ok, this is going to be a touchy subject I talk about so please understand I am not attacking anybody for thier beliefs, I'm merely asking questions and trying to find answers. I apologize ahead of time if I say anything rude or offensive, I sometimes get a little carried away.
Ok, so I've been doing some research on the Gnostic Gospels (and Gnostic Christianity) recently and have been a little disheartned by what I'm finding. Pretty much every website I've been to as exclaimed in the first couple of lines that Gnosticism is NOT Christianity. I can see some reason for thier argument because true Gnostics have a different idea on some of the various Christian beliefs. I guess I felt a little jilted as I was raised and confirmed a Christian and as my spiritual journey has matured and as I have asked questions of the faith and of myself I found the Gnostic Gospels and found some of their ideas....insynch...with mine. Then I set upon my research feeling full that as I Gnostic Christian I could still be accepted by (at least) some Christians only to feel like I've been booted out of the club, suddenly I'm an outsider....it just doesn't seem very "Christian" to blantely proclaim that they do not want people like me to be associated with them. Now I'm sure everyone has thier own view on Gnosticism and where it belongs, I guess because both faiths revolve around God and Jesus that it could be counted at a branch of Christianity (though one that I'm not sure is even really practicing today) The basic low down of Gnostics is that they revolve more around the spirit than the physical. Gnosis is knowledge and to gain gnosis (through a process) would make one...enlightened and they would be part of the Realm of God. Here is why I'm certian Gnostics won't ever be counted as Christians, when it comes to the crucifixtion Christians again believe in the physical (Jesus physically rose from the dead (proving life after death)) while the Gnostics believe that only the spirit is ressurected not the whole body. Most of the Gnostic beliefs center around the idea of spirit and knowledge. For example to achieve gnosis (salvation, living ressurection) one must go through a process that has four elements, the elements being Soul, Mind, Spirit, and Body. The point of Gnosticism is to get achieve Gnosis (which some have described as living above the material) it is about a spiritual connection with God though an elevation of the elements not through forgiveness or sacrifice. I do understand the key differences but are Christians really that offended by these beliefs? I'm not saying either religion is right or wrong or one is better than the other (which I know relgious debates always come out sounding that way) it's just a different way of looking at Jesus and God and truth be told if Christians are so solid in thier beliefs why care at all about anothers? I've been reading alot of people knocking down the Gnostic beliefs as if they didn't even deserve to exist. Why do people care what other people believe. Every person in this world has lived a unique life because of this no one's perspectives will be exactly the same but why can't we get to a place where we don't care. I'm not trying to convert anyone here to Gnosticism, I'm simply asking why people keep knocking it down. If I want to believe that the Kindom of God is a spiritual level not a physical place and you are solid in your beliefs (whatever they may be) shouldn't you be congratulating me for finding my way on the journey of faith, not telling me the beliefs have no basis in history and are practically garbage? Again not everyone will act like this but there are people out there who do (or else I wouldn't have read thier writings and be writing this today) Faith is personal, get over it, people will believe what they want to. I'm sorry, it's just frustrating. I grew up with lots of faith freedom to ask questions and discover things for myself and I've always believed in the root of Christianity, and to me that is Jesus' teachings, the fact that Jesus loved everyone no matter who they were, he loved the most hated people. I think that when Jesus spoke of being the son of God, he wasn't trying to be literal (as he did call other people son of God too) but more so he called himself the Son of God because he was close to God, he saw what God wanted for our world and how to achieve that. To truly live like Jesus, wow, I give credit to anyone whose acheived it (I know I haven't) it's not easy, that's for sure. But I'm going to keep trying because at the base of everything Jesus was a spectacular MAN who lived in the most spectacular way, who got IT. someone who understood the meaning of life and someone who died for it. What his personal life was like I wont go into, if you really want to know my point of view on that feel fee to ask me and I'll tell you but I don't think it's worth posting because that can REALLY offend people (as if I probably haven't offended a bunch already) but my view on Jesus could probably push some people over the edge, so I'll play it safe. But again, your free to ask it's no secret I just don't want to go about bragging about it is all.
So I end this all with a saying that speaks volumes of the kindess of Jesus (to me at least)
LET ME BE YOUR SERVANT
blessings on your journeys
Elly
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