Two Deities

Both the Good God and the Devil are of equal power and they struggle for supremacy. The reason there is so much suffering in this world is that the whole physical universe is the domain of the Devil. The Devil has created this world with the malicious intent of frustrating the Good God's plan that there should be eternal peace and harmony.The Cathars believed that the creation of the material world was a collossal accident, a by product of the conflict between good and evil.

Both the Good God and the Devil are of equal power and they struggle for supremacy.  The reason there is so much suffering in this world is that the whole physical universe is the domain of the Devil.  The Devil has created this world with the malicious intent of frustrating the Good God’s plan that there should be eternal peace and harmony.

The power of the universe  is everywhere ,in everything. The power behind the universe is infinite but a delicate balance between good or evil, in consequence in every entity there is  the ability to exert extreme good or evil.

Both the Good God and the Devil are of equal power and they struggle for supremacy.  The reason there is so much suffering in this world is that the whole physical universe is the domain of the Devil.  The Devil has created this world with the malicious intent of frustrating the Good God’s plan that there should be eternal peace and harmony.

Hell

The material world is hell and the experience is made worse by man's inhumanity to man. The Devil is a domineering and vengeful God who continually invents ways to turn mankind one against the other. Different gods, different ways of worshiping those gods, different features and skin colours,different nations are all examples of how the Devil can achieve his ends. Natural tradgedies, storms, droughts, floods, earthquakes, eruptions are used to create suffering and gererate tension between neighbours.There is no escape! The normal course of events is that all living things will be reincarnated again and again until the time when the universe will cease to exist.

The power of evil delights in the material world and the misery and suffering which is perpetuated within it.  The material world is hell and the experience is made worse by man’s inhumanity to man. The Devil is a domineering and vengeful God who continually invents ways to turn mankind one against the other. Different gods, different ways of worshiping those gods, different features and skin colours,different nations are all examples of how the Devil can achieve his ends. Natural tradgedies, storms, droughts, floods, earthquakes, eruptions are used to create suffering and gererate tension between neighbours.

Reincarnation

Cathars believe that because everything was made from the pure energy of the Good God, the Good God is part of every one of us. The Devil is not capable, try as he might, to separate us from the Good God who will eventually triumph and we will all be totally reunited In everlasting pleasure and peace.

There is no escape! The normal course of events is that all living things will be reincarnated again and again until the time when the universe will cease to exist.

We are all living in hell and trying to escape from it.  We are not Guilty of sin, the desire to be evil is thrust upon us.  The thing which distinguishes the human race from the other animals is that there is within every human a consciousness of the difference between good and evil. here on earth however the temptations are so great that it is difficult to lead a good life.

The Gift

Cathars believe that we can all gain total happiness in union with the good god if we totally reject the material world. This is best done late in life to avoid the risk of a relapse. Sexual activity is the only part of the material world not contaminated by evil. it is a gift from the good god to give us some idea of what union with him might be like. Sexual activity must therefore be kept strictly under the control of women so that unwanted pregnancy can be avoided. cathars of both sexes are trained in sexual etiquette and the ability to experience sexual pleasure without procreation. For this belief alone they are reviled by the church of rome

Thus Cathars strive to control the population limiting it to just enough to spread the cathar message.  This sets them apart from the non cathar world which encourages an expanding population to provide soldiers for armies and customers for industry.