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Alternative
Religions profiles
History/Origin:
Gnosis,
(Greek, knowlege), is defined as the intuitive comprehension
of higher spiritual truth. Many aspects of Gnostic philosophies are
believed to have developed in pre-Christian times, a syncretic blend
of Platonic philosophy and Pagan mystery religion.
In the early days of
Christianity, there was no single "Christian" group, but
many competing sects with varying practices. The
term "gnostic" was not used by the gnostics themselves; it was applied
to various sects of Christians by opposing theologans.
Some Gnostic
groups claimed to have been the original Christians, a position
hotly disputed by church 'fathers.' (Ironically, Tertullian, one
of Gnosticism's chief opponents, later became a Gnostic himself.)
Modern scholarship lends credibility to the claim, as recent discoveries
show that fragments of Gnostic texts may be the oldest existing Christian
Gospels.
Gnosticism
quickly faded into the background as the Roman Church and its doctrines
became dominant, and state sanction led political and military power
to their position. Gnostic texts were largely obliterated, and over
the centuries, mostly forgotten. Occasional flare-ups of gnostic
theology were put down with extreme violence- the little known first
"Crusade" was undertaken for the sole purpose of destroying
the Albigensian
Cathars, a vibrant Gnostic community in the South of France.
Current
leader/governing body: None.
There are some highly organized Gnostic congregations, but many self-labeled
Gnostics practice privately. Exceptions include the Mandeans in Iraq,
who are the only continuous Gnostic sect, with a practice that dates
back to the first century.
Number
of Adherents: Unknown, but neo-Gnostic groups have gained enourmous popularity in
the years following the publication of the Nag
Hammadi codices, a collection
of Gnostic scriptures uncovered . Clergy:
See above.
Requirements
to join: Varies with individual groups, although at the core
of traditional Gnostic thought is the claim that knowledge must
be understood intuitively, so making the claim to be Gnostic
does not neccessarily make one a Gnostic.
Church/temple: Varies ; early gnostic groups met in temples
and in private homes.
Scripture: Much of Gnostic scripture has been lost or destroyed; however, in
the twentieth century, dozens of Gnostic scriptures were discovered
buried in a jar in the desert at Nag Hammadi. These included the shocking Gospel of Thomas, and The Thunder, Perfect
Mind. You can read more here:
Gnostic scriptures
Required
observances, dietary restrictions: Early
Gnostics practiced vegetarianism; some sects avoided sex and reproduction,
others promoted "free love," as it were. Many modern Gnostics
avoid meat eating.
Basic
teachings and Beliefs: The
Gnostic concept of salvation is entirely at odds with the accepted
Christian doctrine. In Gnostic belief, one must seek reuinion with
God, dissolution of the body, and a return to the state prior to
the Fall- the first cause. This contradicts the developed Christian
doctrine that the death of Christ was a sacrifice to atone for the
sins of mankind, and that man achieves salvation simply
be believing in this sacrifice. Gnostics, in their turn, believe that
Christ was not truly human, but an Avatar or messenger who only had
the appearance of humanity. (This doctrine is known as Docetism) Among
these 'Avatars' is counted the serpent in the garden, a radical and
dangerous (in the eyes of the Church) departure from 'accepted' doctrine. Also
contrary to (non-gnostic) Christian doctrine is the central idea of
gnosis, or the personal experience of the divine, for which there
is no exact prescribed course of approach.
In
Gnostic cosmology, Sophia (Holy
Wisdom, or the Holy spirit), a divine emanation, seeks to know
God, and in doing, falls outside the "Pleroma," the
unified divine light. As She falls, she gives birth to the "blind
demiurge" Yaldabaoth,
who is also Satan/Yahweh/IAO. Yaldabaoth,
who believes himself to be God,* creates the material world and
mankind, trapping Sophia within.
The serpent in the Garden, and later, Jesus himself, are manifestations
of the Holy spirit attempting to free mankind from this material
slavery. Gnostics taught that because of this, the material world
is abhorrent. Unlike many modern Christian belief systems, gnostic
'mythology' is regarded as metaphorical, a language of symbolism
designed to express spiritual concepts that cannot be communicated
in ordinary language. Gnostic streams exist in numerous faiths
other than Christianity, and include Islam's Sufism, Western Hermetic
philosophy, and the transcendent system of Catholic mystics Jakob
Boehme and St. John of the Cross.
*Yaldabaoth
can be viewed as a metaphor for religion- he is the human-created
God, bound by the limits of the human ego and imagination. He
is "born" of the human desire to know God, but often
becomes a great prison-keeper, preventing us from ever actually
experiencing the divine. Every revelation of divinity is thus
degraded, coming under the control of the "consensus" of
believers. This "half-creator"
then fulfils a dual role- as a god of light who inspires, and
as a demonic, limiting power, depending on whether or not one
has the discernment (Sophia) to know one from the other.
Holidays:
Holidays are generally unimportant,
however, some modern Gnostic Churches follow a liturgical calendar
similar to that of the Catholic Church.
Symbols: Gnostic symbols include the ouroboros, a tail swallowing snake, as
a symbol of earthly ensnarement, gems depicting the God forms of Abraxas
and Mithras, as well as other amulets, were common in the first century:
   
For more information on this and other symbols, please see Religious
symbols.
Misconceptions:
A
common misconception of Gnosticism is that is "elitist." In
truth, there has never been any bar to anyone wishing to experience
gnosis except himself
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