Gnosticism
Gnosticism is both very old in its origins and also very new in its
reemergence. At one point in religious evolution, the idea of subscribing
to a purely faith based religion would have been considered ridiculous.
Gnosticism held to this principle. Rather than being faith based the
Gnostics believed that you needed to find your own Gnosis through
communing with the Ultimate Source of Creation.
There were several schools of Gnostic thought that have existed.
Basilides, Valintinus, and Simon Magus taught their followers differing
views of how the mythology of the Universe should be presented, based on
their own individual experiences. The Nag Hammadi Library, discovered in
December 1945, shed some further light on the basis of Gnostic beliefs and
even provided some new Gospels that were not accepted into main stream
Christian manuscripts. These texts are sometimes referred to as the Lost
Gospels.
There are some common themes that run through the mythology of the
different schools of Gnostic thought. I will paint what I consider the
common points to be in broad strokes.
There was a True and pure source of all things. It was envisioned as being
a source of bright pure light, which represented the source of all
knowledge or gnosis. This Creator set forth to creating, and created
beings of light. There were many hierarchies, each more distant and
therefore less pure and perfect than those before them. The brightest
dwelled closest to the Ultimate Source, the dimmest further away. These
beings created further, in pairs of cosmic opposites, therefore
maintaining balance.
One day a Female creative being, sometimes referred to as Sophia, created
a being without her Male creative counterpart. This being having been
created far from the source of Pure Creation was ignorant of what existed
before it. It thought it existed alone. Being born in darkness and
imbalance it produced a world and its own heavens, which being imperfect
brought about the dis function of this material world. It demanded worship
from all that it created. It distracted all of human creation from its
true purpose. It trapped our bodies of light in this world and prevented
us from true re communion with the Divine Source .Which was the ultimate
source of knowledge and liberation from this imperfect material existence.
Again I painted in very broad strokes. The bottom line was a belief in
liberation or salvation through knowledge gained by the individual via
direct experience of the Original source.
The teachings of the Gnostics still permeate Christianity and in fact are
making a bit of a come back on their own face value. An internet search of
Gnostic church will turn up more than just a few modern Gnostic religious
movements. There are also fellowships that, to a greater or lesser degree,
teach Gnostic concepts in their organizations educational programs. Some
such organizations would be the Freemasons, Rosicrucians and the Hermetic
Order of the Golden Dawn just to mention a few.
As a Minister I have used Gnostic concepts to communicate solace on more
than one occasion. I find it particularly helpful when speaking with open
minded main stream Christians concerning the loss of a loved one. The most
common statements are "it's not fair that they were taken from me" and
"God is not loving, he allows pain and sorrow". To many, mentioning that
God allows sorrow to bring us closer to him is not a comforting
explanation. Explaining that we are all on a journey of spiritual
evolution and that death is an opportunity of spiritual reunion seems to
offer some explanation of why we suffer and why the world is imperfect.
Rev. Goodson
Gnosticism is both very old in its origins and also very new in its
reemergence. At one point in religious evolution, the idea of subscribing
to a purely faith based religion would have been considered ridiculous.
Gnosticism held to this principle. Rather than being faith based the
Gnostics believed that you needed to find your own Gnosis through
communing with the Ultimate Source of Creation.
There were several schools of Gnostic thought that have existed.
Basilides, Valintinus, and Simon Magus taught their followers differing
views of how the mythology of the Universe should be presented, based on
their own individual experiences. The Nag Hammadi Library, discovered in
December 1945, shed some further light on the basis of Gnostic beliefs and
even provided some new Gospels that were not accepted into main stream
Christian manuscripts. These texts are sometimes referred to as the Lost
Gospels.
There are some common themes that run through the mythology of the
different schools of Gnostic thought. I will paint what I consider the
common points to be in broad strokes.
There was a True and pure source of all things. It was envisioned as being
a source of bright pure light, which represented the source of all
knowledge or gnosis. This Creator set forth to creating, and created
beings of light. There were many hierarchies, each more distant and
therefore less pure and perfect than those before them. The brightest
dwelled closest to the Ultimate Source, the dimmest further away. These
beings created further, in pairs of cosmic opposites, therefore
maintaining balance.
One day a Female creative being, sometimes referred to as Sophia, created
a being without her Male creative counterpart. This being having been
created far from the source of Pure Creation was ignorant of what existed
before it. It thought it existed alone. Being born in darkness and
imbalance it produced a world and its own heavens, which being imperfect
brought about the dis function of this material world. It demanded worship
from all that it created. It distracted all of human creation from its
true purpose. It trapped our bodies of light in this world and prevented
us from true re communion with the Divine Source .Which was the ultimate
source of knowledge and liberation from this imperfect material existence.
Again I painted in very broad strokes. The bottom line was a belief in
liberation or salvation through knowledge gained by the individual via
direct experience of the Original source.
The teachings of the Gnostics still permeate Christianity and in fact are
making a bit of a come back on their own face value. An internet search of
Gnostic church will turn up more than just a few modern Gnostic religious
movements. There are also fellowships that, to a greater or lesser degree,
teach Gnostic concepts in their organizations educational programs. Some
such organizations would be the Freemasons, Rosicrucians and the Hermetic
Order of the Golden Dawn just to mention a few.
As a Minister I have used Gnostic concepts to communicate solace on more
than one occasion. I find it particularly helpful when speaking with open
minded main stream Christians concerning the loss of a loved one. The most
common statements are "it's not fair that they were taken from me" and
"God is not loving, he allows pain and sorrow". To many, mentioning that
God allows sorrow to bring us closer to him is not a comforting
explanation. Explaining that we are all on a journey of spiritual
evolution and that death is an opportunity of spiritual reunion seems to
offer some explanation of why we suffer and why the world is imperfect.
Rev. Goodson
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