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"I know that most men, including those at ease with
problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest
and most obvious truth, if it be such as would oblige them to admit the
falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to
colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they
have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives." - Tolstoy
A Perspective on Christianity and Gnosticism
Updated:
03/12/2020
Herein are some observations and thoughts on Christianity and
Gnosticism, the other branch of religion that developed from the Jesus incident.
Christian Tendencies
In general, Christianity over-materializes its theological understandings. For instance, in terms of translating the
references to the "kingship of the heavens", instead of
understanding this as a term for kingly empowerment and privilege including
complete healing and a full endowment of equal citizenship, it winds up making it a
special physical location or realm in the material universe by translating
it "heaven" or "kingdom of heaven". It is thus usually conceived as the
material dwelling place of God, the central physical headquarters of the
universe's power hierarchy. Christianity has generally removed this Kingdom
of heaven from our being empowered by
placing it as being physically remote and placing our involvement with it in the remote future
or at least until after we die unless the "Lord" happens to come in the meantime..
Early on, Christianity also developed an institutional structure
around certain disciples, in the beginning Peter and James in Jerusalem, the
center of Judaism. Over the centuries the proclivity for
institutional formation ramified into various and sundry structures with
very extensive growth for Christendom. It allied itself with the
political and military power of the state. Always these
various organizations and structures, both political and symbolic, became more
important than the individuals they ostensibly were designed to serve,
and thus they became evil and oppressive.
Gnostic Tendencies
In contrast, Gnosticism spiritualizes away important literal or
material realities, making them subjective and mystical. Gnosticism,
with its focus on individual "knowing", seems much less suited for
institutionalization and has proven to be so. Rather than seeing that it is the total
package of both spiritual and tangible conditions being offered, Gnosticism generally takes the Kingdom of Heaven
and makes it into just a spiritual or mystical state of mind.
In and around 1400 CE (prevailing chronology), The Christian
alliance of religion and state, became incensed at the unacceptable
doctrinal and behavioral extremes of the Waldensees, Cathari, Albigenses,
etc., and pretty much wiped identified Gnostic sects out with the sword.
For the most part, neither Christendom nor Gnosticism lets itself be informed
enough by the valid part of the sciences, by the proper understanding of the
various ancient mythologies, by the ancient planetary
catastrophes, by sound cosmology, by logic and reason, or the concrete claims and
promises of Jesus. However, the ultimate issue
here is the nature of the Kingship of the Heavens. It is not a place, region
or realm in the universe as Christendom visualizes, nor is it a state of mind as
Gnosticism visualizes. It is the state of being symbolized by the acronym for
this site.
The bottom line is that the J-person should NOT be associated with
Gnosticism OR Christendom. At this point in time, there is no identifiable
aspect of either Christendom or Gnosticism that has been built on the right
foundation or is on the right course.
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