|
Register | Sign In |
|
QuickSearch
Thread ▼ Details |
|
Thread Info
|
|
|
Author | Topic: Is Calvinism a form of Gnostic Christianity? | |||||||||||||||||||
LamarkNewAge Member Posts: 2424 Joined: Member Rating: 1.2 |
The Cathars were called Manicheans by the Catholics.
Manichean page on Wikipedia.
quote: Part of the Cathar page.
quote: Here is a Brill book which quotes an orthodox document attacking the Cathars.
quote: The authors of the book then said.
quote: Now, the thread author's text.
quote: On the "knowledge" or gnosis issue. If one looks at the origins of the use then, I think it is instructive. The whole issue of secret knowledge seems to be traced to what was presented as Jesus' REAL teachings and (IMO) is a form OR type of authentic "apostolic" tradition. Call it "faith" in the actual teachings. It seems to have been something of a way of combating perceived corruption and perversion of Jesus' actual teachings. The Gospel of Thomas has Jesus telling people to go to James the Just for understanding of the proper or real teachings. It has to do with authentic religion. The Jewish Christianity teachings of Jesus and James. Manichean's came later and did seem to reject Jewish scriptures (it isn't clear if that was much the case with the Jewish-Christians who followed James and who had many anti-Old Testament views that would later be a major part of Gnosticism) as perversions and instead liked Paul. This whole Gnosis thing seems to have been simply a way of "knowing Jesus" and is more like "faith". Just an issue of what is the true teachings of the religion (in a world of deception).
|
|||||||||||||||||||
LamarkNewAge Member Posts: 2424 Joined: Member Rating: 1.2 |
quote: I think that the Jewish Christians don't have a voice today (or the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, known as the "Gospel according to the Hebrews") so there is no debate. They were doing just (and the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew) fine until the time of the "Christian" Roman Empire, but now aren't around. There is no debate among "fundamentalists". We saw what happened to the Cathars. It seems that this group existed for perhaps 1000 years plus (though full-blown Manicheans were actually still around in the world back in the mid-13th century, or later, so they might have been a "recent" (in their time) chip off from Manichean teachings). Then they were slaughtered. I don't see today's Christianity as anything but the offshoot of the Roman Empire (and all of its offshoot governments and religions), and its only claim to being authentic TODAY amounts to little more than what is essentially winning - hands down - modern day popularity contests. For 1700 years, today's "Christianity" won the bloodsports (the loosers didn't want to fight in the battle frankly), now the issue seems to be a popularity contest.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
LamarkNewAge Member Posts: 2424 Joined: Member Rating: 1.2 |
I see it as a "conflict of interests" to take a stand on any modern religion.
The interest is find out whatever truth there is to be found out. I would give up if all we ever had, in terms of recovered documents, and knowledge, was what we presently have. There is still hope that we can find out more about the founders of what became Christianity. (and other religions too) There were a lot of peaceful versions of "Christianity", that had lots of good peaceful people, that were wiped out after the Roman Empire became "Christian". Let us hope we can find all the destroyed documents still. (including the Hebrew version of Matthew, which seemed to disturb the Roman Empire "Christians") (I find it amazing that any person can claim Christianity when the very documents and Gospels, that the religion was largely based on, were destroyed. Fundamentalists and all Christians should be very humble when so much of scripture is now - and has been for a very long time - totally missing. I know that MY OBSERVATIONS AND INTERPRETATION wasn't the reason for the "Christian" authorities destroying the documents in the first place, so my interpretation of the book burning and its implications for Christianity will be seen as misinterpreting and defeating the very purpose of the erasure in the first place. I think the absence of the important documents should render those wishing to style themselves "Christian" as jumping the gun. There just isn't enough information, despite what the preachers want people to think.)
|
|
|
Do Nothing Button
Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved
Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024