|
|
Post by rmcdra on Feb 17, 2015 11:57:52 GMT -5
Am I forgetting any thing FriendofSophia? If I've left anything out, let me know. - A grasp of the Nag Hammadi and the New Testament
This does not mean knowing the Nag Hammadi in its entirety but being able to recognize the experiences recounted in these texts to understand where these authors were coming from. We hold that scriptures are layered in that there are multiple meanings that be derived that build upon each other. Some layers are more useful than others. If the layers are not useful and help build you up, then they can be dropped. - Scriptures are not the end all
For us, scriptures we use are a starting point and a reference. It is something to fall back on if we become lost. These are writings of our earliest Christian brothers but they do not have all the answers. The writers were people of their times just like we are. They do though provide a reference of what their experience of the Father-Mother is and they do provide a "road map" of how to share in their experience. Pastors in training are more than welcome to use any other material if it helps but we only teach Nag Hammadi Christianity in our church. This is to give us a common ground that we can all relate with. Since we are a church that believes in salvation by gnosis, all pastors in training should either have gnosis or be seeking it. Gnosis only comes from God, no person or ritual can grant it to you. While we do believe that the Nag Hammadi and select portions of the New Testament do outline the process, the process is unique for each person. Not all gnosis is the same but it should be consistent with the Nag Hammadi, select New Testament, and those who are known to have gnosis. If your gnosis leads you to killing puppies, you're doing it wrong. Gnosis will not give you magic powers either. - Assisting others in finding Gnosis
We are not here to tell you who God is, we are here to help you see God for yourself and that is through gnosis. While we can share our understanding, we must remember that we are people at the end of the day and just like anyone else we can create a demiurge(false image) in the place of God. No pastor should EVER under any circumstances suggest psychedelics as a method to receive gnosis. Psychedelics are too unpredictable; gnosis can and has been obtained without them. When we talk about faith we are not talking about blind belief, but willingness to trust your experiences and at the same time to trust what is true, if it holds up to testing. It is counter-intuitive to believe that the earth revolves around the sun, but we have overwhelming evidence that says it does. Faith is the first step to receiving gnosis. Gnosis builds upon faith. Faith is also the confidence to speak up when someone in our group is speaking something that is untrue. All pastors in training are expected to speak up when someone says something that is inconsistent or contrary to their gnosis. All are expected to be tested, even the head pastor, who is a pastor-in-training as well. Dualism is a very elegant teaching and at the time can be misconstrued. We believe in a distinction between Matter and Spirit. Matter is anything that is perishable and can be broken down and reshaped. Spirit is something that cannot be broken down and reshaped. It is a force that moves a sentient being to act. Matter is neither good nor evil. Not all spirits are good. There is too much about dualism to be put in this section, if you have questions, please ask. Head Pastor is a title for any pastor in training in Alpha & Omega who leads a group. The role of head pastor is to moderate discussion and come up with topics to be discussed. Only members who have received gnosis (that is recognized by the group) and is familiar with the practices of Alpha & Omega (attends live services, contributes to discussion) may start their own branch of Alpha & Omega and take the title of Alpha & Omega Head Pastor. Anyone is more than welcome to start their own group if they do like what we have to teach, but please do not use the name Alpha & Omega: Christian Gnostic Church if you are not teaching what we teach. Any member of Alpha & Omega who is not happy with this group and feels they are unable to contribute or severely disagrees with what is taught; is free to leave and should expect no harassment. If any exiting member experiences harassment let the Head Pastor know. If in the event that it is the Head Pastor that is harassing the exiting member, please inform all other pastors-in-training. If the Head Pastor continues to harass an exiting member, the head pastor shall be stripped of their title and the pastors in training shall select a new Head Pastor among themselves. At the end of the day we are people. The titles are there to remind us that there is always someone that looks up to you and you are their “Christ”. They do not convey magic powers nor will these titles solve any problems we may have as we live our lives. As brothers and sisters we should be able to come to each other when we have problems and try to offer whatever support we can that is within our power and offer any advice that we can. To deny our own weakness is to deny the chance “to be filled.” |
|
|
|
Post by phantasman on Feb 17, 2015 14:40:37 GMT -5
An interesting philosophy.
|
|
|
|
Post by rmcdra on Feb 18, 2015 10:50:16 GMT -5
Thanks. This was something that Soulgazer wanted to discuss before he passed. I discussed this with the other members of A&O that were present last service and this is some of the stuff we came up with. I'm waiting on feedback and anything I need to add or amend before I make it official.
|
|
|
|
Post by friendofsophia on Feb 19, 2015 4:29:00 GMT -5
Once again I have to commend you on attempting the arduous task of such an undertaking. If I attempted to address the number of topics that you have just tackled, we'd have pages and pages of my rantings. There were a few things that struck me that I feel really need to be clarified/expanded upon. With regards to the Spirit/Matter dualism, I think we really need to be clear what we're talking about. I really like your definition: (Matter is anything that is perishable and can be broken down and reshaped. Spirit is something that cannot be broken down and reshaped) However, in my opinion the meaning of this word Spirit is not the same as a general usage of spirits. Pretty much all the Gnostic mythology describes the Demiurge and archons lacking the Spirit (or at least being ignorant of it). They are generally thought of as on the psyche(soul) level.....they can be broken down and reshaped since they are dependent on the material. Proof of this is the way in which head injuries or psycho-active drugs can alter one's personality and perception...in other words the psyche is broken down and reshaped. The Spirit however, that I AM within you remains untouched....though the window may be altered. Therefore the "spirits" that are not good are not the same as the Spirit which is imperishable and cannot be broken down. The counterfeit "spirit" is not really the Spirit but a psychic or material impostor. Of course one is free to substitute the word Spirit for any word that points to the same concept (even the Kool-Aid man might work  ) .....but the big idea that the little idea points to needs to be consistent. This brings us to the concept of Gnosis......one that really gets tap danced around a lot. Something that really struck me about Soulgazer was when I heard him answer this question in a way that is absolutely consistent with everything I had learned and experienced with regards to Gnostic Christianity: It is "Knowledge of the Father" (knowledge of the nature of God). This goes hand in hand with knowledge of self because your understanding and way of explaining Gnosis is dependent upon this. This is why Gnosis may be experienced differently for different people but there is only one Gnosis. In fact, someone's life experience may have left the words "father" and "god" to be so distasteful that they would be the last words they would use to describe this.......its still the same Gnosis. What is this Knowledge of the Father, or God, or Mother-Father, or the Kool-Aid Man?..................that it's good, that its loving. That yes the world is f#@%d up, that a little innocent child suffering is not some kind of karmic justice from another life or some kind of sick divine punishment for sinful parents.......no it is just as pointless and despicable as a good innocent man suffering a crucifixion. But this sick little world is not the big picture, that who you truly are is part of the big picture and when you live based on the big picture, this sick little world has no real power over you........and by example you pass this liberation on to others. This is how Christ brought us Gnosis. This is how Christ brings us Gnosis. It all stems from this. All the elaborate cosmologies, all the mythologies, everything stems from this. This brings us to the concept of faith. But if you know something, you have no need of faith.....right? We live in a world of forgetfulness and ignorance, its EASY to forget or doubt what you know.......in fact even the most profound experiences could in fact just be nothing more than a symptom of a mental illness. That's why its important to not be afraid to look critically at your own beliefs. However, inevitably we will have to make a choice of what we choose to believe. Faith is a choice. We may have experienced what we believe to be Gnosis. Yet that belief is faith. And that faith is a choice. It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that we are wrong......worse than the non-existence of our true God is the sole existence of the kind of god we would think of as a particularly nasty archon. What if the only god really was a sick, vicious, monster that wants mindless obedience to some old book and craves the beheading of innocents as tribute.....who is greatly offended by music, art, and self expression of any kind (and probably also loves killing puppies). That our only hope to avoid eternal agony was to submit to this undeniable evil. If I had the knowledge of this hypothetical reality I would hope I would have the courage and faith to still choose the Gnosis of something better. To go to the flames of hell with my middle finger to this cosmic despot....if it give someone else courage to stand up for what is right, it would be worth it.......perhaps even the hypothetical omnipotent ruler himself would be moved by this refusal to submit to his own ignorance. This, I believe, is the kind of deep thinking, compassion, and conviction that founded Christianity......may we carry the torch that was handed to us........and shine light on the darkest places! |
|
|
|
Post by rmcdra on Feb 19, 2015 11:44:37 GMT -5
Once again I have to commend you on attempting the arduous task of such an undertaking. If I attempted to address the number of topics that you have just tackled, we'd have pages and pages of my rantings. There were a few things that struck me that I feel really need to be clarified/expanded upon. With regards to the Spirit/Matter dualism, I think we really need to be clear what we're talking about. I really like your definition: (Matter is anything that is perishable and can be broken down and reshaped. Spirit is something that cannot be broken down and reshaped) However, in my opinion the meaning of this word Spirit is not the same as a general usage of spirits. Pretty much all the Gnostic mythology describes the Demiurge and archons lacking the Spirit (or at least being ignorant of it). They are generally thought of as on the psyche(soul) level.....they can be broken down and reshaped since they are dependent on the material. Proof of this is the way in which head injuries or psycho-active drugs can alter one's personality and perception...in other words the psyche is broken down and reshaped. The Spirit however, that I AM within you remains untouched....though the window may be altered. Therefore the "spirits" that are not good are not the same as the Spirit which is imperishable and cannot be broken down. The counterfeit "spirit" is not really the Spirit but a psychic or material impostor. Of course one is free to substitute the word Spirit for any word that points to the same concept (even the Kool-Aid man might work ) .....but the big idea that the little idea points to needs to be consistent. This brings us to the concept of Gnosis......one that really gets tap danced around a lot. Something that really struck me about Soulgazer was when I heard him answer this question in a way that is absolutely consistent with everything I had learned and experienced with regards to Gnostic Christianity: It is "Knowledge of the Father" (knowledge of the nature of God). This goes hand in hand with knowledge of self because your understanding and way of explaining Gnosis is dependent upon this. This is why Gnosis may be experienced differently for different people but there is only one Gnosis. In fact, someone's life experience may have left the words "father" and "god" to be so distasteful that they would be the last words they would use to describe this.......its still the same Gnosis. What is this Knowledge of the Father, or God, or Mother-Father, or the Kool-Aid Man?..................that it's good, that its loving. That yes the world is f#@%d up, that a little innocent child suffering is not some kind of karmic justice from another life or some kind of sick divine punishment for sinful parents.......no it is just as pointless and despicable as a good innocent man suffering a crucifixion. But this sick little world is not the big picture, that who you truly are is part of the big picture and when you live based on the big picture, this sick little world has no real power over you........and by example you pass this liberation on to others. This is how Christ brought us Gnosis. This is how Christ brings us Gnosis. It all stems from this. All the elaborate cosmologies, all the mythologies, everything stems from this. This brings us to the concept of faith. But if you know something, you have no need of faith.....right? We live in a world of forgetfulness and ignorance, its EASY to forget or doubt what you know.......in fact even the most profound experiences could in fact just be nothing more than a symptom of a mental illness. That's why its important to not be afraid to look critically at your own beliefs. However, inevitably we will have to make a choice of what we choose to believe. Faith is a choice. We may have experienced what we believe to be Gnosis. Yet that belief is faith. And that faith is a choice. It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that we are wrong......worse than the non-existence of our true God is the sole existence of the kind of god we would think of as a particularly nasty archon. What if the only god really was a sick, vicious, monster that wants mindless obedience to some old book and craves the beheading of innocents as tribute.....who is greatly offended by music, art, and self expression of any kind (and probably also loves killing puppies). That our only hope to avoid eternal agony was to submit to this undeniable evil. If I had the knowledge of this hypothetical reality I would hope I would have the courage and faith to still choose the Gnosis of something better. To go to the flames of hell with my middle finger to this cosmic despot....if it give someone else courage to stand up for what is right, it would be worth it.......perhaps even the hypothetical omnipotent ruler himself would be moved by this refusal to submit to his own ignorance. This, I believe, is the kind of deep thinking, compassion, and conviction that founded Christianity......may we carry the torch that was handed to us........and shine light on the darkest places! Thank you so much. While I do have a talent for conciseness, I know that you can get so concise that you miss important points. Gnosis, Faith, and Dualism can all each have their own books written about them so yeah trying to find a happy balance between a paragraph and book is a bit of a challenge. If you want to modify those areas of concern, feel free to otherwise, I was going to take your comments into consideration and modify it later today. |
|
|
|
Post by rmcdra on Feb 20, 2015 12:27:44 GMT -5
Alright elaborated on the topics you suggested friendofsophia.
Gnosis
Since we are a church that believes in salvation by gnosis, all pastors in training should either have gnosis or be seeking it. While it has become common to define gnosis as just any spiritual experience, we have a particular definition for it. Gnosis is having knowledge and a personal understanding of the nature of the Father-Mother. Since gnosis is the knowledge and understanding of the nature of God, no person, book, or ritual can grant this to a seeker. While such things may prepare the seeker to receive gnosis, they are tools; not the source of the knowledge. While we do hold that gnosis is unique for each person, the gnosis we seek is a specific gnosis that brings knowledge and understanding of the nature of God. This is a specific understanding and knowledge, but it can be expressed in different ways and the understanding is unique to each person. While there are many different authors of the Nag Hammadi and New Testament scriptures we commonly use, there is a consistency about the nature of God described in these texts; as well as how they went about receiving and finding gnosis. If your gnosis leads you to killing puppies or bombing abortion clinics, you have not found gnosis. Gnosis will not give you magic powers nor does it make you a prophet for gnosis is freely available to all that seek it. God does not need a mouth piece to speak on their behalf.
Faith
When we talk about faith we are not talking about blind belief, but willingness to trust your experiences and at the same time to trust what is true, if it holds up to testing. It is counter-intuitive to believe that the earth revolves around the sun, but we have overwhelming evidence that says it does. Faith is the first step to receiving gnosis. Gnosis builds upon faith. Faith is also a willingness to be tested. If you trust your belief to be truth than your belief should hold up to testing. All pastors in training are expected to test their beliefs for testing those beliefs is how we find truth. All are expected to be tested, even the head pastor, who is a pastor-in-training as well.
Dualism
Dualism is a very elegant teaching and at the time can be misconstrued. We believe in a distinction between Matter and Spirit. Matter is anything that is perishable and can be broken down and reshaped. Spirit is something that cannot be broken down and reshaped; a force that moves a sentient being to act. Matter is neither good nor evil because it had no will of its own and is "driven" by different "spirits". Matter is the medium in which spirits use to interact in the world of matter. Not all "spirits" come from the source of the Spirit. Some spirits are "counterfeit spirits", these are "spirits" that resemble the spirits from the God but are created from matter and cannot exist without matter. Spirits that come from God are not in need of matter to maintain its existences, such as the Spirit of Truth. Dualism is the teaching that helps us recognize the difference between these and is a core part of our Church. Books upon books could be easily written concerning dualism, too much to fully convey in a quick summary. If you have questions, please ask or even better "test it".
|
|
|
|
Post by phantasman on Feb 20, 2015 23:53:09 GMT -5
I really enjoy this exploration. Though you are answering friendofsophia, I hope you don't mind my comments.
|
|
|
|
Post by rmcdra on Feb 21, 2015 2:23:44 GMT -5
I really enjoy this exploration. Though you are answering friendofsophia, I hope you don't mind my comments. Not at all. If you have feedback feel free to say it. |
|
|
|
Post by phantasman on Feb 22, 2015 13:35:53 GMT -5
In my studies of scripture, I do not believe that Jesus set up a monarchy. The head Priest is used in the Greek scriptures as one who maintains celestial control in the physical world, something I do not believe should be given to one man. The only time the word priest shows up in Greek as someone of favor is the the book of Hebrews (we don't know who wrote it) and the Pastorals of Paul, which seemed to have been written after Pauls death. Revelations uses the word as well.
With this type thinking, I do not believe in a head anything. We do acknowledge the elders as heading congregations due to their understanding of many ways.
When William Tyndale translated the Greek NT (by passing the Latin) the Catholics did not like what Tyndale discovered, and he was eventually murdered by church authority.
"The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church did not approve of some of the words and phrases introduced by Tyndale, such as "overseer", where it would have been understood as "bishop", "elder" for "priest", and "love" rather than "charity". Tyndale, citing Erasmus, contended that the Greek New Testament did not support the traditional Roman Catholic readings. More controversially, Tyndale translated the Greek "ekklesia", (literally "called out ones") as "congregation" rather than "church". It has been asserted this translation choice "was a direct threat to the Church's ancient—but so Tyndale here made clear, non-scriptural—claim to be the body of Christ on earth. To change these words was to strip the Church hierarchy of its pretensions to be Christ's terrestrial representative, and to award this honour to individual worshipers who made up each congregation."
Of course, a person is a head if you see them as a head and not merely by label. Christ uses us all.
|
|
|
|
Post by rmcdra on Feb 24, 2015 11:39:24 GMT -5
In my studies of scripture, I do not believe that Jesus set up a monarchy. The head Priest is used in the Greek scriptures as one who maintains celestial control in the physical world, something I do not believe should be given to one man. The only time the word priest shows up in Greek as someone of favor is the the book of Hebrews (we don't know who wrote it) and the Pastorals of Paul, which seemed to have been written after Pauls death. Revelations uses the word as well. With this type thinking, I do not believe in a head anything. We do acknowledge the elders as heading congregations due to their understanding of many ways. When William Tyndale translated the Greek NT (by passing the Latin) the Catholics did not like what Tyndale discovered, and he was eventually murdered by church authority. " The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church did not approve of some of the words and phrases introduced by Tyndale, such as "overseer", where it would have been understood as "bishop", "elder" for "priest", and "love" rather than "charity". Tyndale, citing Erasmus, contended that the Greek New Testament did not support the traditional Roman Catholic readings. More controversially, Tyndale translated the Greek "ekklesia", (literally "called out ones") as "congregation" rather than "church". It has been asserted this translation choice "was a direct threat to the Church's ancient—but so Tyndale here made clear, non-scriptural—claim to be the body of Christ on earth. To change these words was to strip the Church hierarchy of its pretensions to be Christ's terrestrial representative, and to award this honour to individual worshipers who made up each congregation." Of course, a person is a head if you see them as a head and not merely by label. Christ uses us all. I agree. I don't think he did either. By "Head Pastor", I am talking about a Senior Elder. We don't use the Pastoral Epistles in our group, but we try to stick to the spirit of the texts we do use. This is why pastors in training are encouraged to ask questions so that person who is senior elder/head pastor doesn't set up anything resembling a "monarchy". Christ is the teacher and we look inward to find this teacher. |
|
|
|
Post by phantasman on Feb 26, 2015 12:45:19 GMT -5
I understand and agree. It's why I enjoy our communications.
|
|
|
|
Post by friendofsophia on Mar 5, 2015 5:13:28 GMT -5
So I have to admit a bit of aversion to the idea of reducing Gnosis into basically a doctrine....even a well meaning one. I'm not trying to be critical, it takes a lot of courage to attempt to tackle these heady and profound concepts in a succinct yet meaningful way, and don't really have a better way to express it...I'm just trying to be as honest as I can...which I think is really important. I find myself second guessing my attempt at defining Gnosis as well. But I guess that's the way it is when trying to express a Truth......it inevitably comes out as a limited (lower case) truth. I do think, however, if we express our personal truths that we've discovered as honestly as we can, it has a way of inspiring a truth in others...one of which may be different from the other person's truth but may also reveal the same (or different) bit of Truth.......if any of that made any sense  . I also think the term Pastor needs to come with a big asterisk when used in a Gnostic context. Pastoralism is the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock. The Protestant concept of a Pastor isn't that much of a step forward from the Catholic concept of a Priest. Not to be picky about titles; in our post-modern age, traditional spiritual terminology sounds old, backwards, and outdated and new ones sound phony and new-agey.......its just the day and age in which we live. However, I think the title of Pastor is a fine and fitting title in a Gnostic Christian setting as long it is clear that the only animal that is being herded is our own monkey suit. That's how I conceive of the "we are all Pastors" concept of Alpha Omega and that's why I've always liked it. We are able to show others the way by looking within, facing and overcoming our own archons, coming to know our own fiery Spark and uniting her with the loving Living Waters of the highest aspect of our minds (our inner Logos), expressing our own conception of our own personal truth/myth and sharing it with others in hopes it will inspire another's personal truth/myth. This is also expressed by the simple way we interact with others. Our inner myth will affect our outer interaction with others and vice versa whether we're aware of it or not. It's a good idea to be aware of that and make that myth based on something real to you......so your actions will best emulate your grasp of the Truth. I've found the best way to have respect for others points of view is to not worry about others liking or accepting mine. If I try to make my views the same as someone else's, or feel that mine have to be the same as theirs in order to be accepted......sooner or later I'll end up hating and rejecting both their views and the other person.......or my own and myself. Finding a good balance: being able to maintain individuality as well as being a meaningful part of a community without falling into the the pits of isolated destructive selfishness or group-think cult mentality......has been a real struggle for me throughout my life....having spent considerable time chasing both extremes. So much so that the balance of those concepts is integral to the way in which I conceive of the Divine. In my personal take on the Gnostic mythos, the altruistic Logos and self-centered Sophia need each other...I have come to think of Christ as their union and transcendence. The living water of collective harmony and the fire of individualistic melody. The Gnosis of God within everyone else and perhaps everything else, and the Gnosis of God within ourselves. The Love for our neighbor, the Love from our true selves. Baptism of water, baptism of fire. When you make the two into one ..................................................I am there..............................you will find me. Anyway, that's my attempt of expressing Truth with my little personal truth. May it inspire Truth for you dear reader. |
|
|
|
Post by rmcdra on Mar 6, 2015 20:24:21 GMT -5
So I have to admit a bit of aversion to the idea of reducing Gnosis into basically a doctrine....even a well meaning one. I'm not trying to be critical, it takes a lot of courage to attempt to tackle these heady and profound concepts in a succinct yet meaningful way, and don't really have a better way to express it...I'm just trying to be as honest as I can...which I think is really important. I find myself second guessing my attempt at defining Gnosis as well. But I guess that's the way it is when trying to express a Truth......it inevitably comes out as a limited (lower case) truth. I do think, however, if we express our personal truths that we've discovered as honestly as we can, it has a way of inspiring a truth in others...one of which may be different from the other person's truth but may also reveal the same (or different) bit of Truth.......if any of that made any sense . I get you. I'm not trying to "codify" either but express it in how we understand it. I'm not trying to say this is gnosis and this is not. We do know particular things about it though that can be clarified. That it's not just a generic spiritual experience and we know it's related to a specific God. This is to keep "everything" from being gnosis. It's knowledge but it's not just any knowledge. It can be triggered by a variety of sources but these aren't the source of the knowledge. Yes there are different understandings of this truth. That why you have many different perspectives shown in the Nag Hammadi and the New Testament but they all have a commonality that doesn't conflict. We also know it's not limited to one's religion either, that it's freely given to all who seek it. We each have different understandings as well but we know that they come from the same source. OMG yes. I love this. I want to include part of this in the description. You've also helped me figure out why I've had problem with the term "pastor" so I thank you for that. Amen. I like that description of Christ and I find myself growing to appreciate it. But yes, we aren't trying to "convert" anyone into becoming Gnostic. We share the truths we have and build each other up. Those who want to build up with us are more than welcome to join in. |
|
|
|
Post by phantasman on Mar 9, 2015 2:55:08 GMT -5
Soulgazer once told me that a Gnostic (seeking gnosis) could be many miles away from another Gnostic. If they ever came together, they could see some things differently, but the core truth would be the same. They would share what is common truth, and learn from each other through their differences.
I thought about that after he said it. And it made sense, because where two or more are gathered, Christ is there. It's not about one teaching the other, but both opening their minds to find where "one" (in Christ) exists. Kind of the opposite of two people arguing which one is right. If they're arguing, neither is right, IMO.
|
|
unix
Junior Member
busy with full-time studies
Posts: 82
|
Post by unix on Mar 12, 2015 18:52:05 GMT -5
Someone asked about core beliefs, so I responded in General Theology at CF: www.christianforums.com/t7870147-post67161156/#poststop... and it might apply here as well, so I'll quote myself below: - Faith is nothing without works (works a large part of salvation but You shouldn't deny or avoid correct religion), and help the orphan in their despair (Jas).
- GJn 1:18 from the International Critical Commentary (original series):
“God hath no man seen at any time:
The Only-Begotten, who is God, who dwells in the Father’s bosom,
This is He who revealed God.”
Bernard, J. H. (1929). A critical and exegetical commentary on the Gospel according to St. John. (A. H. McNeile, Ed.) (Vol. 1, p. 32). New York: C. Scribner’ Sons. - Believe in the Father-Mother.
- Some Messianic prophesies in the Old Testament. But far from all whom someone or some denomination has claimed to be such.
- Jesus was born by a virgin. (Not necessary to believe that she stayed a virgin, I don't. I pray for Mary to intercede to Jesus but that's not a prerequisite for being a Christian.)
- Jesus was God.
- Jesus was resurrected.
- To not to rip out most of the Bible.
- To appreciate poetry. Yesterday, in Uppsala library, I finally discovered that's the key in order to not to go overly materialistic with the buying of too many and expensive academic books on aspects of Christianity.
- To pray.
- To not to promote Islam but to not to see all of them as unbelievers, there are a few believers among them.
- To not to hate Jews or Palestinians.
- To be a pacifist:
Originally Posted by The Outlier: "when it comes down to it, what are the core beliefs that separate the true saved from the unsaved?": So I have to admit a bit of aversion to the idea of reducing Gnosis into basically a doctrine....even a well meaning one. |
|
) .....but the big idea that the little idea points to needs to be consistent. 
. 
