Editing Manichaeism (section)

=== General ===
Mani's teaching dealt with the origin of evil by addressing a theoretical part of the [[problem of evil]]: denying the [[omnipotence]] of God and instead postulating two opposite divine powers. Manichaean theology teaches a [[Dualistic cosmology|dualistic]] view of good and evil. A fundamental belief in Manichaeism is that the powerful, though [[Theistic finitism|not omnipotent]], good power (God) was opposed by the eternal evil power (the devil). Humanity, the world, and the soul are seen as the by-product of the battle between God's proxy—Primal Man—and the devil.<ref name="Bevan, A. A. 1930">Bevan, A. A. (1930). "Manichaeism". ''[[Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics]]'', Volume VIII Ed. [[James Hastings]]. London</ref>

The human person is seen as a battleground for these powers: the soul defines the person but is influenced by light and dark. This contention plays out over the world and the human body—neither the Earth nor the flesh were seen as intrinsically evil but instead possessed both light and dark portions. Natural phenomena such as rain were seen as the physical manifestation of this spiritual contention. Therefore, the Manichaean view explained the [[Problem of evil|existence of evil]] by positing a flawed creation in the formation of which God took no part and which constituted instead the product of a battle by the devil against God.<ref name="Bevan, A. A. 1930"/>