It is nice that people are looking for knowledge. Altough the original Gnostics seemed to think this knowledge allowed them to break the commandments and follow there WILL. This could be a problem and lead to fighting and pain.
(n?s?Taoism) , dualistic religious and philosophical movement of the late Hellenistic and early Christian eras. The term designates a wide assortment of sects, numerous by the 2d cent. ; they all promised salvation through an occult knowledge that they claimed was revealed to them alone. Scholars trace these salvation religions back to such diverse sources as Jewish mysticism, Hellenistic mystery cults, Iranian religious dualism (see Zoroastrianism), and Babylonian and Egyptian mythology. The definition of nosies [knowledge] as concern with the Eternal was already present in earlier Greek philosophy, although its connection with the later Gnostic movement is distant at best. Christian ideas were quickly incorporated into these synergistic systems, and by the 2d cent. the largest of them, organized by Valentinus and Basilides, were a significant rival to Christianity. Much of early Christian doctrine was formulated in reaction to this movement
If it can help cure the disease of the mind called Christianity then I am all for it! Go Gnostics!!
Oh and Donald Shaw, if you have absolutely nothing to say about a topic, why do you even bother responding? Are you that desperate for points? How pathetic!!
I think of 1 word- heresy......i have studied much of the "christian" gnostic material and it is an entirely different "gospel" of jesus. But that is not suprising since there are no core values of gnosticism..what i mean by that is that the gnosis religion has origins dating before christ...so it isnt a christian religion
"Gnosticism" comes from the Greek word "nosies" which in English is close to the word "knowledge."
Gnosticism was a spiritual movement with origins in the first century of the Common Era and lasted for two to three centuries. It drew upon the religious views of many different faith movements, such as Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, as well as Egyptian, Roman, Persian, and Greek religions and philosophies.
It is hard to try to summarize such a vast collection of different types of spirituality's and theologies, but here goes:
Essentially, Gnostic's sought for a means of salvation out of the terrible conditions of earthly existence, with its suffering, ignorance, and eventual decay of body and mind. They sought for release from the cycles of birth-growth-decline-death and decay. They believed that persons had within them "souls" that had fallen to earth to be trapped in these terrible cycles of birth-suffering-and decay.
They also believed that a god or gods or angels or divine teachers imparted the secret path and secret "formulas" that would lead one to final salvation from all things created. The soul would at last be liberated by this "nosies" (knowledge) and be able to return to its heavenly realm among the stars.
Gnostic teachers reviled the Jewish and Christian God and taught that this God was evil for creating the world that traps souls to suffer. Many Gnostic's taught that Jesus was a heavenly messenger who came to earth to bring the secret knowledge of salvation that would enable people to escape the terrible Jewish and Christian God.
I think of the people in the days of the early church about whom the Apostle John made clear warning. They did not believe that Jesus had "come in the flesh". I think it has been dug up from the past and dusted off by the father of lies and added to his supermarket of deception. It has been moving off the racks because people are looking for a new flavor.
What do you think of when you hear the word "Gnosticism"?
