Question 229: In reading about the Cathars in the 12th century, what is dualism and what does the Bible teach about the concepts that they proclaimed?
Answer: The Cathars were a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement in Southern Europe between the 12th and 14th centuries. The Cathars rejected the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and claimed that they were the only true Christians. They had their own bible, the Cathar Bible, which taught many strange things like reincarnation, that Jesus was did not physically existed. Instead, they believed that Jesus was an angel who took on human form as an illusion so that he could appear as a human being. They did not believe that Jesus was resurrected but that his imaginary resurrection was a symbolic representation of reincarnation including humans and animals mixed together in the process. However, their doctrines are difficult to identify with certainty since very little of their original texts have survived. Most information regarding the teachings of the Cathars were written by the medieval Catholic Church, who were defending themselves against the false teachings of the Cathars. Therefore, what we know about the beliefs of the Cathars may be inaccurate or biased. As Winston Churchill once stated, “History is written by victors.”
We do know that their main tenant was “dualism.” Dualism is the belief that there are two opposing deities, one good and one bad. The good deity, God, was the creator of the spiritual world and the bad deity, Satan, was the creator of the physical world. Human beings were fallen angels (created by God) trapped in physical bodies (created by Satan) and the only way to liberate themselves was to deny themselves of any physical pleasures. Unless they could separate themselves from their sinful bodies, they were condemned to be eternally reincarnated until they could set themselves free.
The Bible teaches most emphatically and very clearly that there is only one omnipotent power, not two. God Almighty created everything, including Satan, but God alone is all powerful, all knowing, all-present and He alone controls every molecule in the universe. Chapter 5:1 of the Westminster Confession summarizes the teachings of God’s Word on God’s power and authority beautifully. “God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and most holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.”
We must reject the false teaching that “God and Satan are equal powers and our vote makes the difference.” Satan was created by God as a glorious angel, but he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven with one third of the angels who are now called demons (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28: 13-17). They are real and have some power but Satan and his agents operate under the authority of Almighty God (Job 1:6-12; Luke 22:31-32). God has given the believer the Holy Spirit to protect us and to develop us into mature believers (1 John 4:4). The evil one cannot touch a believer in Jesus without God’s permission and if God allows Satan or his agents to do something to us, God uses what they are allowed to do to us for our own ultimate good. That is, it may be a very sad and an evil action, but God will use it somehow to make us more Christ like (Romans 8:28).
It is a wonderful and most comforting though that our good, loving and powerful Heavenly Father is in control of all things in the universe and we can place our trust in Him and enjoy the ride. Satan and his agents are real, but Jesus Christ lived a perfect life as our substitute and died on the cross in our place, so that we can have a relationship with God who has promised us eternal life with Him. His promises to us include the fact that He is with us, He is for us, and He is in us. Hallelujah, what a Savior!