"Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18

In "Against the Heathen," early Church Father Athanasius observes that pride and haughtiness preceded man's fall into idolatry and paganism. A haughty spirit led them to make light of the higher knowledge of the Lord our God. Deliberately disregarding what they knew to be true they began to seek in preference knowledge of the lower or natural dimension. Thus they fell into worship of self, power, sexual pleasures and acquisition of status and things to the living God and His higher knowledge.

The truth as to evil said Athanasius,

"....is that it originates, and resides, in the perverted choice of the darkened soul which, "materialized by forgetting God" and engrossed in lower things, "makes them into gods," thereby "descends into a hopeless depth of delusion and superstition," whereby "they ceased to think that anything existed beyond what is seen, or that anything was good save things temporal and bodily; so turning away and forgetting that she was in the image of the good God, she no longer... sees God the Word after whose likeness she is made; but having departed from herself, imagines and feigns what is not (and then) advancing further in evil, they came to celebrate as gods the elements and the principles of which bodies are composed...." (Against the Heathen, New Advent)

Having descended into delusion and superstition they imagined they had neither souls nor free will and further that "all that exists" is the natural dimension, meaning a divine one substance, watery abyss, chaos, void, primordial matter, animated natural powers, forces, and deterministic laws. All of these things they celebrated and conferred miraculous powers upon. Thus, for example, with the post-flood ancient Egyptians' self-created Sun-God Ra, the divine abyss or One Substance out of which he evolved was Nu — primordial matter:

"I came into being from primordial matter...I made all the forms under which I appeared by means of (or out of) the god-soul which I raised up out of Nu (i.e., the primeval abyss of water.) (The Long War Against God, Dr. Henry Morris, p. 243)

This is naturalism, or materialism, the belief that there is neither living God of Creation nor transcendent heavenly realm. There is only the natural dimension, thus, contemporary evolutionary materialist Dr. Scott Todd wrote in the science journal 'Nature:’

"Even if all the data point to an intelligent designer, such a hypothesis is excluded from science because it is not naturalistic." (Naturalism in the Light of Reality, Robert Gurney, creation.com, June 14, 2012)

Materialism is of the worldview of monism which is held in common by materialism, pantheism and spiritualism, and dates back to pagan antiquity and was or is taught by all non-biblical thought systems such as contemporary scientific materialism.

Greek Stoics (pantheists) and Epicureans (naturalists), for example, were monists and these two schools of natural science and evolution held the ancient world of thought in allegiance well into the Roman Empire. Revamped Epicureanism reigns supreme in our own age through modern evolutionary scientific materialism while its mystical evolutionary pantheist counterpart reigns through New Age Spirituality.

The pagan philosopher Epicurus (342-270 B.C.) believed in an infinite number of worlds, or parallel universes in the words of contemporary 'new' pagan materialists. Like his modern counterparts, Epicurus taught there was no god or gods, first principles, moral law, souls or afterlife as all things on earth had evolved from the void and matter.

Much like Epicurus, his contemporary followers teach that all that exists is an eternally existing void, energy, and matter, making for soulless humans whose intelligence and volition, are evolved accidents of chance. Reason is left, but is active only because sensations (i.e., firing of neurons, chemical interactions) produce it within the brain.

In modern "scientific" terms, the idea that matter pregnant with life emerged from nothing (void) in much the same way as the living Ra spontaneously generated himself from Nu is called abiogenesis. On the basis of this ancient mythological superstition, new-pagan evolutionary materialists assert that the living supernatural God of all creation, souls, spirits, angels, demons, heaven, hell and metaphysics do not exist.

As for 'modern' evolutionary theory (Darwinism), anthropologist Henry Fairfield Osborn, longtime director of the American Museum of Natural History reveals that Darwin is not its' originator but rather ancient pagans are. In the introduction to his history of evolutionism Osborn wrote:

"When I began the search for anticipations of the evolutionary theory....I was led back to the Greek natural philosophers and I was astonished to find how many of the pronounced and basic features of the Darwinian theory were anticipated even as far back as the seventh century B.C." (Osborn, From the Greeks to Darwin, p. xi)

Abiogenesis is such an obvious embarrassment to modern pagan materialists that today some naturalists such as SETI researcher Paul Davies and Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the DNA molecule, have abandoned it in favor of panspermia.

Panspermia is the idea that life on earth was accidentally seeded by meteorites containing the essential building blocks of life or perhaps by highly evolved extraterrestrials who for billions of years have been guiding the evolution of man. The extraterrestrial idea was favored by Arthur C. Clarke in his book, "Childhood's End" and a variation on this theme has been advanced by Davies, Crick, and Ralph Pudritz of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Davies has written seriously about the possibility of "alien bioengineering" that could be detected in the genetic material of life on earth and suggests that citizen scientists and school students be enlisted to help search for evidence. (An Alien Code Close to Home: Seeking ET Beyond the Radio Silence, Astrobiology Magazine, Jeremy Hsu, 10/27/2011)

Pudritz theorizes that humans and aliens may share the same DNA which itself could be part of a universal structure "of the first genetic codes anywhere...." (Why Aliens Might Look Like You, Eddie Wren, DailyMail, June 11, 2012)

Crick proposes a theory called "directed panspermia," the idea that,

"...life on earth may have begun when aliens from another planet sent a rocket ship containing spores to seed the earth."

He admits however that his theory only pushes the unresolvable problem of the origin of life out into deep space:

"This scenario still leaves open the question of who designed the designer [aliens] — how did life originally originate?" (Crick, Life Itself: Its Origin and Nature, 1981)

The Myth of Extraterrestrials

In his book, "Scientific Mythologies," James A. Herrick traces the 'aliens from outer-space' idea back to certain Renaissance astrologers, occultists, and mystics such as Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772). Swedenborg was a Christian scientist who claimed to not only receive telepathic secrets from spirits but to have visited populated planets during out-of-body experiences.

Swedenborg's influence is far-reaching. From Kant to the occult Luciferian theosophist Madame Blavatsky and points in between and on into our own time to psychologist J.B. Rhine, a vast array of science fiction writers (i.e., Clarke, H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, Steven Spielberg), and numerous evolutionary scientists.

Over time, Swedenborg's astral plane 'space travels' gave birth to what Herrick dubs "The Myth of the Extraterrestrial." As far back as the seventeenth century science fiction writers were imagining "the intelligent extraterrestrial visitor" and preparing the public to accept their existence. And accept them they have, for the twentieth century has witnessed a veritable population explosion in the alien domain, said Herrick. (p. 43)

In general, science fiction, like new-pagan evolutionary materialism, is neither particularly scientific nor futuristic. It is rather a regression to the mystical pagan origins of modern science that reappeared in the heart of Christendom during the Renaissance. In "The Abolition of Man" (1974) C.S. Lewis points out that the Renaissance reawakened a magical view of the world closely connected with pagan Gnostic sectarianism, occult Hermetic magic, astrology, Eastern pantheism, biological and spiritual evolution, karma, and alchemical science.

Evolution is both the antithesis of creation ex nihilo and the primary doctrine of both Eastern pantheism and Western scientific materialism, and so early on Lewis understood that both movements were merely two sides of the same pagan revival. Thus he argued, pantheism and materialism are not enemies in principle but rather cooperating pagan philosophies united against the supernatural Creator, His Revelation, creation ex nihilo, the fall, man as image bearer of God, the linear view of history and Christian-based civilization.

What this means is that naturalism, abiogenesis, chance, multiple universes, evolutionary biology, and panspermia theories are but six contemporary adaptations of ancient pagan "idolatry, magic, occult mysticism and mythology." These six are of a whole host of fallacies derived from modern evolutionary thinking that have permeated the post-Christian West and American society giving birth to a "new" pagan religion of evolutionary science.

Fall of Western Civilization

Christendom and Protestant America arose on the wings of the Genesis account of creation ex nihilo, the Biblical view of man's sinful condition and God's Moral Law. Their subsequent fall was traced by Richard Weaver in his book, "Ideas Have Consequences," (1945). In many ways Weaver's analysis parallels Athanasius' account of the fall of man.

Weaver writes that 14th century Western man had made an "evil decision" to abandon his belief in the transcendent God and universals and thus the position that "there is a source of truth higher than, and independent of, man..." The consequences of the rejection of "higher things" were catastrophic:

"The denial of everything transcending experience means inevitably...the denial of truth. With the denial of objective truth there is no escape from the relativism of 'man is the measure of all things." (The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America, George H. Nash, pp. 32-33)

"Now the soul of mankind, not satisfied with the devising of evil, began by degrees to venture upon what is worse still." Athanasius

Fueled by corrupted motives of dominating and bull-dozing Western Christian based civilization so as to coerce other souls, Western antichrists conceptually murdered Christ Jesus (John 1), imaginatively sealed off the supernatural dimension and elevated divinized Nature to the supreme reality. The doctrine of original sin was abandoned and replaced by the "goodness of man." With only the material realm of the senses held to be real, supernatural Christianity declined, the omniscient mind of autonomous human-gods arose, and new pagan materialistic science became the most prestigious way to study man. With knowledge limited to the sensory realm, man's spiritual attributes — soul, mind, conscience and free will — were soon lost in an endless cycle of reductionism and determinism. Man, created in the spiritual likeness of his supernatural Creator was lost. In his place stood the soulless human ape, an accidental emergent product of evolution working on matter.

Fall of Modern Western Mankind

From the Renaissance to our own time, a stunning spiritual counter-conversion of consciousness has shifted Western and American thinking away from the supernatural God and biblical religion and toward the new pagan religion of evolution. In his book, "The Making of the New Spirituality: The Eclipse of the Western Tradition," James Herrick calls this the "New Religious Synthesis" and briefly outlines seven of its components:

1. History (as well as unchanging truth and moral absolutes) has no spiritual significance. This is because the idea of continuous evolutionary change makes them absurd.

2. The supremacy of omniscient reason, mystical mind-powers, intuition, and collective consciousness.

3. The spiritualization of science. Since the empirical study of the material universe employs reason to acquire knowledge, and reason is not physical but rather spiritual, today it is acknowledged that reason does in fact acquire spiritual knowledge.

4. Animated nature (animism). The natural dimension is alive with energies (evolution), divine spirit, Zoe, god-soul, and consciousness:

   "Evolution is a religion, said Michael Ruse. From the beginning it was a religion and this is true of evolution today." (Michael Ruse, former professor of philosophy and zoology at the University of Guelph, Canada, "How evolution became a religion: creationists correct?" National Post, pp. B1, B3, B7, May 13, 2000)

5. Gnosis: Deep inner knowledge, the provenance of spiritual Luciferian elites and extraordinarily gifted individuals, including some scientists.

6. Spiritual evolution. Through control and direction of their own spiritual evolution certain highly evolved humans (Transhumans) are destined to realize unimaginable spiritual advances. Spiritual or conscious evolution leap frogs off of Darwin's' biological theory and will supposedly lead to actual human divinity.

7. Religious syncretism: (interfaithism) rooted in common mystical experiences and telepathic revelations from disembodied intelligences. (Herrick, pp. 33-35)

"But in his estate shall (Antichrist) honour the God of forces." Dan. 11:38

Under the New Religious Synthesis, the animated god-force called evolution is the principal miracle-producing power of the cosmos. Whether by way of abiogenesis or by accidental or directed panspermia, human beings are evolution's conscious products and can now achieve ever-higher levels of consciousness by directing their own evolution.

In the book, "The Aquarian Conspiracy," Marilyn Ferguson pointed out that the efficient direction of evolution requires "a mechanism for biological change more powerful than chance mutation" which will open "the possibility of rapid evolution in our time." (p. 148)

Some evolutionists now claim this powerful mechanism is presently available to man from aliens who will solve mankind's problems and conduct man to a new "cosmic" age. Aliens are busily transforming the consciousness of abductees and other Westerners and through them teaching evolution, naturalism and occult New Age philosophy. As well, Space Brothers warn of a coming planetary apocalypse and deny Christ Jesus the living Word, the supernatural dimension and Christian theism.

All of this has led French physicist and UFO researcher Dr. Jacques Vallee to conclude that something is happening to human consciousness that is causing a major shift in man's belief systems and his relationship to the concept of the invisible. Vallee believes the same "powerful force' that influenced the human race in the past is influencing it again:

"...human belief...is being controlled and conditioned, man's concepts are being rearranged, and we may be headed toward a massive change of human attitudes toward paranormal abilities and extraterrestrial life." (Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future, Fr. Seraphim Rose, p. 109)

In light of this, Vallee proposes the hypothesis that there is a control system,

"... for human consciousness...I am suggesting that what takes place through close encounters with UFOs is control of human beliefs, control of the relationship between our consciousness and physical reality, and that this control has been in force throughout history...." (Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection, Gary Bates, p. 158)

Frank Baumer concurs and observes that evolution has,

"...persuaded people to think of everything in nature as the fruit of a gradual growth rather than an original creation." The sweeping acceptance of evolutionary thinking means that it is "now difficult if not impossible for an educated man to conceive of a primitive revelation such as traditional Christianity taught, or even of an original natural religion from which men had declined." This difficulty arises because "in an evolving world, perfection obviously lay, not in the past, but in the future." (Religion and Rise of Skepticism, p. 147)

In occult terminology, transformation of consciousness is egregore, a concept representing a "thought form" or "collective group mind," resulting from a demon or other spirit influencing the thoughts of a group of people. However, egregore derives from the Greek word for "watchers," leading the French occult magician Eliphas Levi (1810-1875) to identify egregore with the fallen angel 'fathers' of the nephilim. In Christian language, transformation of consciousness means "demonic outpouring.' Vallee's "powerful force" is a demonic outpouring being loosed upon mankind.

So successful has the transformation been in the minds of the converted, that he god of forces has successfully inverted the order of creation and reversed the direction of Biblical theism. With creation ex nihilo virtually replaced by evolution, it is now believed that men have not fallen from perfection but instead are gradually evolving upward from their ape beginnings toward greater and greater spiritual perfection. Self-perfecting man no longer needs the living, supernatural God as the idea of "conscious evolution" means he can save himself, and perhaps even attain apotheosis.

"The gradual abasement of the Soul from Truth to Falsehood (is) by the abuse of her freedom of Choice." Athanasius

A brilliant visionary, Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914) foresaw the stunning events we are witnessing today: the wholesale rejection of Christ Jesus and the fall of Westerners into idolatry and paganism influenced and directed by a demonic outpouring. The demonic outpouring has effected a transformation of consciousness giving rise to the New Religious Synthesis.

Benson recorded his predictions in “Lord of the World” where he wrote that these events would usher in the end of the world and usher in the appearance of the Antichrist.

Benson saw through the scientific pretensions of new-pagan materialism and its' primary doctrine, evolutionary theory, leading him to describe them – together with ideological Communism – as "quiet pantheism." He predicted that evolutionary thinking would prepare Westerners and Americans to not only embrace the 'new' pagan religion but to worship and adore Antichrist, for this human-god (Mr. Felsenburgh) presents himself as the first perfected product of nature and evolutionary forces.

Mr. Felsenburgh has arisen in America and he is,

"...the first perfect product of that new cosmopolitan creation to which the world has labored throughout its history..." (p 85)

He transfixes men, and they excitedly declare they have seen,

"...the Son of Man,' the 'Savior of the world,' we knew Him in our hearts as soon as we saw Him, as soon as He stood there. It was like a glory around his head (and now we) understand it all... It was He for whom we have waited so long; and He has come, bringing Peace and Goodwill in His hands." (pp. 85, 89)

Christianity failed, it divided people. But now Christ Jesus is gone. He never existed at all except as a hideous nightmare. Now at long last man's natural savior has arisen:

"The reign of God has really begun (and) we are all partakers of God" because God is in everything, including all men...."Jehovah has fallen. He is in His grave." In His place is the evolved Son of Man, a god indeed and a man as well..."a god because human and a man because so divine." (ibid, pp. 93, 95)

The god of forces—the Antichrist – suffers the same diabolically inflated pride and envy that transformed Lucifer into the devil. This same pride and envy animated the pantheist sorcerer Hegel, the neo-pagan Masonic Illuminati who planned and instigated the bloody French Revolution, as well as Karl Marx, Nietzsche, Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, the West's "God is dead" theologians, America's Ruling Class, and contemporary globalists such as Luciferian Transhumanists.

The "New" Pagan Religion of Materialized Souls

"...human history can now be hesitantly traced back as an unbroken narrative to 4000 B.C. The facts must not, however, be twisted to suit the fallacy of necessary human progress. For the picture emerging....is one of the Fall of Man in historic terms as well as his rise; it is a picture ...more of degradation than of success; it is a picture of monotheism breaking down into polytheism and of the struggle to return to monotheism. The establishment view of the history of religion gradually progressing from animism to polytheism, from polytheism to monotheism is the reverse of facts." (The God-Kings and the Titans: The New World Ascendancy in Ancient Times, James Baily, 1973, p. 296)

Christianity is the Truth, the Narrow Way leading to eternal life in Paradise Restored. Its antithesis is Satan’s diabolically crafted ‘Scientific New Pagan Religion of Evolution’ and its attendant ideologies leading to eternity in Hell.

Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. From the beginning this was true, and in these last days it is still true. Pride, haughtiness, lust for power, and envy are the common bonds linking Satan, the Antichrist, idolatry, paganism, the Religion of Evolution and all who have been and are being spiritually transformed by it. Thus, when the Antichrist arrives, perhaps as a highly evolved extraterrestrial or as the Transcended Master Maitreya, all counter-converted, materialized souls will perversely celebrate him as the highly evolved god and man they foolishly believe they too will become.

Originally published as The Fall of Mankind (2012) this is an updated version.

Linda writes on worldview and related subjects.