Glocal Christianity

Esoteric Christianity versus Mystical Christianity

Ah, here's a guy who understands the difference between esoteric Christianity and mystic Christianity and can actually articulate it fairly well:

Esoteric Christianity is often, as in the case of this table, seen to be synonymous with Mystical Christianity. However, the fit is not quite exact. Esotericism is characterised by two main features: (1) an inner body of knowledge or interpretation of exoteric religious forms that were (2) taught to an inner group of students or practitioners. Mysticism, the practice of conscious personal communion with the Divine, can and is practiced by Christians who are not esoteric in the traditional understanding of that word and whom are not part of any inner tradition. Moreover, the majority of Christian mystics have never heard of Leadbeater and would be disturbed by much of his Christology which is reproduced in this table.

I commented on the same table elsewhere, as similarly, I feel it is unclear whether mystic Christianity should be labelled esoteric or exoteric under this schema, given that it is both orthodox and inner directed. You see, I'd quite happily accept the mystic label myself, but I'd feel very uncomfortable with an esoterical label (given the contemporary associations with reincarnation) but also with an exoteric label (given the contemporary associations with dry institutionalism). 

Esoteric Christianity - Some Free eBooks

Those of you interested in researching esoteric Christianity may find it helpful to learn that you can download free ebooks of these (in)famous esoteric titles:

• Esoteric Christianity or The Lesser Mysteries by Annie Besant

• The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus The Christ - from The Book of God's Remembrance (Akashic Records) by Levi H. Dowling.

• Mystic Christianity Or, The Inner Teachings of the Master by Yogi Ramacharaka

For those who've never heard of them before, well, my recommendation is not to read them unless you have a bible in the other hand.

Gnosticism: The Sophian Tradition

I was researching into Gnosticism this evening and came across some contemporary Gnostic sites I had not visited previously. Most interesting was the Sophia Fellowship.

The Sophian Fellowship has its own distinct take on Jesus: "At the heart of Gnostic Christianity, as taught in the Sophian Tradition, is the view of Yeshua (Aramaic for Jesus) as a human being who embarked upon a spiritual or mystical journey and became Self-realized or Enlightened; hence attained Supernal or Messianic Consciousness. According to the Sophian Gospel he was not born Christ, but became Christed by the reception of teachings and initiations from his Spiritual Teachers and engaging in spiritual practice and spiritual living. It is said that Yeshua was, indeed, the incarnation of a Great Soul and that he had accomplished the divine labor of Self-realization or Enlightenment in previous lives. Nevertheless, incarnate in the world as a Light-bearer, he had to sojourn the Path to Enlightenment as any other human being. In so doing he became a living example of the Path to Self-realization or Enlightenment and was empowered to teach others how to attain Supernal or Messianic Consciousness."

Of course, don't look for that in the New Testament.

Affiliated Sophian communities include: Sophian Circle: Austin Texas, Sophia Agape Circle, Circle of the Sacred Dance: Australian Sophian circle, Boulder Gnostic Circle

Other Gnostic sites include: The United Gnostic Churches of America, The Melchizedek Circle, The Universal Gnostic Church, Circle of the Free Spirit, The Arimathea Institute, ChristoSophia, The Gnostic Society, The Gnostic Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Temple Sophia, Secret Christianity, The Alliance of Gnostics in Community and Awareness, The Gnostic Way , Lectorium Rosicrucianum, Thomasine Church, Universal Gnostic Church

For more on Gnosticism see: Gnostic churches

Jesus the Psychonaut

This picture, entitled "Jesus the Psychonaut" comes from what has to be one of the most bizzare Jesus art collections I have ever come across in my years of searching for bizzare Jesus art.

It is from the Gnostic Friends Network, the "online home of occult researcher and visionary artist Rev. Illuminatus Maximus." Check it out.

Gnosticism versus Christian Mysticism

I often come across people talking about Gnosticism and Christian mysticism as if they are the same thing, or at least essentially compatable. But this is to ignore deep differences in how the two paths understand God and creation.

In responding to one Gnostic blogger I replied:

You said, "I mean much of the works attributed to the Demiurge and archons serve essentially the same purpose as the Devil and demons. In fact the two seem to be the same in the early writings." I disagree and would say any resemblance is purely superficial.

The Gnostics identified the Demiurge with YHWH, not Satan. For them there was a fundamental dualism between YHWH of the Old Testament and the Father of the New Testament. They distanced themselves from Judaism and the Old Testament in a way Christian mystics never did. At it most extreme this even led them to rewrite Genesis with the snake (the Father) as the hero instead of YHWH (the Demiurge). If that's not a fundamental conflict I don't know what is. Ultimately it led them to an emanationist understanding of creation, with multiple godforms involved, rather than creation by one and only one Creator. Christians, mystics and otherwise, have always rejected such Gnostic teaching which denies YHWH and the Father are one.

I do not know what your experience is with Gnosticism, but the deeper I explore Gnosticism the deeper the differences between Gnosticism and Christianity seem.

For more on Christianity and Gnosticism see:

Gnostic Churches
Decronstructing Jesus: Gnostic myth and the end of revelation

The DaSeussi Code

Sorry, couldn't resist. Saw "Horton Hears a Who" the other week and have Dr Seus on the brain. I suppose the sequel to this would be the JeSeus Tomb.

Esoteric Christian Art

Those of you interested in esoteric Christianity may want to check out Hieroglyph of the Human Soul, which features this picture of Eve which you see to the left. You will also find slide shows and other works by the artist, Leigh J. McCloskey. There's definite gnostic and hermetic elements to this, so obviously I have some theological issues with it, but I must admire the creativity of the artist all the same.

If you're interested in seeing more esoteric Christian art, why not check out my Esoteric Christian Art gallery.

Gnostic Churches

Gnostic Churches. You've heard the term used euphemistically. Here's the reality. Churches that self identify as Gnostic.

• The Apostolic Johannite Church
• The Ecclesia Gnostica
• The Thelemic Gnostic Church of Alexandria
• Ecclesia Gnostica Mysteriorum
• Gnostique Catholique Apostolique
• Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica
• The Palm Tree Garden

What's your experience of Gnosticism?

Deconstructing Jesus: Gnostic Myth and the End of Revelation

One of the ironies of contemporary spirituality is surely the popularity of the Gnostic gospels amongst those seeking a more human, down to earth Jesus, for the Jesus of the Gnostics is far more alien and inhuman than the Jesus of the New Testament.

Do I exaggerate?

Consider this flashback episode from The Acts of John:

.... Sometimes when I meant to touch him [Jesus], I met with a material and solid body; but at other times when I felt him, his substance was immaterial and incorporeal, as if it did not exist at all ... And I often wished, as I walked with him, to see his footprint, whether it appeared on the ground (for I saw him as it were raised up from the earth), and I never saw it. (§ 93)

The closest the New Testament gospels come to this are the transfiguration and walking on water accounts, neither of which affirm an immaterial Jesus. And even the appearance accounts (which are post- not pre- resurrection) don’t go as far.

So, contemporary interest in the Gnostic gospels has long been a puzzle for me. To be honest I wondered how much of the interest was due to ignorance about what the Gnostic gospels actual said.

But Epstein’s article on Post-Atheism has helped me clarify some of my thoughts. In essence I sense that what is happening is that the “obvious” mythological character of the Gnostic gospels creates a plausibility structure for treating the New Testament as “obviously” mythological as well. This facilitates not only the “demythologization” of Jesus for those who find the miraculous objectionable; it also facilitates alternative myth validation for those seeking a more “inclusive” and consumer friendly Jesus.

In such fashion, Jesus becomes a messenger without a message. He is stripped of his revelatory power and becomes, himself, the deepest of mysteries. Intellectual honesty requires us to profess agnosticism about the historical Jesus; assurance becomes heretical; God remains unknown; all that remains is Jesus the mythological mirror of the human soul.

Dan Brown's Angels and Demons

In the news yesterday: "The Italian Catholic church has refused to let a new movie based on a Dan Brown novel be filmed in churches in Rome after the author's The Da Vinci Code novel and film outraged the Vatican." Now the question of course is should the Vatican feel obliged to open its doors for Angels and Demons?

Jesus Conspiracy - Part II

The 2008 Jesus conspiracy has finally emerged!

You may recall me expressing disappointment last week (with tongue firmly planted in cheek) that the usual Easter cash in was conspicuously absent this year. Well, you need wait no longer. A reader just alerted me to this new movie, Bloodline.

You can view the trailer at www.bloodline-themovie.com.

Priory of Sion, Opus Dei, Templars, Freemasons, nasty Vatican men hiding secrets, Jesus and Mary getting down and dirty, Holy Blood Holy Grail,...it looks like we may have a full house. Although Egyptian mystery religions, Gnostics and Cathars were not mentioned in the teaser I'm quite confident they will show up.

Now, I'll award a bonus prize if there is an Egyptian stargate to the constellation of Orion that will open in 2012, ushering in the eschaton.

Postscript: Wait, Egyptian mystery religion has turned up.

From the official Bloodline blog:

"Can you imagine the extraordinary energy that Mary Magdalene embodied, as a master of the mysteries of Isis, and the companion of Jesus? Is it any wonder the Holy Roman Catholic Church suppressed her true identity?"

LOL

Unconscious of the Gospel

Carl Jung once said:

"The Christian missionary may preach the gospel to the poor naked heathen, but the spiritual heathen who populate Europe have as yet heard nothing of Christianity."

I find this statement all the more interesting given the fact Jung was not a Christian.

Gnostic Jesus

In my wanderings this week I came across a drawing entitled, "The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus" by artist Wade Smith.

It has a very trippy dreamscape feel about it which I found quite appealing but it raises the age old question of which Jesus are we actually talking about? The Jesus of ancient tradition or the Jesus of latter day speculation? Is the Jesus we are talking about a real person or just a projection screen for our personal fantasies?

I think this is an important question to answer as a fantasy Jesus lacks the power to challenge us in our fantasies.

Today, on Good Friday, I am reminded that crucifixion, death, is as real as it gets.

Jesus Conspiracy

With Easter fast approaching I have been waiting to see what this years Jesus conspiracy would be but so far it appears the world has drawn a blank. I must say I am mightily dissappointed with this. Surely there is more creativity out there.

I mean, just because we've already had the Jesus Tomb conspiracy, the Jesus was a Pagan God conspiracy, the Da Vinci Code conspiracy, the Holy Blood Holy Grail conspiracy and other variations of the Jesus was an Egyptian Freemason myth doesn't mean we have plumbed the depths of pure speculation.

I mean, I could easily imagine someone coming out with a theory that Jesus was Mary Magdaline, that the messiah was actually a women in disguise. Why haven't we seen that yet, huh? Is the Jesus conspiracy theory movement running out of steam? Aren't there a few mythicists out there with fresh ideas?

Timothy Freke interview

In this interview author Timothy Freke speaks of his latest book, the Gospel of the Second Coming. For those of you not familiar with him, Timothy Freke has written a number of popular books which argue the idea that Jesus never existed, that he is an entirely mythological construct, and that deep down the gospel myth is essentially Pagan / Gnostic.

• The Jesus Mysteries: Was the "Original Jesus" a Pagan God? (1999)
• Jesus and the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians (2002)
• The Laughing Jesus: Religious Lies and Gnostic Wisdom (2005)

Unlike the previous books, this one has a satirical angle. His material has been widely critiqued, not least by secular historians, but a lot of people fall for the pseudo-scholarship. This video is worth viewing simply to listen to the various ways he challenges the New Testament and Christianity and to think about how you might respond to that if you were in conversation with him.

• Would you simply launch into a traditional apologetic response?
• Would you not engage him apologetically at all?
• Would you be left speechless?
• Have you ever been in conversations with people advancing similar views? What was it like?