Gnostic Belief?

Yesterday when I thought of this topic, what came first to my mind - next to what I might want to highlight - was, that it's kind of oxymoronic. "But is it?" - I had to wonder. And yea, at least compared to how "ordinary religion" incorporates it, it happens to be definitely antithetical to the idea. In a ... don't put the cart before the horse kind of way.

So, Gnosticism in the most (over)simplified way strives for salvation by knowledge. Or insight. And there's not a lot that belief can really add to that.

And ... I had to think of this because I've seen a bunch of videos - and talk regarding faith. Or Christians. Whatever. Where, in as far as there's a religion, it usually gets defined by "what you believe". Even Atheism, although that too is ... not a religion or faith in the classical sense. Well, like ... Gnosticism. Or Agnosticism. Gnosticism is really just ... Agnosticism Plus. But what's that Plus for? I mean, we surely do ... believe ... stuff that could go onto "what we believe" pamphlet.


But where to even begin?

I, yesterday, had to think of Street Fighter. As ... there is something about that game that is somewhat Oxymoronic, in a way similar to how it is with belief in Gnosticism. I mean, on the one hand side we have the whole "science" part - the agnosticism to be turned into gnosis - the "I don't know"; But on the other hand you have that which is learned. And that basically takes you into ("a world of grief!" - XD ... /s) this world of faith filled with matters of faith and lore and opinions - though, admittedly, for the most part populated by ... not gnostics. But, sure - all of a sudden it's ... back to believing in invisible things. Sort of.
What reminded me of Street Fighter is, that sometimes the game seems to be ... impossible. A classic scenario for someone early on might be, that in your hands any particular Character is absolutely incapable of getting shit done; While in the hands of someone else - they're absolutely Godlike. And maybe you don't make that connection at first, because everyone is picking a different Character. You understand, that you got attacks and that they're supposed to help you win - but to everything you can do, there's a counter. So, it makes no sense. And all that is as basic as forward and backward. Like, you can't push both buttons at the same time. Except when you can, but that's a different topic.
So yet again, it's then ... similar to binary. Binary is a numerical system only utilizing ones and zeros. On and Off. "Forward and Backward". And yet, when expanded upon - it still allows for incredible complexity and even beauty. Like, even shades of gray - to put it that way, though at first it would seem silly because supposedly there are only two states.

But then the question becomes, how is: 7F7F7F ... binary? Well, it's a number. 127|127|127 to be precise. So, at that point the little zeros and ones don't really matter anymore. We could call it: The big picture.

But then, maybe Binary or Street Fighter aren't the best ways to figure out what any of it is supposed to mean.


Anyhow - belief is inevitable. Even atheists have beliefs - even about God - regardless of how much they contend against the religious conception of it. The thing there is more like: They believe things about the idea of God as put forward by believers, rather than God or a concept thereof. The whole thing is defined by "non belief". A stark unwillingness to engage with religious matters on a basis of "faith". Unfounded Faith/Blind Belief. Where believers resort to building a network of ideas that may or may not produce the kind of arguments and beliefs and opinions and ideas that they adhere to. And the atheist rejects any acceptance of that. And as Gnostics - we're kind of in the middle of it.
There are things that the Atheist cannot really engage with because ... well, let's just say they don't care. And there are things that Believers get wrong because ... well, let's just say they don't care either.


So, "the truth is" - is a colloquialism that some people might use and it's one that does pop into my head on occasion. As something in the vein of intrusive thoughts. That is, thoughts that pop up - but they have no business doing so. Yet I will get them, as though starting a sentence with "the truth is" is somehow going to make it magically right. Or whatever.
It might help the mind to yield one's own mind's resources - to narrow the focus down on things that are conceived objective and real. But when I think of it, these days, and for some time, I happen to go places like: OK, but what is truth?

And I came to acknowledge, that there are different kinds of truths. And the kinds you have access to ... does for once depend on your level of understanding. I mean - if you and I had a piece of paper with some statement of the highest order of truth written on it; We technically have access to the same truth. But actually ... if I understood what it meant but you didn't - then I'd have 'actual' access to it while you ... might just be confused. This situation is very much the way it is between Believers and Non-believers, as among either of them. Between us ... it would seem ... just in general.

And yea, we might have our own ways to categorize truth. I, first of all, would start with "universal" versus "created". That existence exists ... that's a Universal one. I also refer to those as 'frozen realities'. Math, per chance. "The esoterica". Although within esoterica, we can further distinguish between hypotheticals and absolutes. With there being some field in between that is real, in the context of the created world. Which, yea, is full of these "created" truths. Like, how gravity exists. Universally, any theory of gravity would just be nonsense. There's like ... nothing that would make the law of how masses attract each other gravitationally have any meaning - other than the existence of masses that gravitationally attract each other.
And figuring out that this is what lets us have weight and a sun and day and night cycles and such ... is ... 'science'. Or in Gnostic terms: The journey.

But uhm, OK, is it? A gnostic term? I mean, I'm a gnostic and I think so. But ... how so? I guess, to me, "in gnostic terms" just means as much as: translated into a framework of religiosity - if 'religion' is the word we want to use for matters of faith.
Or ... wisdoms ... rather. As, I'm not sure if there's like ... an easy way to summarize all these "gnostic terms". One might try to map out and catalogue those - as we grow and expand on them - but it's not like I've "read that book"; And neither is "reading that book" what I'd try to convey.


So, it's complicated. Like, I don't even wanna dig any deeper into the "created" aspect of this. And yea ... right! Actually! "It's complicated" is like my ... "the truth is" - because ... 'the truth is' ... complicated sometimes.

But uhm, yea - "we" are Christian. I am Christian - and I don't know (therefore I'm curious about it) how someone that didn't start as a Christian would come around to it. Well, maybe I've been skipping on some points now and maybe I'm right now also talking around the bush a little - but, well ... OK: At the end of the day, what makes me Christian are things that grow "beyond the veil" (a.k.a. in the ninedom) - and put like this it's a bit of a catch 22.

Yet I would think that I have offered everyone enough to construct an idea of what makes God Christian or why the Christian God happens to be the real God. If we can get past the "but the Bible advocates for horrible shit!" part. And yea, in a way, I feel like it's a bit of a Kobayashi Maru Test. When it comes to the Bible and the stuff it contains. I mean, is it the true word of God? Well, I sure believe it has some of it in it. But if so, why isn't it like ... perfect?
Well, I understand that Atheists love to get hung up over such things.
But that also isn't really the point anymore - I hope.


I know God. And from knowing Him I understand that it isn't really something that can be conveyed. Or, at least there is no point to it. And the moment someone tries to circumnavigate that, they forget what's written in Jeremiah - and reveal that they're not really ... there yet. And it may seem counter-intuitive to start with the: "We know nothing" part of living in this world - for aren't we supposed to be with God and God with us and therefore ... shouldn't we know 'everything'? But what then? I'd think we'd learn that the things we know would be things from God and people might take issue with that; Trying to formulate alternative concepts - and yea, why not? However - welcome to the real world!

The thing is ... we don't really need to know what to believe in. Not as much as we need to understand how to co-exist. Or, especially, how to maintain our beliefs in a way that doesn't start another world war or something like that. Not sure if we're already at the 'irreversible' part of the climate change arc, but uhm ... it would suit us to not be ignorant of what's actually happening.

I think - and ... I don't know why I would or should need to consult holy scripture on this part. I mean, I'm advocating for us to repent and believe in God. By the patterns of the Bible, that'd be what would motivate God to turn things around for us. That it would entail for us to be(come) climate conscious - only matters in as much as it would be a symptom of us getting along with one another.


But, well ... how would I know that that's what God wants? Well, at first - not at all; And after the fact ... I suppose I'm just guessing, but that guess seems good enough. I mean, for once: What's the alternative? Like, who does actually have any idea of what it is that God wants? Like ... with receipts please!

Now, Salvation from Knowledge or Insight isn't supposed to sound like Knowledge has some kind of magic property that would like ... unplug us from the Matrix. Though we can imagine it like that and such and such - so, in the abstract - but anyhow. It's supposed to sound more like: The knowledge of Salvation.

Thereto, one thing I want to highlight is, how I came to the part of Eden ... in my first Book. Now, we don't know know if that interpretation is the truth truth - but knowing 'of' it may reveal to us that it would be a lot more unlikely for it not to be the case. So, that some - if not all of us, to varying degrees - would just have beliefs growing inside of them that would render them spiritually (intellectually, ideologically, such and such) incompatible with others. One might say: "But God would be right there!" - and yea ... but, back then we wouldn't have understood that to be something special. As some stories would have it, God might just have been some impostor ... the devil perhaps? Who could tell ... which is which? I guess we'd all just pick one at random!
And it doesn't matter as much in how far this predates terrestrial creation ... as it is still, pretty much, a very contemporary thing.

Where, we have shit like: Conservative comes to their Pastor after sermon telling them to tone it down with the whole "Woke Jesus" bit - kindly. So, God might dupe someone into being on His side - yet when it comes to critical parts of their belief ... it's like, back to square one. And in that, sure God would have favorites! People that are from the outset ... less of a pain in the ass.

And yea, so - co-operation is a concept, in all this, that does challenge ALL of us. I think. It's like something we have in common. I'd say. And managing that ... would do a great deal towards solving this ... other problem.


So yea, I guess we believe that we should co-operate more. Like Jesus said. There's like ... a lot of stuff that Jesus said ... that ... strikes really true Chords. It's almost as if ... there's more to that Character than ... what's left if you strip all divine from the realm of possibilities.

But yea - these are also ... functional crutches. That is, things that may underpin your faith in Christ and stuff - whatever it is you need to make it into the ninedom. Because ... once you're in ... things ... well ... change. Technically they do already with Baptism - and maybe the Eucharist can do stuff for you too - but here's the thing, I ... maybe should have been more explicit about this; Yet ... I tried but apparently it wasn't meant to be: The prayer itself doesn't explicitly mention Jesus - but if Baptism is a requirement, Jesus is already implied. Now, if you got in you might not have a 'negative' - so, you might think that you couldn't tell whether or not Baptism was an actual requirement - but then, again, there's I don't think much of a way to learn about the three Principles, the four Lights and the twelve Aeons and not understand how that relates to the matter of the Word; And what follows.

What I'm here now arguing out - has it's own 'thing' in the Ninedom. So, stuff just is. And there it's not so much whether or not we understand the Jesus/God of the Bible and all that - but more like ... how we be chillin'! Or vibin'! Like, the real stuff. The real stuff that really matters ... like, in the actual world - with consequences and stuff.


So, I guess for summary: Don't let unfounded belief cloud your judgment!