrahamic religions, can be seen as inappropriately cruel, vengeful and hypocritical.
The concept has been used frequently inpopular culture and is a part of several religious traditions in the world. Tricksters found in ethnic religions often have a dystheistic nature. One example isEshu, a trickster inYoruba religion who deliberately fostered violence between groups of people for his amusement.[citation needed] Another example isLoki inold Norse religion, thoughOdin has these qualities as well.
Zoroastrianism involves belief in an ongoing struggle between a creator god of goodness,Ahura Mazda, and a destroying god of hatred,Angra Mainyu, neither of which isomnipotent, which is a form ofdualistic cosmology. The ancient Greek godAres, depending on time and region, was associated with all the horrors of war.
Dystheists may themselves be theists oratheists, and in the case of either, concerning the nature of the Abrahamic god, will assert that God is not good, and is possibly, although not necessarily,malevolent, particularly but not exclusively to those who do not wish to follow any of theAbrahamic religions. For example, in hisSinners in the Hands of an Angry God (1741), therevivalist Christian preacherJonathan Edwards describes a God full of vengeful rage and contempt. However, Edwards' theology presumes a God whose vengeance and contempt are directed toward evil and its manifestation infallen humanity. To Edwards, a deity that ignores moral corruption or shows indifference to evil would be closer to the deity espoused by dystheism, that is, evil, because justice is an extension of love and moral goodness.
One particular view of dystheism, an atheistic approach, is summarized by the prominentrevolutionaryphilosopherMikhail Bakunin, who wrote inGod and the State that "if God really existed, it would be necessary to abolish him". Bakunin argued that, as a "jealous lover of human liberty, and deeming it the absolute condition of all that we admire and respect in humanity", the "idea of God" constitutes metaphysicaloppression of the idea of human choice.[2] This argument is an inversion ofVoltaire's phrase "If God did not exist, it would be necessary for man to invent Him".
Political theorist and activistThomas Paine similarly wrote inThe Age of Reason, "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." He added, "It is a history of wickedness, that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind; and, for my part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel."[3] Unlike Bakunin, however, Paine's condemnation of the purported nature of the divine from his time did not extend to outright atheism and disbelief in all spirituality: Paine stated that he accepted thedeistic notion of an almighty mover behind all things.
Dystheism as a concept, although often not labeled as such, has been referred to in many aspects ofpopular culture. As stated before, related ideas date back many decades, with theVictorian era figureAlgernon Charles Swinburne writing in his workAnactoria about theancient GreekpoetSappho and her loverAnactoria in explicitly dystheistic imagery that includescannibalism andsadomasochism.[4] More recent examples include the popularStar Trektelevision series. Fictional characterWorf claims that his race, theKlingons, have no gods, because they killed them centuries ago for being "more trouble than they were worth."[5] Various music bands approached themes related to or directly touching dystheism; for example,thrash metal bandSlayer condensed it in the albumGod Hates Us All, whilemelodic death metal bandAt the Gates explored it in various works such asTerminal Spirit Disease,The Nightmare of Being orSlaughter of the Soul.
