Gnostic Essays
[Page being retired into archives]
WHAT IS GNOSTICISM? - Gnosticism means different things to different people. This essay is my attempt to look at the basic philosophical underpinnings of gnosticism, showing that it is more a methodology than a belief system.
PHILDICKIAN GNOSTICISM - Named after sci-fi author Philip K. Dick, who became heavily involved in Gnostic thought towards the end of his life. This essay explores the unique viewpoint he brought to gnosticism as a science-fiction writer and the influence he’s had on the development of modern gnostic thinking.
ANARCHO-GNOSTICISM - A major component of gnosticism is the rejection of external authority in favor individual intuition and personal sovereignty. As such, it meshes very well with Anarchism as a philosophy, and also provides an excellent spiritual framework for what would otherwise be a secular ideology
EPISCO-PAGELIAN GNOSTICISM - Elaine Pagels, Margaret Starbird and The Da Vinci Code have done a great deal to revive interest in gnosticism. This article compares their work to beliefs in the Unitarian and Episcopal Churches, and contrasts it with the strains of gnosticism described above.
THE SECRET GRAY-ROBED CHRISTIANS - Philip K. Dick described the gnostics as sort of a secret group of super-heroes bent on saving the world.
THE GNOSTIC X-MEN - Speaking of superheroes, traces of gnostic thought are everywhere in pop culture, although they are not always labeled as such. If you know what to look for though, you’ll find it.
JORDAN STRATFORD+ INTERVIEW - Jordan Stratford is an ordained minister in the Apostolic Johannite Church and a very prominent voice on contemporary gnosticism on the internet. In this interview Jordan discusses contemporary Gnosticism.
IS GANGSTA RAP GNOSTIC? - When we’re looking for parallels of gnosticism in modern culture, how do we determine what makes something gnostic? This essay uses gangsta rap to explore those questions.
FORM I & FORM II - Gnosticism is said to share a lot of characteristics with Platonism and Neo-Platonism in terms of cosmological outlook. This essay explores the similarities, and offers other potential interpretations.
THE MINIMUM SECURITY BLACK IRON PRISON - Another Philip K. Dick term which is used to describe the illusory prison-world set up by the evil Empire
THE POP OCCULT GNOSTIC CONSPIRACY - Sort of a manifesto which discusses how the occult, gnosticism, conspiracy theory and the open-source movement offer an alternative to mainstream culture and values.
THE ARCHON-ALIEN CONNECTION: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 - An analysis of the possible connection between the gnostic bad guys, the archons, and modern day alien phenomena.
SATAN, TERRORIST OF THE DEMIURGE - The artifical game of good cop/bad cop goes way back, and gnostic theology may offer some useful metaphors for understanding world politics today.
HE AIN’T HEAVY, HE’S MY DEMIURGE - The demiurge is sort of the archetypal bad guy behind a lot of the gnostic mythology. But is he really quite as evil as he’s cracked up to be?
SOPHIA, GNOSIS, REASON & PHILOSOPHY - A detailed look at gnostic mythology, and just what type of wisdom the word “gnosis” really represents.
WOMAN’S ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE FALL - One of the more dastardly elements of mainstream Christianity is their suggestion that women are the source of all sin. The gnostics had a somewhat different take on this.
ARCHONS AND THE LIE OF SALVATION - Regular Christians believe that Jesus saved us by dying on the cross, while gnostics tend to see Jesus’s teachings as the source of salvation.
HE KILLED SOMEBODY BECAUSE HE LOVES US - Doesn’t it seem weird that God would kill his son to show us how much he loves us? The gnostics thought so too.
GNOSTICISM WAS NOT ELITIST - People will often say that gnosticism “failed” because it was an elitist movement, offering special “secrets” only to certain people. In actuality, gnosticism was radically egalitarian in it’s structure, and taught that everyone had a little bit of God inside them.
IS GNOSTICISM CORRUPTIBLE? - Fans of gnosticism often portray it as a “purer” form of Christianity which was suppressed by the corrupt hierarchical institution of the Catholic Church. My question is: if the tables were turned, would gnosticism have been corrupted as well? Could it still become so today?
JOHN LASH INTERVIEW - John Lash writes extensively at Metahistory.org about contemporary and ancient gnosticism from a unique shamanic perspective. This is a rather lengthy email interview I had with him about his gnostic views and interpretations of the ancient concepts.
GNOSTIC GENERATION X - Quotes and commentary on an article by John Mabry about the similarities between the attitudes and cultural values of Generation X with that of the Ancient Gnostics.
THE DESCENDENTS OF CHRIST - As gnosticism gains in popularity, it’s bound to come up against many of the same problems that have plagued other religions. This essay explores whether or not overly literal readings of the gnostic scriptures will necessarily be a bad thing.
THE INFORMATIONAL SACRAMENT - Philip K. Dick described the plasmate as “living information”, and the ancient Christians believed that the Logos was the Word made flesh. This essay explores the idea of using information as a sacrament to call down the plasmate into our lives.
THE DIVINE SPARK - In Gnostic circles, you’re likely to hear a lot about this spark of divinity that exists inside each of us. People talk about it being “trapped” in matter, but this article explores the idea that it’s more like a seed ready to sprout.
ARCHONS AS HIDDEN REDEEMERS - Archons are typically made out to be the baddest of the bad guys in Gnostic cosmology. But what if they’re secretly here to help us?
THE TRANS-TEMPORAL KINGDOM OF GOD - A Gnostic look at the Kingdom of God here on earth and the end of the world.
WELCOME TO THE MOCKALYPSE - In this essay, I use a little bit of creative theology (okay, a lot!) to show where gnostics and fundamentalist Christians might be able to find common ground, if only in their imaginations.
While you’re at it, check out Jeremy Puma’s excellent gnostic resource page, AGAINST THE AUTHORITIES: Little Essays on Gnosticism
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