Amlodhi. You said in your last post that:
As described by definition, gnosis is a knowledge of unseen things, religious or spiritual, that can be obtained only by instruction from Gnostic mentors or some form of transcendental revelation.
Based on this definition, even Christians who claim "Holy Spirit" revelations could be said to be employing Gnostic beliefs. I would suppose that for an Orthodox Christian to differentiate from a Gnostic, Scripture had to be Canonized and validated as an inerrent truth. Otherwise, endless knowledge based upon many ancient sources would continually challenge and redefine Orthodox Belief. This is what actually happens. Perhaps to clarify my position, I will state that my belief is that
1)Scripture has been defined and validated. No new revelations can improve it.
2) Original Sin and spiritual warfare are not a fairy tale but a fact. By definition, the devil can and does make Christians look and act as stupid and ignorant as possible. It is not enough for us as Christians to blame such a devil, however. The fault lies with us.
God has already given us a way out, which is to trust His wisdom.
3) The difference between Gnostic wisdom/revelation and Inspired Scripture and Truth is difficult to quantify and define. Perhaps in this case, we can learn from the early church and the arguments with Gnostics back in "the day." As thinkers, I suppose we can continue to articulate ourselves in this debate as well. I believe in an absolute truth apart from human wisdom. I cannot prove it. I can only live it. Even within the Church there are differences of opinion on what is and is not truth.
[This message has been edited by Phatboy, 01-23-2004]