More often than not, the largest objection many give against Christianity is how can an all good God exist when evil is present. While this seems perplexing, theodicy (the study of why evil exists) really traces back to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In Genesis 1-3, we can see that creation was good, man was unblemished and naked, and a perfect order was in place. The agent of chaos, or choice, hinged on the voluntary consumption of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge. I would like to note here in Genesis 1:28, man was commanded to be fruitful and multiply, so sex was present before the fall (which will be addressed in a future post).
What we know from the narrative is that man consumed the fruit and we are now in the situation we deal with now. However, if the initial order was good, what humanity really gained was the knowledge of evil. This originates what is referred to as original sin. What really happened here is not spelled out clearly other than the curses God placed upon the serpent, Eve and Adam. From what I can gather from the epistles and some of the non-canonical sources (e.g., Book of Enoch and gnostic texts), the ideal environment that God established for the angelic beings was not their ideal and the fruit set forth the stage for man to work. In essence we could be “like God,” which was inherently missing immortality due to our lack of understanding larger systems required for life. The old practices of the pentagram rituals suggest that the initial generations of men tried to control the angelic spirits and make his own way. So in essence, the nature of evil and the Tree of Knowledge set us on a path to become our own gods (determining our own version of good and evil) and make a reality that fit our own personal desires. That obviously did not turn out well, given the history of wars, and what seems to be a false peace currently based on a status quo that does not seem to be holding up very well today (look at all the UN disputed territories that seem not to be as common knowledge as most should understand).
There are some deeper connotations here if you think about them. Since we are thinking beings and our actions are indicative of our intentions, the angels were likely the spiritual personifications of God’s most inherently good and bad understandings (paths of life, which is why the Kabballah likely goes this direction). God himself decided that some ideas were set forth for destruction, while others for prosperity, but from the vantage point of a destructive ideology, it should not be surprising that they were unhappy with their best potential fate from the onset. So they sought to make their own and convince like minded men to do the same thing. By nature, since these were all evil, it should be no surprise that pride, jealousy, selfishness, and the lack of reciprocity have become more normal than love and charity. When everyone can choose to embrace their own best interest, as economic game theory shows, it’s quite likely that people will act in selfish intent rather than the general best interests of everyone. It’s also no surprise that Satanist’s like Levey convey “do what thou wilt,” while Christ says “love God and your neighbor as yourself.”
We can see the same issues if we look at archetypes in gnostic or psychological texts, or imagine the Archon like nature of the sons of God in Genesis 6. Realistically, the Nephilim of old were most likely the gods of the Pantheon, a group of prideful misfits who couldn’t get along, whose people had no idea how to make them happy. It certainly wouldn’t be an issue for Satan, who can manipulate the pride of Archons or people who adopt a form of archetype to accomplish his goal of being worshipped. Yet nonetheless, we are currently in the state we are based on the first dichotomy of thought established, the knowledge of good and evil.
To conclude the thoughts on this page, the simplest dichotomy for the knowledge of good and evil really comes down to the pursuit of universal goals (everyone’s best interest) or personal pride (your best interest). To even ask the question why does evil exist given an all good God makes the assumption that God created evil (not you or sons of God) and there is no personal responsibility for our own selfish ambitions or choices (granted Adam and Eve are in part to blame, as is the serpent as the knowledge of evil entities was put away from man at the onset). Given the ways that our current political and economic structures are set up (including the breakdown of nation states since the World Wars), it really does come down to a battle whereby whomever sits at the top of the pyramid controls the nature of society. When you realize this, you’ll understand how God’s ultimate plan shakes out, why good and evil exists, and how God is all good (as personified in Christ-master of duality-elector of good only). While we can only master our choices in this life realistically, would you rather live in a world of humanitarianism or self preservation? I’ve chosen the road less travelled (humanitarian) at the expense of my ego (a skill I can never fully master without humility and the Holy Spirit-always in progress and can be improved).
