Chapter 14: Agnosticism and Gnosticism
Gnosis is Greek for to know. Agnosticism is the choice to accept that a person does not know what to believe about a god or anything else that is not part of the physical reality of the world. Many or most people are agnostics at some point in their faith or spiritual journeys. It opens the mind to new ideas, new possibilities.
Gnosticism is believing spiritual completeness is to be found through acquiring secret knowledge. Some of the ancient scrolls found in the Middle East came from caves that were hiding places for people who belonged to a community of Gnostics. A community of Jewish Gnostics existed before Jesus was born and continued for some time. The scrolls that were found seemed to belong to a community of Christian Gnostics. St. Paul might have been a Gnostic. The hint for this is in one of his letters when he mentioned being in a seventh heaven.
Gnosticism of the time believed that reality beyond the physical world consisted of levels of heaven with access to each level gained by acquiring certain secret knowledge.
There are a variety of modern examples of a focus on knowledge and levels. Masonry has about 31 or 32 levels depending on whether the lodge is Scottish rite or another rite. Shriners are masons who achieved the top level. The third level is where most Masons like myself reached, Free and Accepted Masons.
Scientology is a modern organization using a similar structure. People at the lower levels are persuaded that taking certain courses and successfully passing them will gain them access to a higher level of understanding. There is a promise that getting to the top level will help one acquire exceptional powers of some sort. I believe that the courses for each level become increasingly expensive.
One author linked Gnosticism to Jung in his book. I believe it was called “The Gnostic Jung”, a book I read about 33 years ago. I did not know enough about Jung for the author's argument to stick with me.
Gnosis is Greek for to know. Agnosticism is the choice to accept that a person does not know what to believe about a god or anything else that is not part of the physical reality of the world. Many or most people are agnostics at some point in their faith or spiritual journeys. It opens the mind to new ideas, new possibilities.
Gnosticism is believing spiritual completeness is to be found through acquiring secret knowledge. Some of the ancient scrolls found in the Middle East came from caves that were hiding places for people who belonged to a community of Gnostics. A community of Jewish Gnostics existed before Jesus was born and continued for some time. The scrolls that were found seemed to belong to a community of Christian Gnostics. St. Paul might have been a Gnostic. The hint for this is in one of his letters when he mentioned being in a seventh heaven.
Gnosticism of the time believed that reality beyond the physical world consisted of levels of heaven with access to each level gained by acquiring certain secret knowledge.
There are a variety of modern examples of a focus on knowledge and levels. Masonry has about 31 or 32 levels depending on whether the lodge is Scottish rite or another rite. Shriners are masons who achieved the top level. The third level is where most Masons like myself reached, Free and Accepted Masons.
Scientology is a modern organization using a similar structure. People at the lower levels are persuaded that taking certain courses and successfully passing them will gain them access to a higher level of understanding. There is a promise that getting to the top level will help one acquire exceptional powers of some sort. I believe that the courses for each level become increasingly expensive.
One author linked Gnosticism to Jung in his book. I believe it was called “The Gnostic Jung”, a book I read about 33 years ago. I did not know enough about Jung for the author's argument to stick with me.
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