I really enjoy the ideas of Gnosticism. My hardest part is believing in any of the writings. As soon as you realize that the Bible isn't a factual book, I don't understand how you can take excerpts and say that proves anything. I'm taking about the Gnostic Bible and it's varied influences, I believe in the kybalion and the common rules... Just trying to fit that in my pantheistic worldview.
never stop learning ... never stop reading... the only true sin is ignorance. . all these belief systems are based off of you or your personal al experience so learning who or what your are is paramount..always remember there are only 2 true choices love/unity or fear/seperation. this is what I've got from my work at least... ideas are powerful keep up the great work brother
Because I read too much Philip K Dick as a kid, and I think we're probably living in a simulation.
Elaine Pagels is a Princeton theologian who writes a lot on the Gnostic Gospels. I'd definitely recommend her work for anyone interested in the concepts and the history.
Gnosticism has many offshoots of belief systems, some believing Lucifer to believe the God of Light, freewill and goodness. For others like the Cathars the demiurge was that of the Old Testament and the state of suffering we live in; the supernatural being that we associate with the Devil. In other words, for the Cathars, Roman Catholics were voluntarily worshipping Satan and Lucifer by loving and holding onto the materialistic world.
Personally, Cathars can be comparable to "Western Buddhists" in some ways because they considered that their view of the doctrine of "resurrection" taught by Jesus was, in fact, similar to the Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation. So I think there's some objective truths among ALL of these belief systems; some overt some hidden in secret and in parabolas.
The Cathars taught that to regain angelic status one had to renounce the material self completely. Until one was prepared to do so, he/she would be stuck in a cycle of reincarnation, condemned to live on the corrupt Earth among Lucifer and his demons.
While I disagree with some of the Cathars beliefs, I find them to be the purest regarding the following of the path of 'Jesus'. For one, Killing was abhorrent to the Cathars. Consequently, abstention from all animal food was enjoined of the Perfecti. War and capital punishment were also condemned—an abnormality in Medieval Europe! In a world where few could read, their rejection of oath-taking marked them as social outcasts! Cathars saw women equally capable of being spiritual leaders, which undermined the very concept of gender held by the Catholic Church and did not go unnoticed.
Hey, it's okay though becuase the Catholic crusaders and Pope Innocent III attempted to end Catharism by sending missionaries and by persuading the local authorities to act against them; inciting and committing false flags to entice and push a mass consensus towards Cathar genocide. Thousands were later burnt and tortured to death, what a peaceful religion Roman Catholicism is!
Cathers might have also been an offshoot of Bogumils, who believed in a world within the body and a world outside the body, much like the Cathars believed. They both had a dualistic approach to their belief system. But when we talk about moderate dualism: there is one good God and a fallen angel (Lucifer).
They did not use the Christian cross nor build churches because they revered their gifted form and considered their body to be the temple. This gave rise to many forms of practice to cleanse oneself through purging, fasting, celebrating and dancing.
Interesting that they revered their gifted form and had zero statues. Seems as if this is what Jesus supposedly preached. It wasn't merely about worshiping as it was having a relationship with God and following the path towards spiritual emancipation. I personally believe Roman Catholicism, historically is an evil and manipiulative belief system that is utilized as a control system.
Yes, actually, out of the many deities this one, The One, makes some sense. I believe the Hindu faith shares a similar makeup, where there is one "creator" and then many gods beneath it. As described by a Hindu friend of mine, "the Creator is the CEO and all the other gods are department heads and managers". It seems like a natural heirarchy. Everything comes from something... why not give it a name?
Yet at the same time one could argue all is The One. Everything is fundamentally made up of the same thing. The One could be viewed as schizophrenic...for there to be Something rather than Nothing, The One came into being. But The One was lonely so it divided itself into Everything. All is One and One is All.
No, because it is against Jahweh the only creator and God. All other entities are created by him, and some are evil trying to gain human worshippers. Read the whole bible for answers, not this occult shit. I say this as a man who studies the occult to help warn others of the traps of Satan.
Before anyone goes assuming, I don't go to a church. I read the bible Holman Christian Standard and pray and try to do as instructed.
Some of the first discovered writings on Gnosticism were done be early Christans who were demonizing them for their unorthodox beliefs. When you mention things like "traps of Satan" this is one of the primary reasons people start exploring the Gnostic school of thought as it breaks away from the fettering dogma of organized religion.
I have no dogma but what God states in Old Testament and amended for what Jesus says. It isn't too complicated. Jews have been going esoteric to blend other religions into it with objections raised since mankind got ejected from Eden. Idol worship is frustrating because it's so simple but frequently ignored.
Yes, it should be noted that Gnostic texts were found thousands of years before Roman Catholicism and likely were the beliefs of early Christians. A Gnostic approach can sound scary to people who follow the dogma of organized religion but I always ask Catholics to look up the Cathars and to see what there religion committed.
The reason that Catharism was a Catholic heresy (misguided acts of violence aside), is because Christian Gnosticism only makes sense if you call God described in the Old Testament "evil", and seperate from the God of the New Testament.
Since most Christians then and now consider the God of the Old and New Testaments to be one and the same, most Christians think of Catharism as blasphemy and heresy.
The New Testament has several references to the Old Testament and in many times references the God of the New Testament, at least indirectly, as the same God as the God of the Old Testament. It's honestly very difficult to twist the New Testament into describing a different God from the Old Testament.
Incorrect. Using oldest translations and analyzing translation arguments and SHOWING where a conflicted translation is for you to understand why one language was translated the way it was.
Just out of curiosity as a Christian, wouldn't you want a text that was written as close to as possible of the time of Jesus, at least before the council of Nicea?
It seems like everything from that point is just a giant game of telephone.
Also as a Christian are you not giving a tremendous amount of faith to humans by reading texts that have been translated dozens of times. Why not learn the original language to understand the actual context of the words.
Holman Christian Standard. Unless you speak Greek and Arameic, (I'll learn someday) they are the best. King James Version is the original English translation so many swear on that one.
Ok. HCSB is the closest translation you can get without learning Greek and Arameic. So i did get the translation closest without learning two dead languages.
I think you have answers this in your own mind already.
In the case your question was real, I would say no. I am by no means anti Christian, but I really want to know what I believe in is as close to the source. I went back and read everything I could about the time The church was formed. I read various bibles, the apocrypha, Dead Sea scrolls etc.. I found my self looking into the cult of mythra and Zoroastrianism along with a few other pre Christian belief systems. I came to the point that I believe the Christian faith is much older than what modern doctrine. At first this seemed like everything I was told was a lie, but then I realized that dates are not what make a religion, it is the fundamental teachings.
This may not be what you want to do, especially if you are a member of a congregation as it can make existing relationships strained.
I belong to God only. Oral tradition makes proper dating impossible so yeah. There were "watchers" cast out of heaven before the flood. Plenty of humans worshipped these beings as gods, as well as the offspring of these fallen angels (popular nephilim). Of course there is massive overlap in all religions, God affected the world with his blessings and punishments.
I'm not sure if you are asking me a question, but glad to hear you can recognize some of the lies. God is not silent, but we are struggling to listen.
Gnosticism has many offshoots of belief systems, some believing Lucifer to believe the God of Light, freewill and goodness. For others like the Cathars the demiurge was that of the Old Testament and the state of suffering we live in; the supernatural being that we associate with the Devil. In other words, for the Cathars, Roman Catholics were voluntarily worshipping Satan and Lucifer by loving and holding onto the materialistic world.
Personally, Cathars can be comparable to "Western Buddhists" in some ways because they considered that their view of the doctrine of "resurrection" taught by Jesus was, in fact, similar to the Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation. So I think there's some objective truths among ALL of these belief systems; some overt some hidden in secret and in parabolas.
The Cathars taught that to regain angelic status one had to renounce the material self completely. Until one was prepared to do so, he/she would be stuck in a cycle of reincarnation, condemned to live on the corrupt Earth among Lucifer and his demons.
While I disagree with some of the Cathars beliefs, I find them to be the purest regarding the following of the path of 'Jesus'. For one, Killing was abhorrent to the Cathars. Consequently, abstention from all animal food was enjoined of the Perfecti. War and capital punishment were also condemned—an abnormality in Medieval Europe! In a world where few could read, their rejection of oath-taking marked them as social outcasts! Cathars saw women equally capable of being spiritual leaders, which undermined the very concept of gender held by the Catholic Church and did not go unnoticed.
Hey, it's okay though becuase the Catholic crusaders and Pope Innocent III attempted to end Catharism by sending missionaries and by persuading the local authorities to act against them; inciting and committing false flags to entice and push a mass consensus towards Cathar genocide. Thousands were later burnt and tortured to death, what a peaceful religion Roman Catholicism is! __ Cathers might have also been an offshoot of Bogumils, who believed in a world within the body and a world outside the body, much like the Cathars believed. They both had a dualistic approach to their belief system. But when we talk about moderate dualism: there is one good God and a fallen angel (Lucifer).
They did not use the Christian cross nor build churches because they revered their gifted form and considered their body to be the temple. This gave rise to many forms of practice to cleanse oneself through purging, fasting, celebrating and dancing.
Interesting that they revered their gifted form and had zero statues. Seems as if this is what Jesus supposedly preached. It wasn't merely about worshiping as it was having a relationship with God and following the path towards spiritual emancipation.
As a person that almost got fell into the New Age Philosophy and then started studying the occult, I know that you are spot on. I recently purchased a first edition copy of morals and dogma for research, and it definitely puts Lucifer on a pedestal. The Freemasons will be judged. Ba'al is the pretender god of 1,000 faces, and we must not fall for the rebel and trickster. You're spreading the Good Word inside Lucifer's spider web of lies. Don't be discouraged. Forever praise Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, he who was the true martyr for our worldly sin. God bless!
Some of the first discovered writings on Gnosticism were done be early Christans who were demonizing them for their unorthodox beliefs. When you mention things like "traps of Satan" this is one of the primary reasons people start exploring the Gnostic school of thought as it breaks away from the fettering dogma of organized religion.
34 comments
7 TBAGFACEGAG 2016-07-09
These ideas have took over my life..The Great Work
1 TheUniverseIsADome 2016-07-09
How?
1 JohnConnorChronicles 2016-07-09
Enlighten us, plz. genuinely curious
1 alexdrac 2016-07-09
please elaborate.
1 strivingStoic 2016-07-09
I really enjoy the ideas of Gnosticism. My hardest part is believing in any of the writings. As soon as you realize that the Bible isn't a factual book, I don't understand how you can take excerpts and say that proves anything. I'm taking about the Gnostic Bible and it's varied influences, I believe in the kybalion and the common rules... Just trying to fit that in my pantheistic worldview.
7 TBAGFACEGAG 2016-07-09
never stop learning ... never stop reading... the only true sin is ignorance. . all these belief systems are based off of you or your personal al experience so learning who or what your are is paramount..always remember there are only 2 true choices love/unity or fear/seperation. this is what I've got from my work at least... ideas are powerful keep up the great work brother
1 birthdaysuit11 2016-07-09
Awesome post! Can't be anymore truer.
4 know_comment 2016-07-09
Yes.
Because I read too much Philip K Dick as a kid, and I think we're probably living in a simulation.
Elaine Pagels is a Princeton theologian who writes a lot on the Gnostic Gospels. I'd definitely recommend her work for anyone interested in the concepts and the history.
2 JohnConnorChronicles 2016-07-09
Big PKD fan. I love his How to Build a Universe essay. It rings true now more than ever with us being constantly bombarded by manufactured realities.
Never heard of Pagels but Ill check her out. Thanks!
4 birthdaysuit11 2016-07-09
Gnosticism has many offshoots of belief systems, some believing Lucifer to believe the God of Light, freewill and goodness. For others like the Cathars the demiurge was that of the Old Testament and the state of suffering we live in; the supernatural being that we associate with the Devil. In other words, for the Cathars, Roman Catholics were voluntarily worshipping Satan and Lucifer by loving and holding onto the materialistic world.
Personally, Cathars can be comparable to "Western Buddhists" in some ways because they considered that their view of the doctrine of "resurrection" taught by Jesus was, in fact, similar to the Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation. So I think there's some objective truths among ALL of these belief systems; some overt some hidden in secret and in parabolas.
The Cathars taught that to regain angelic status one had to renounce the material self completely. Until one was prepared to do so, he/she would be stuck in a cycle of reincarnation, condemned to live on the corrupt Earth among Lucifer and his demons.
While I disagree with some of the Cathars beliefs, I find them to be the purest regarding the following of the path of 'Jesus'. For one, Killing was abhorrent to the Cathars. Consequently, abstention from all animal food was enjoined of the Perfecti. War and capital punishment were also condemned—an abnormality in Medieval Europe! In a world where few could read, their rejection of oath-taking marked them as social outcasts! Cathars saw women equally capable of being spiritual leaders, which undermined the very concept of gender held by the Catholic Church and did not go unnoticed.
Hey, it's okay though becuase the Catholic crusaders and Pope Innocent III attempted to end Catharism by sending missionaries and by persuading the local authorities to act against them; inciting and committing false flags to entice and push a mass consensus towards Cathar genocide. Thousands were later burnt and tortured to death, what a peaceful religion Roman Catholicism is!
Cathers might have also been an offshoot of Bogumils, who believed in a world within the body and a world outside the body, much like the Cathars believed. They both had a dualistic approach to their belief system. But when we talk about moderate dualism: there is one good God and a fallen angel (Lucifer).
They did not use the Christian cross nor build churches because they revered their gifted form and considered their body to be the temple. This gave rise to many forms of practice to cleanse oneself through purging, fasting, celebrating and dancing.
Interesting that they revered their gifted form and had zero statues. Seems as if this is what Jesus supposedly preached. It wasn't merely about worshiping as it was having a relationship with God and following the path towards spiritual emancipation. I personally believe Roman Catholicism, historically is an evil and manipiulative belief system that is utilized as a control system.
1 TheUniverseIsADome 2016-07-09
What are your opinions on Islam?
3 ihbarddx 2016-07-09
Heresy!
1 agent_of_entropy 2016-07-09
TIL.
1 5arge 2016-07-09
Yes, actually, out of the many deities this one, The One, makes some sense. I believe the Hindu faith shares a similar makeup, where there is one "creator" and then many gods beneath it. As described by a Hindu friend of mine, "the Creator is the CEO and all the other gods are department heads and managers". It seems like a natural heirarchy. Everything comes from something... why not give it a name?
1 JohnConnorChronicles 2016-07-09
Yet at the same time one could argue all is The One. Everything is fundamentally made up of the same thing. The One could be viewed as schizophrenic...for there to be Something rather than Nothing, The One came into being. But The One was lonely so it divided itself into Everything. All is One and One is All.
1 birthdaysuit11 2016-07-09
The Great Clock of Time will be Shattered
-1 RevenGideon 2016-07-09
No, because it is against Jahweh the only creator and God. All other entities are created by him, and some are evil trying to gain human worshippers. Read the whole bible for answers, not this occult shit. I say this as a man who studies the occult to help warn others of the traps of Satan.
Before anyone goes assuming, I don't go to a church. I read the bible Holman Christian Standard and pray and try to do as instructed.
4 piles_of_SSRIs 2016-07-09
Some of the first discovered writings on Gnosticism were done be early Christans who were demonizing them for their unorthodox beliefs. When you mention things like "traps of Satan" this is one of the primary reasons people start exploring the Gnostic school of thought as it breaks away from the fettering dogma of organized religion.
2 RevenGideon 2016-07-09
I have no dogma but what God states in Old Testament and amended for what Jesus says. It isn't too complicated. Jews have been going esoteric to blend other religions into it with objections raised since mankind got ejected from Eden. Idol worship is frustrating because it's so simple but frequently ignored.
1 birthdaysuit11 2016-07-09
So, the Old Testament is the truth in your eyes?
1 RevenGideon 2016-07-09
It is the word of God given to prophets and recorded. Yes it is truth. Yes there have been debates on translations, Jesus even simplified the rules.
Yes Old Testament is truth.
2 birthdaysuit11 2016-07-09
Yes, it should be noted that Gnostic texts were found thousands of years before Roman Catholicism and likely were the beliefs of early Christians. A Gnostic approach can sound scary to people who follow the dogma of organized religion but I always ask Catholics to look up the Cathars and to see what there religion committed.
1 mineben256 2016-07-09
The reason that Catharism was a Catholic heresy (misguided acts of violence aside), is because Christian Gnosticism only makes sense if you call God described in the Old Testament "evil", and seperate from the God of the New Testament.
Since most Christians then and now consider the God of the Old and New Testaments to be one and the same, most Christians think of Catharism as blasphemy and heresy.
The New Testament has several references to the Old Testament and in many times references the God of the New Testament, at least indirectly, as the same God as the God of the Old Testament. It's honestly very difficult to twist the New Testament into describing a different God from the Old Testament.
2 Onyyyyy 2016-07-09
Are you being serious? That version was written in 2004 by a group who wanted to make the bible "make sense" in modern times.
2 RevenGideon 2016-07-09
Incorrect. Using oldest translations and analyzing translation arguments and SHOWING where a conflicted translation is for you to understand why one language was translated the way it was.
4 Onyyyyy 2016-07-09
Just out of curiosity as a Christian, wouldn't you want a text that was written as close to as possible of the time of Jesus, at least before the council of Nicea?
It seems like everything from that point is just a giant game of telephone.
Also as a Christian are you not giving a tremendous amount of faith to humans by reading texts that have been translated dozens of times. Why not learn the original language to understand the actual context of the words.
0 RevenGideon 2016-07-09
Holman Christian Standard. Unless you speak Greek and Arameic, (I'll learn someday) they are the best. King James Version is the original English translation so many swear on that one.
1 Onyyyyy 2016-07-09
You still didn't answer my question, but that is cool. Keep on keeping on
1 RevenGideon 2016-07-09
Ok. HCSB is the closest translation you can get without learning Greek and Arameic. So i did get the translation closest without learning two dead languages.
1 Onyyyyy 2016-07-09
I think you have answers this in your own mind already.
In the case your question was real, I would say no. I am by no means anti Christian, but I really want to know what I believe in is as close to the source. I went back and read everything I could about the time The church was formed. I read various bibles, the apocrypha, Dead Sea scrolls etc.. I found my self looking into the cult of mythra and Zoroastrianism along with a few other pre Christian belief systems. I came to the point that I believe the Christian faith is much older than what modern doctrine. At first this seemed like everything I was told was a lie, but then I realized that dates are not what make a religion, it is the fundamental teachings.
This may not be what you want to do, especially if you are a member of a congregation as it can make existing relationships strained.
2 RevenGideon 2016-07-09
I belong to God only. Oral tradition makes proper dating impossible so yeah. There were "watchers" cast out of heaven before the flood. Plenty of humans worshipped these beings as gods, as well as the offspring of these fallen angels (popular nephilim). Of course there is massive overlap in all religions, God affected the world with his blessings and punishments.
I'm not sure if you are asking me a question, but glad to hear you can recognize some of the lies. God is not silent, but we are struggling to listen.
0 [deleted] 2016-07-09
[deleted]
2 birthdaysuit11 2016-07-09
Gnosticism has many offshoots of belief systems, some believing Lucifer to believe the God of Light, freewill and goodness. For others like the Cathars the demiurge was that of the Old Testament and the state of suffering we live in; the supernatural being that we associate with the Devil. In other words, for the Cathars, Roman Catholics were voluntarily worshipping Satan and Lucifer by loving and holding onto the materialistic world.
Personally, Cathars can be comparable to "Western Buddhists" in some ways because they considered that their view of the doctrine of "resurrection" taught by Jesus was, in fact, similar to the Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation. So I think there's some objective truths among ALL of these belief systems; some overt some hidden in secret and in parabolas.
The Cathars taught that to regain angelic status one had to renounce the material self completely. Until one was prepared to do so, he/she would be stuck in a cycle of reincarnation, condemned to live on the corrupt Earth among Lucifer and his demons.
While I disagree with some of the Cathars beliefs, I find them to be the purest regarding the following of the path of 'Jesus'. For one, Killing was abhorrent to the Cathars. Consequently, abstention from all animal food was enjoined of the Perfecti. War and capital punishment were also condemned—an abnormality in Medieval Europe! In a world where few could read, their rejection of oath-taking marked them as social outcasts! Cathars saw women equally capable of being spiritual leaders, which undermined the very concept of gender held by the Catholic Church and did not go unnoticed.
Hey, it's okay though becuase the Catholic crusaders and Pope Innocent III attempted to end Catharism by sending missionaries and by persuading the local authorities to act against them; inciting and committing false flags to entice and push a mass consensus towards Cathar genocide. Thousands were later burnt and tortured to death, what a peaceful religion Roman Catholicism is! __ Cathers might have also been an offshoot of Bogumils, who believed in a world within the body and a world outside the body, much like the Cathars believed. They both had a dualistic approach to their belief system. But when we talk about moderate dualism: there is one good God and a fallen angel (Lucifer).
They did not use the Christian cross nor build churches because they revered their gifted form and considered their body to be the temple. This gave rise to many forms of practice to cleanse oneself through purging, fasting, celebrating and dancing.
Interesting that they revered their gifted form and had zero statues. Seems as if this is what Jesus supposedly preached. It wasn't merely about worshiping as it was having a relationship with God and following the path towards spiritual emancipation.
1 RevenGideon 2016-07-09
Bible hints? You mean now you have to read into the word to find secret meanings? Hidden? Occult? Nope, snare set for you friend.
2 catcrazylady93 2016-07-09
As a person that almost got fell into the New Age Philosophy and then started studying the occult, I know that you are spot on. I recently purchased a first edition copy of morals and dogma for research, and it definitely puts Lucifer on a pedestal. The Freemasons will be judged. Ba'al is the pretender god of 1,000 faces, and we must not fall for the rebel and trickster. You're spreading the Good Word inside Lucifer's spider web of lies. Don't be discouraged. Forever praise Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, he who was the true martyr for our worldly sin. God bless!
4 piles_of_SSRIs 2016-07-09
Some of the first discovered writings on Gnosticism were done be early Christans who were demonizing them for their unorthodox beliefs. When you mention things like "traps of Satan" this is one of the primary reasons people start exploring the Gnostic school of thought as it breaks away from the fettering dogma of organized religion.
2 Onyyyyy 2016-07-09
Are you being serious? That version was written in 2004 by a group who wanted to make the bible "make sense" in modern times.