Gnosteric

I know that this thread is a little old.......but it's new to me.

Reflects a Gnostic perspective for sure.  Regardless of who wrote it, it is very old (perhaps 2nd century).  Certainly has some unique perspectives.

The text is certainly Sethian. In fact, reading some of the other Sethian books of earlier Jewish context (especially "The Secret Book of John") would go a long way for someone who is new to Gnosticism.

I do like the following quote from Marvin Meyer:

The message of the Gospel of Judas is that, just as Jesus is a spiritual being who has come from above and will return to glory, so also the true followers of Jesus are people of soul, whose being and destiny are with the divine. Already those who know themselves can live in the strength of the inner person, the "perfect human" mentioned by Jesus in his comments to the disciples. At the end of their mortal lives, people who belong to that great generation of Seth will abandon everything of this mortal world, in order to free the inner person and liberate the soul.

I've been wondering if supernaturalism is true or if some other conception of God, like process theism, is true. Supernaturalism doesn't seem to "fit" well with our world (Why did the God of classical theism use evolution to create the world? It seems very unbenevolent, unwise, and just not powerful. Yet the God of process theism must create through evolution, because this God's power is persuasive, not coersive.)

How about emanation? The further something is from the source (or the Source) the more prone to imperfection. Maybe even.....oh, no ....... the Demiurge.

When I look at the world, and see it through the lenses of  physics and biology, its hard to believe that supernaturalism is true.

When I look at the world through the lense of quantum physics (especially those super stringy things), its hard to believe that ANYTHING is true.

I am outside the norm in that I don't mind it, the contradictions. I try to look at the "big picture," but I also am willing to take each verse as it stands on it's own.

I must not even know where the norm is ....... not only do I "not mind it"...... I find the contradictions to be the most interesting. I love their play off each other. To me it's about syzygy. It's what makes duality so much fun. The opposites usually give us some hint about the ineffable whole.

That's why I enjoy all the Gospels! Matthew, Luke, Mark, John, Mary, Thomas, Judas, Phillip, James, Truth.........

Thanks for the welcome.

I don't hold to gnosticism as it's commonly understood, but I do think gnosis is an important facet of spirituality and religion.

Which "common understanding?" There are so many of them! That is the reason that I'm more comfortable with the terms Gnosis and Gnostic but less so with Gnosticism. There are Pagan Gnostics, Christian Gnostics, Jewish Gnostics, Islamic Gnostics, Universalist Gnostics, New Age Gnostics, Dan Brown Gnostics......the list goes on.

We learn very few things without asking questions. Your first post was full of them. That's very healthy. Gnosis (knowing) is impossible without questions.

That is a great compliment. In their book "Jesus and the Lost Goddess" Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy dedicate their book to "those who know they do not know." I'm clearly in that camp.

Fatherman, keep em' coming!

Hello everyone. Is this the place for a Gnostic who believes that there was never a historical Jesus, but believes the "Jesus myth" to contain the most important spiritual truths available? The place for someone who longs for Gnosis and holds out hope that the active Christ will offset the "origional flaw" of the creator? Can this be a "cyber-home" for someone who believes we all have a "Divine Spark" that needs to find its way back to God? Is Gnostic Christianty an accepted version of Progressive Christianity?

If so, then I'd like to stay.