GNOSTIC BASIS FOR AMERICAN PROTESTANT IDEOLOGY

[choir loft]

This ought to raise the ire of many who are comfortable with their religious slogans and who love to parrot buzz words.

Somewhere near 90% of the ideology of American Protestantism is based on the Gnostic heresy of the 2nd and 3rd centuries.  

That's a quote from a scholar that impressed me enough to begin my own search through gnosticism and the American Protestant version of Christianity.  Not being familiar with Old Testament LAW, many who profess to a knowledge of God's Word stumble into the vacuous trap of irrelevancy when they repeat words for which they are unfamiliar.  

Many who scoff at the gospel of Jesus Christ use the gospel of Thomas to justify their own particular form of debauchery - such as the Gay Authority.  The gospel of Thomas isn't canon scripture, but that doesn't seem to bother anyone.  Submitted for the reader's knowledge of such things I quote:

"...when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that male not be male nor the female not female; then you will enter [the kingdom]" - Gospel of Thomas (S. 25-35)

My purpose here is to educate, not to persuade of gnosticism, which at one time was justification for the Vatican as it burned the adherents of gnosticism at the stake.

The following quote will seem to be contradictory to the first one above, but that's what you see when you read the gnostic texts.  Here's another one;

"Simon Peter said to them, Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life.  Jesus said, I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males.  For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven." Gospel of Thomas (S. 114)

There are denominations today that deny miracles & prophecy exist in the post-modern church.  Where did this idea come from?  It came from Gnosticism.  Read it here, the doctrine of 'no miracles' came from the Gnostic heresy:

The Lord answered and said,"Do you not know that the head of prophecy was cut off with John?  But I said, "Lord, can it be possible to remove the head of prophecy?"  The Lord said to me, "...prophecy issues from the head, (then) understand the meaning of 'it's head was removed'." - Apocryphon of James (S.25)

What of redemption?  The subject of being saved is entirely confused in the minds of many.  Did it come about as a result of Gnostic theology that is repeated in many churches today?

"Not only do humans need redemption, but also the angels, too" - Tripartite Tractate 25
"even the Son Himself needed redemption" - Tripartite Tractate 30

The subject of Hyper-grace is being taught today.  It basically justifies any wicked thing a person would put their hand to, despite the Biblical statement that it's forbidden at any time.   Nevertheless the doctrine of demons persists which was once published in all the world as Gnostic Christianity.

"Those of whom he first thought that they should attain knowledge and the good things which are in it, they were planning - which is the wisdom of the Father, - that they might experience the evil things and might train themselves in them, as for a time, so that they might receive the enjoyment of good things for eternity." - Tripartite Tractate 126

This is only a small sampling of Gnostic statements written in letters that were passed from city to city in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.   Much of what is written in the texts is confusing and pointless.   Consider what a writer admitted at the conclusion of a portion of many pages:

"For though I continually use these words, I have not understood its meaning." - Tripartite Tractate 137

Like the post-modern neo-gnostic Protestant church in America neither the present day disciple nor the original student of this nonsense understands its true meaning.   Is it any wonder then that the present church is in decline because of what church leaders call irrelevance?

If all this seems a bit dislocated and nonsensical, then you are appreciating the subject truly.   Gnosticism has infiltrated the Protestant church and as a result a lot of folks are turning their backs on the assembly.   

I invite the reader to consider what is written here and to participate, not in endless reiteration of dogmatic slogans, but to examine logically and dispassionately the effect this sort of thing is having on American culture and the church.

that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

[DPMartin]

Its human nature to seek justification in the presence of its fellows to do what they desire. In the case of using the bogus document and giving is validity is only for the purpose of gaining a social or legal ground and influence. If you remember not long ago when pope France was just starting the media questioned him of gays. He made some statement to the effect that he didn’t judge gays. So the media toke that out of context and turned it into the pope accepts gays. Which was then translated to its ok to be gay and Christian.

The public itself is the king in the US, not the government. Therefore it’s the public that is at fault, if the media tried that horse dump in the 50’s it wouldn’t even fly, the editor would have been hung out to dry career wise. Because of the mind set of the public.

 

But in societies like this one, the victim is always in the right. No matter how wicked the victim is or even if the wicked victim provoked the situation

 

A good example is in the movie 12 monkeys the pimp who attacked the main characters in the hotel room screamed “I’m the victim here” when the police showed up. 

Edited August 10, 2022 by DPMartin