For a period of about two days, one found themselves completely committed to Manichaean dualism. This religion (perhaps the second 'world religion', following Mithraism) teaches a dualistic conclusion, which had been found (and still is) in Zoroastrianism; a world of total darkness and chaos, and another of light and eternal coherence, which became merged by some kind of jealousy on the part of the Lord of Darkness, which resulted in a kind of war, whereby the God of Light created the perfect warrior to defend the Light-beings, only to be defeated, which created an unhappy merger of worlds resulting in what we all know as Earth-materialism. A very clever plot, one thought—highly rational and dispelling of doubt as to the wisdom of God to create a world so filled with suffering and persecution.
It took St. Augustine 9 years to pass through this phase, while admittedly devoid of the ability to do quick research online. He found the 'elect/luminaries' of this tradition to be facile, superficial, and uncommited; unable to defend their conclusions, which must have been better illuminated at one point by Mani himself, but which had lost its way. He also decided an eternal Lord of Darkness (balancing a Lord of Light) could not be absolutely bad, since he held some kind of balance to the world, and was unopposed (merely hidden from the children of Light). Further, the One True God, he believed, would not be something co gained within material existence (which is both 'light' and 'dark'), but beyond it, outside of material considerations.
The last objection Augustine had, which was our own objection, had to do with a cosmology which depended upon the sun and moon drawing out the light from the merged light-darkness, as a means of re-separating the two substances (where they had been merged), which, even in Augustine's time, didn't seem to match up with observations about about the cosmos, and known 'science'.
However, one was drawn into this confusion because of a simple (if not simplistic) identification which the idea that an all-knowing, all-loving God could not possibly be responsible for all this suffering and injustice experienced in this creation—if it is as such. Gnostic predilections are tidy, if not holistic.
Further, there is a kind of pop-Christian dualism that persists unto this day, that frames Satan as an opposing force comparable to God (this might not be your high-Christology, but it exists). There is a conception of Good vs. Evil that permeates our culture (in the West), which is magnified and given mythological weight by comic book movies, and most of heroic drama seen in film and television. Gnostic notions of cosmology persist, in The Matrix, per se.
Notwithstanding the possibility 'elites' (economic superiors who rule our world, regardless of their status as 'elect') are obviously enacting a dimension of evil in our world, there truly is nothing to refute the 'free-will' dogma of classical Christianity within this construct; they are capable of doing good or bad with their vast wealth, it isn't necessarily preordained to be evil.
Finally, the concept that the 'Kingdom of God lies within', even evidenced in the canonical Bible, doesn't exempt one from being a wise person in the material world (as often alluded to in Gnostic contemplation). All we truly know is that carnal desires perturbes the soul, such as the animal world is reconditioned to be violent and unforgiving, and that to be truly spiritual separates one from such desires, and elevates the soul, leading to 'who knows where'.
It is a choice. God elevates our species to choose between darker motives and behaviors to embrace Godly qualities of unconditional love, knowledge, and mercy. The choice remains yours. Fascinating.