I think that fits me right fine, I can believe jesus died for our sins.

but not in the christian way. I dont think of jesus as my god, but as my teacher.

the spirit is the only thing that isnt a physical element, It can be expressed through love, power, any emotion, but it is why we never feel fulfilled. The spirit is imprisoned with in an element Humans, plants, animals, anything that lives. Ill call them carriers.

Jesus was the one, The one who can set us free. He was no better than you or me, he was just a messenger. Thats why he was put here.

the trinity to me is GOD or GODS which ever you want, the spirit which is in us all, and the son, or jesus. Jesus carried the message, he was put here to show us how to free our souls. free us from our sins.

I am Gnostic.

so, what do you think of Gnosticism

So you're take on Jesus was that he wasn't the son of god but merely a humanist philosopher?

I'm still trying to grasp what it is you're getting at here.

[This message has been edited by Paradise Lost (edited 08-30-2005).]

Jesus was gods son in a way, but not in the typical sence. Im not sure right now.

He was THE great philosopher of all time.

side note http://www.adherents.com/adh_phil.html its sad to see hes not on there.

ok, jesus was a messenger for god, he overcame the sins of the soul, and the flesh.

I think that it isnt enought to believe that jesus was gods son, but to lead by his example, Jesus was a teacher. basicly it just includes more books of the gospel. http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/gnostics.html

No way in hell (pun intended) that Jesus was the greatest philosopher of all time. His existence alone is dubious at best.

Voltaire

Plato

Aristotle

Locke

Nietzsche

Descartes

Socrates

Spinoza

Thoreau

They all own Jesus. I guess this would be more like a debate for Humanities though.

quote:Originally posted by bushy:

so, what do you think of Gnosticism

It lacks raison d’être.

quote:Originally posted by Lou Reed:

It lacks raison d’être.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descartes

Sorry, but you are no more a gnostic than I'm Republican. The whole point of gnosticism is direct contact with Spirit, no need for teachers or gurus of any sort.

True, the original Gnostics were Christian heretics, but they were quickly quashed by the priesthood.

quote:Originally posted by bushy:

...the spirit is the only thing that isnt a physical element, It can be expressed through love, power, any emotion, but it is why we never feel fulfilled. The spirit is imprisoned with in an element Humans, plants, animals, anything that lives. Ill call them carriers.

How can spirit be imprisoned? Wouldn't that mean that the physical realm is more powerful than the spiritual realm?



quote:Originally posted by bushy:



Jesus was the one, The one who can set us free. He was no better than you or me, he was just a messenger. Thats why he was put here.

How could Jesus be the one who can set us free, and yet be no better than you or me? If that were the case, wouldn't we be 'free' already?

quote:Originally posted by ArmsMerchant:

Sorry, but you are no more a gnostic than I'm Republican. The whole point of gnosticism is direct contact with Spirit, no need for teachers or gurus of any sort.

True, the original Gnostics were Christian heretics, but they were quickly quashed by the priesthood.





Are you sure it was the Gnostics who where the heretics...

quote:Originally posted by ArmsMerchant:

Sorry, but you are no more a gnostic than I'm Republican. The whole point of gnosticism is direct contact with Spirit, no need for teachers or gurus of any sort.

I don't think so. There certainly was a body of knowledge which was relayed by teachers/philosophers.

quote:True, the original Gnostics were Christian heretics, but they were quickly quashed by the priesthood.

AFAIK, the Christian gnostics were not the original gnostics. They merely brought into Christianity something which had existed before it. That was the way Christianity seems to have been experienced in its early days, and only after a few centuries does the gnostic ingredient seem to have been "weeded out". See Rudolf Steiner.



[This message has been edited by Uncus (edited 08-31-2005).]