Gnostic Questions

[The Sum of Awe]

What is your view, as a Gnostic, on the afterlife?

As far as I see it, gnosticism seems to have a big belief in dualism, is it strictly dualism or are there monist Gnostics?

What do you think the meaning of our existence is? (both why are we created, and what is the end goal)

Is the Christian Bible accurate in any way?

Do you worship Sophia or Demiurge or is it not important to?

 

[nazz]

What is your view, as a Gnostic, on the afterlife?

My view as a gnostic is that I will know if and when I get there
But what I do know know is that I seem to experience memories disconnected to this present life, I know that people report having experiences of consciousness outside their bodies, and these types of things lend credibility to the idea of some kind of afterlife.

As far as I see it, gnosticism seems to have a big belief in dualism, is it strictly dualism or are there monist Gnostics?

Both views are compatible from different perspectives. A pantheistic perspective that all is God yet split into a plurality that results in a duality of light and darkness, good and evil, etc.

Btw, there are no "beliefs" in Gnosticism; Gnosticism is an approach to knowledge.

What do you think the meaning of our existence is? (both why are we created, and what is the end goal)

things just are. There is not necessarily any reason behind it. The question is what is our goal?

Is the Christian Bible accurate in any way?

Sure in a number of ways. There is some historically accurate information contained in it. There is much metaphorical truth in wisdom within it.

Do you worship Sophia or Demiurge or is it not important to?

I personally worship neither. I honor and respect them for what they are.

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This site has been very slow of late so I don't know how many other answers you will receive.

 

[frangipani]

What is your view, as a Gnostic, on the afterlife?

As far as I see it, gnosticism seems to have a big belief in dualism, is it strictly dualism or are there monist Gnostics?

What do you think the meaning of our existence is? (both why are we created, and what is the end goal)

Is the Christian Bible accurate in any way?

Do you worship Sophia or Demiurge or is it not important to?

Gnosticism is indeed dualist.
We were created in error in the beginning by a lesser god also created in error. In an attempt to correct that error Sophia, this time with the consort of her male counterpart (The wholeness of God being androgynous), gave mankind a balanced perspective, as a result we have freedom of choice, the end goal is God wants to redeem as many as he can whole, that is spirit and soul married by mind (the intellect of the heart) after the image of Christ.
The Christian Bible contains what I refer to as half truths, that is it has been heavily influenced by the religious, political and social structures of its time. It essentially is a belief only document, but Christianity is applied knowledge through Christ, knowledge from the heart of the spirit within, reasoned with the mind and applied and bonded, married to the soul.
We do not worship Sophia, nor the demiurge, we do worship the Ineffable Father/ Mother through the Christ Spirit within and the continued growth and development of ourselves spiritually through the Holy Ghost. This growth is manifest in our earthly lives.
If you are really seeking Truth I suggest you read two books one entitled, "The Gospel of the Beloved Companion" and the other "The Gospel of Thomas".

 

[Gnostic Seeker]

What is your view, as a Gnostic, on the afterlife?

As far as I see it, gnosticism seems to have a big belief in dualism, is it strictly dualism or are there monist Gnostics?

What do you think the meaning of our existence is? (both why are we created, and what is the end goal)

Is the Christian Bible accurate in any way?

Do you worship Sophia or Demiurge or is it not important to?

I tend to see dualism as illusion in answer to your first question. We tend to see things as good or bad because they are pleasant or painful. They arise from our limited flesh nature's
, not from any actual truth about reality. God sees the entire picture and not our often superficial ideas of good and bad. It is said God is good because he is more like what we call good.

Your second question- there is no purpose to the lower material realms. Materialism is illusion and wholely empty. The purpose is in the higher, that is God.

As for the Christian Bible- I believe it for the most part preserves sayings of Jesus and the apostles. It isn't uncorrupted. The Church was its custodian for centuries.

As for the demiurge- he is God as the base mind perceives him- as an angry tyrant, a human-like being. The demiurge is also not real in actuality, but the one God seen with wrong views.

Hope I helped

 

[Goblin]

well... there are some schools of gnostic thought that are monist, but how its practiced is usually dualistic

the devil by some name or another tried to immitate God making heaven & ended up making a flesh cage for our spirit called the universe.

from what ive read in the gnostic gospels, we will be born many times untill we've striped away our flesh cage. then we return to heaven or pleroma

given time gnostisism probably would have developed further away from dualism. much like how yoga developed from the dualistic sankya system into the non-dualist advaita system

 

[allfoak]

What is your view, as a Gnostic, on the afterlife?

As far as I see it, gnosticism seems to have a big belief in dualism, is it strictly dualism or are there monist Gnostics?

What do you think the meaning of our existence is? (both why are we created, and what is the end goal)

Is the Christian Bible accurate in any way?

Do you worship Sophia or Demiurge or is it not important to?

i think i understand some of this stuff.
I suppose some of my perspectives could be called Gnostic.

Afterlife seems like a strange term connected to Gnosis.
Life is life, whether in a body or not.

If their are monist Gnostics they are doing it wrong.
Everything is duality and the experience of life tells us that if you bring the two together you get a third.
Gnosis is what you get when you make the two one.

The Christian Bible is still able to be used for it's original purpose despite it's corruption.
There are other texts that are much better than what is called the New Testament.

I do not understand why anyone would worship anything.

 

[Goblin]

I believe the common Gnostic views of today's Christian Bible are;
That Paul & Peter hijacked Christianity so their books are shunned
The Lost books of the Bible are read and are equal to any Gospel
have faith in Matthew mark Luke john, letters of john, and revelation
regard the old testament the work of the malicious demiurge
Gnostic gospels have their own version of Genesis

Also I think its worth mentioning. Many gnostically inclined people say Mary Magdalene was suppose to be the first Pope. I don't. Know if that's a historical thing or a new thing

 

[Gnostic Seeker]

I make take no stance on Paul at the present time. I don't like his emphasis on the atonement, but he has some very nice mystical insight on another hand. I do think Peter was a legitimate apostle, or have no reason not to. I don't accept that the demiurge is a literal being, and I do think Mary was an apostle.

That's just me though.

 

[nazz]

I believe the common Gnostic views of today's Christian Bible are;
That Paul & Peter hijacked Christianity so their books are shunned
The Lost books of the Bible are read and are equal to any Gospel
have faith in Matthew mark Luke john, letters of john, and revelation
regard the old testament the work of the malicious demiurge
Gnostic gospels have their own version of Genesis

Also I think its worth mentioning. Many gnostically inclined people say Mary Magdalene was suppose to be the first Pope. I don't. Know if that's a historical thing or a new thing

Actually Paul is honored as the first Gnostic. Views on the OT vary.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I have another question for Gnostics:

If the physical world is prison, and death sets us free, why not suicide?

 

[frangipani]

I have another question for Gnostics:

If the physical world is prison, and death sets us free, why not suicide?

Firstly because asked this question and someone needs to answer it. History often describes what is called 'orthodox Christianity' as the winners in a battle for religious domination of the Christian movement, in fact this is not so, the prevalent forms of Christianity in todays world all stem from the same root, that is the Roman catholic church, regardless of their differences the fundamental binding tie is they choose to believe the crucifixion is the atonement for sin, this is not so. True Christians, that is those called Gnostics know the crucifixion was not for the atonement of sin but for the ascension of the bonded soul and Spirit to the Spiritual Kingdom of the ineffable Spirit. In Times past those who were considered by the Roman Catholics as heretics were brutally tortured and murdered, others simply did not or stopped procreating and died out. Yet even so throughout history there has always been an element of people who were and are Gnostic, even before the so called revival of Gnosticism. This is because Christ sent the Holy Ghost, who like Him when in human form is in this world but not of this world. Gnostics are people who identify with the Spirit of the Ineffable One and grow in His image through Christ This growth can take years for some and others who have reached the level of enlightenment that is Christ is in them and they in Him, some go, some stay for the benefit of encouraging others like yourself who have questions. What is known as Christianity today ought to be called demiurgery and what is called Gnostic ought to correctly labelled Christianity. Even for myself and my husband (we choose not to procreate, as its should be) when the time is right we will leave, make no mistake all true Christians hold the same truth.

 

[Gnostic Seeker]

I have another question for Gnostics:

If the physical world is prison, and death sets us free, why not suicide?

I do not believe the physical world is a prison. We can experience union with God here. I would say the physical world is more deceptive. Without right insight it confuses and entraps the mind. I will add too that suicide can never be a means of achieving liberation because death doesn't immediately place our souls in any higher a state than we achieved in life. This life has many opportunities for spiritual ascension and drawing near to divine union.

 

[nazz]

I have another question for Gnostics:

If the physical world is prison, and death sets us free, why not suicide?

Because for one thing death would not necessarily set one free. You may simply be reincarnated for another round. We should actually strive to live a longer life so that we can learn what we need to learn to escape this world.