Christain and Gnostic myth

[AppleJack]

For those who feel a Luciferian connection to the gnostics "why do you feel this and how do you feel Gnostic practice is helpful to your path?"

I personally came to Luciferianism learning about the Ophite or Naasseni Gnostics
The Ophites carried to extremes the teaching of Marcion that an essential hostility exists between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. The Ophites held that the Old Testament villains were actually heroes and revered Cain, the Sodomites, and the Egyptians. Specially worshiped was the serpent, as the creature in Eden that tried to give Adam and Eve the knowledge withheld from them by Jehovah. Much of the serpent worship and the occult ritualism was probably symbolic of certain esoteric knowledge. The Ophites acknowledged Jesus as the savior, but rejected the importance of the crucifixion; Christ came to reveal gnosis (knowledge), not to die for people's sins. One Ophitic hymn, the Hymn of the Naasenes, survives.



I looked at the serpent,Lucifer,Jesus and saw them all as one person one essence who I now refer to as Lucifer as that title best describes what they are about. I then looked to the Gnostic Sophia. Sophia represents a second part of knowledge the occult aspects of it. Sophia not being involved on earth but open and accessible to those who wish to take knowledge from beyone this realm.
I am still working and reworking my archtypes and deities so be patient with me If some of my post do not line up with others perfectly.:)
For me Gnostic thought is also helping me retain some of my past spiritual identity while allowing me to explore other areas of thought.:rolleyes:

[Phosphoros]

The best aspect of Gnostic myths to me is that they took Judeo-Christian myth and showed that you can interepret it in numerous other ways. This is important for the act of liberation - if you can show there is more than one logical and acceptable way of understanding something then you also prove there is no such thing as a single universal truth. It also illustrates the very symbolic nature of these myths, thus reducing the emphasis on the idea that the events (such as the tempting of Eve) weren't actual, tangible events.

All of this is especially important with regards to over-coming the bounds of Judeo-Christianity of course.

[frater luciferi]

when i first got into magick it was purely shamanic magick where i would study the flows and patterns of interaction using trance states and sometimes psycedelics like shrooms and salvia divonorum-saw a lot of great ideas. but the hedz i would hang out with would talk a lot about "gnosis" a lot and i really did'nt know wat it was about. Bought a copy of elaine pagels "the gnostic gospels" shortly after watching stigmata-which makes a reference to the gospel of thomas. It was a sort of mystic state that kind of came with it, and i guess it was revelatory to me at that time to even think that gnosticism was
revering christ but from a completely adversarial position.

Now i own a copy of the nag hammadi and on odd occasions i will open it up and scan over some of the texts. The philosophy is deeply spiritual and more about trying to obtain a pragmatick experience with the godhead, all the while its awesome how it relates to more of a aestetic mentality. I also love how it intermeshes a lot with hermeticism a lot.

the pagan symbology that sits within it also is quite awesome, it was almost like the gnostics had a definate mystics understanding of spirituality like almost in a paradigmal way- very similar to a chaotes understanding of memetics. A definate artists soul residing within the very nature of of the structure of the faith.

[hayabusa]

I am still working and reworking my archtypes and deities so be patient with me If some of my post do not line up with others perfectlyNo problem here, I do the same. If one doesn't alter their paradigm after new information is recieved, then they are just being ignorant.
I,too, was attracted to the Gnostic Gospels after watching Stigmata. I remember thinking "There's books of the bible that the churches ignore? I have to see this." Changed my life drastically. Sadly, I know many people that have watched Stigmata, and tell me how much they like it, but didn't do further research.

[Ðanisty]

If one doesn't alter their paradigm after new information is recieved, then they are just being ignorant.And arrogant.

Personally, I would have a problem with any 'Luciferian' who won't allow their paradigm to evolve. I know my thoughts have evolved tremendously over the last few years.

[frater luciferi]

have found that the whole process of being a "luciferian" is one of constantly updating-reworking older more established trains of thought and sometimes delving into a new avenues of ideas to find the weight of its worth. however that too is also quite close to what gnosticism was as far as faith- they borrowed a lot from other faiths as such= paganism pantheism, and developed ideas that were very similar to the hermetics of the day due to the sycronicity? of the conceptualization of the ideam. in practice diveristy of ideals can be a good extant of forging a system that works, and a easy way to do that is to borrow from what has be proven to work. common sense and very basic i know.