Can you compare the teachings of these two religions????

Question

Compare the teachings of mainstream Christianity with Gnostic Christianity. Compare the two with "the teachings" as the point of view.

Answer 1

Gnosticism is way too complex to answer your question adequately on a simple forum like this. However, Jesus himself actually tries to explain in Matthew 13.10-17:

Then the disciples came and asked him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

He answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

"The reason I speak to them in parables is that 'seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.' With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: 'You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn-- and I would heal them.'

"But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."

Gnosticism is often referred to as the secret teachings. They are not called secret because they are to be kept from others, but because they cannot be understood by everyone. Only those who have achieved a certain level of spiritual growth through experiential knowledge. Gnosticism teaches the inner mysteries to those who can receive them. The apostles were Gnostics and many of the Gnostic texts are the teaching given to the apostles in private. They see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and they understand.

Mainstream Christianity teaches the outer mysteries or the parables, because they have not yet achieved the spiritual growth necessary to receive the inner teachings. They see but they do not perceive, they hear but do not listen, nor do they understand.

Gnostics believe that the outer mysteries eventually lead to the inner mysteries, and that everyone will eventually achieve gnosis, although it will take more than one lifetime.

Answer 2

The basic difference is based on which Apostiles were followed concerning the concepts experessed in mainstream Christainity and Gnostic Christainity. Peter and Paul are the basic authorities of mainstream Christainity. John is the one that is the basic authority for Gnostic Christainity. Gnostism was also supported by the Copts and Elders in Jerusalem. It was almost completely wiped out as a result of a crusade ordered by Rome. The mainstream form of Christainity focuses on issues of dominence and submission, Gnostic focuses more on issues of relationship between Man, God and the universe. Churches that are based on the Gnostic teachings are mostly extinct today, there are survivors in Turkey and in Scotland. The Celtic Church was founded by Joseph of Aramathia, Andrew and James. This particular branch of the faith was influenced by the Gnostic texts and also has elements of the mainstream Church in it also. It is from this particular Church that we gained the Trinity and other related understandings of Christainity. Hope that this helps. The current Celtic Church is experiencing a resurgence and is known as the Ceil Dei (Spouses of God).

Answer 3

Dear mlongoria,

Your question would take quite a few pages to answer. But some of the main tenants is that Gnostic Christianity quotes from the sayings and book of covenants. They deny that Jesus was resurrected in the flesh. And talk about finding a garden of delights. I think we know in the Bible that Adam and Eve were removed from the garden because of sin- and this is why Jesus had to die on the cross.

From reading some of their doctrine it seems to be a combination of mysticism and new age. It'd probably be a lot easier if you asked about a specific doctrinal issue- because otherwise we're looking at like a 10 page essay.

Feel free to email me with a particular question and i'd be more than glad to share... Hope that helps.

Kindly,

Nickster

Answer 4

Which Gnostic Christianity?
In general, Gnostics are Platonists, and believe that abstract principles have objective reality. The attributes of God are personified as a series of divine entities who collectively make up the 'Pleroma,' or 'fulness' of God. Matter is non-being.

Most Gnostic cosmologies maintain that Sophia, the Wisdom of God, strove to attain knowledge of the transcendent Godhead, and accidentally broke away from the Pleroma. In her confusion, her negative attributes created a hierarchy of evil beings (or good beings mingled with non-being and riddled with imperfection). Among those was the Demiurge, or the God of the Old Testament, who created the material universe.

Human beings fall into three groups: spiritual, carnal, and soulical. Carnal man is reprobate, the child of the Demiurge, and will one day cease to exist. Spiritual man is Gnostic, and his soul originated in the Pleroma, but became trapped in matter. After death, the Spiritual man sheds matter and ascends through the hierarchies of the Demiurge to the Pleroma. Soulical man is neither spiritual nor carnal, and can go either way. Most Gnostics maintained that mainstream Christianity was made up of soulical people.

Jesus is considered a way-shower, a being from the Pleroma who took on the appearance of matter in order to 'wake up' Spiritual people and show them their true origins and destinies in the Pleroma. Most Gnostics denied that Jesus died on the cross, and believe that the crucified Christ was either Simon (who carried the cross) or an illusion.

Gnosticism existed before Christianity, and was a combination of Semitic religion (which saw the universe as a hierarchy of spiritual beings) and Platonism. Gnostics are only superficially classified as Christian - most of them appropriated Christian terminology and applied it to pre-existing philosophical systems. A few Gnostics operated in Christian Churches, but most formed their own groups.

Gnostic writings are often presented as alternative 'gospels,' but were actually written centuries after the books that make up the New Testament.

While Gnosticism is often considered a philosophical alternative to Christianity, many of their doctrines were offensive to modern sensibilities. Even mainstream Gnostics maintained that God raped Eve to produce the race of Carnal human beings, that God was the mentrual discharge of the goddess Sophia, and other things too vile to describe on this forum.

Answer 5

You'll have to get a web site with all the Gnostic texts to get a good understanding.

They actually came much later than Jesus and the Jewish version of the religion (they are likely the converts of Paul and Barnabas in his early efforts) and diverted from his teachings in later generations.

Answer 6

"Gnostic Christianity" is a misnomer; what you are referring to is "Gnosticism," which often, but not necessarily, shares symbolic elements with Christianity.
The main difference between the two is that Christianity HAS teachings; it is an exoteric and dogmatic system in which salvation is awarded for following the rules. Gnosticism, by contrast, is an esoteric and mystical system in which illumination (or enlightenment) is attained through initiation and spiritual discipline, to which dogma ("teachings") are anathema.

Answer 7

It's not so much the teachings of the two as much as how they answer the question Jesus asked, "Who do you say I am?"

Biblical Christianity says that He is God in the flesh.
Gnostic Christianity denies this.

That alone is sufficient to set the record straight that the gnostic religion is not true. The other comparisons are thus irrelevant.