Maltheism
From RationalWiki
Maltheism (from "mal" meaning bad, or illness, and theism, from... well, theism) is the idea that God is just out to get us and that he is malicious, like a kid who keeps selecting "Monster" from the disaster menu in Sim City. A Maltheist, therefore, is someone who believes that a God or gods exist, and that they are evil, malicious, incompetent, or otherwise causing the suffering of humanity.
[edit] In religions and fiction
- Most religions do not accept a maltheistic view of the world; however, many nonbelievers might argue that given the apparent capriciousness and insecurity of YHWH (especially in the Old Testament) that the Judeo-Christian tradition is maltheistic in nature.
- Sethian Gnostics are semi-Maltheistic, as they believe the material world was created by an imperfect, evil sub-god named Ialdabaoth.
- The Church of the SubGenius often has a strong maltheistic streak to its deities.
- H.P. Lovecraft depicted a sort of maltheism where Azathoth, the creator god, was too stupid and/or insane to pay any attention to the universe, and lesser gods like Cthulhu were essentially out to cause death and destruction wherever they manifested.
