How to Interpret Christianity from a Gnostic Perspective

Gnosis means knowledge. Gnosis grants its recipient the secret of the immortality of the spirit. Gnostics are found within every religion. Here are a few steps to help you interpret the teachings of Christ through a Gnostic perspective.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Understand their philosophy on God. Gnostics recognize that there is one ultimate Supreme Being. They believe dualism springs from our limited sense faculties. Gnostics revile the Abrahamic God of the Old Testament, for he is a blind, angry god who miscreated the prison of materialism. They attribute all pain, suffering, and desire to this Demiurgus, or false god. Gnostics believe that our world is the material world of the Demiurgus, which is in turn is a shadowy microcosm of the Heavenly Kingdom. In other words, heaven and earth are connected, but a gnostic desires to acquire the knowledge of Heaven while he is here on Earth. A Gnostic's ultinate goal is unity with God. She transcends our material prison through prayer, chastity, and peace. Therefore, gnosis emphasizes that Oneness that is the Supreme Power of the Universe.

2. Understand their philosophy on Christ. Jesus Christ was a man who achieved pure gnosis. Gnostics believed that the Christ story is an allegory for immortality. The mortal man, Jesus, which represents the material body, merged with the Christos, which represents the spirit. He did this through pure awareness of God. Through gnosis he transcends his material body and gains eternal life. Gnostics believe all people can merge with the Christos to also gain an immortal spirit.

3. Understand their correspondences with Christian practice. Gnosis requires intense prayer and meditation, much like The Bible, which repeatedly encourages the practice of prayer. "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
   
   Romans 12:12 When someone prays, she becomes closer to uniting with God, which is pure gnosis. Since the material world traps the spirit with desire, gnostics avoid temptation. Their asceticism imbued Christianity with the virtues of chastity, fasting, and asceticism. The Gnostics interpret the Bible metaphorically. Many of the Apocryphal books of the Bible teach gnostic philosophy.

4. Study Gnostic sects in history. Study primary and secondary sources about the Rosicrucian Tradition, The Apocrypha, The Cathars, and Father Christian Rosencreutz. These are good leads for a further immersion into an intellectual understanding of gnosis. You can also study gnostics in other religions. These include Sufis, Sadhus, Lamas, and Qabbalists, just to name a few.

5. Engage in dialogue with a priest regarding Gnosticism. Very few people know about gnosticism, for it was traditionally reserved for an elite group. However, Christian theologians are required to study the Apocrypha. It is fascinating to discover the varying attitudes of Christian churches towards gnosticism.

6. Determine if you are ready to pursue gnosis. If you are, then refer back to step three to determine which form of prayer, meditation, or magic is right for you. There are countless paths, but you must decide which one you feel you can commit to.

7. Devote yourself wholeheartedly to your path.

[scottmitzi]

on 12/26/2008 This is very deep thinking. Most gnosis I know simply believe in a higher being, but don't want to acknowledge The Creator of the Universe as the ultimate authority for their lives. I love the Bible verses in Jeremiah that say, "If you truely seek Me, you will find Me." God Bless

[scottmitzi]

on 12/26/2008 This is very deep thinking. Most gnosis I know simply believe in a higher being, but don't want to acknowledge The Creator of the Universe as the ultimate authority for their lives. I love the Bible verses in Jeremiah that say, "If you truely seek Me, you will find Me." God Bless