Three Easy Steps

There are three easy steps to becoming a Gnostic. If you take them in order, and follow them consistently, you will be a Gnostic without breaking a sweat. The steps are as follows:

1. Pay no attention to what the Gnostics were in the time of the Roman Empire. The Gnostic Christian Church had a set of beliefs. These beliefs were finished when the Literal Church took over in the Fourth Century. After that time Gnosticism changed. The Mystics in the Catholic Church, the non-Christian Gnostics, and the many, many searchers that came into being with the Renaissance and have continued writing since have changed the Gnostic Way completely.

2. Keep in mind that all ideas about God and His Kingdom are metaphoric. This means that you are not required to have a fixed set of beliefs to be a Gnostic. The name implies knowledge, but the reality is that you are a searcher for knowledge. Reality is constantly changing. At the beginning of the 19th century many of the ideas that are now current did not exist; evolution, atomic energy, flight, quantum physics, and the Nag Hammadi Gospels were unheard of. Unlike our literalistic brothers and sisters, we believe that much more is yet to be learned. The Bible is a guide, not an encyclopedia. The entire body of knowledge, both east and west, is open to us for our review.

3. Commit yourself to the search. What does this commitment look like? It is the process of watching, learning, and changing. This process has another name. It is called growth. Where will we end up? This is the exciting part. Right now, I am examining the ideas of Emmanuel Swedenborg. I have always thought of him as a quaint and out of date character from the past. Upon a second look, I realize that he was far ahead of his time. The people who are attracted to his ideas are some of the most progressive and intelligent people currently working in the religious field. Their numbers are small, but their characters are large.

If you follow those three steps, you will undertake an adventure that is both wonderful and productive. How to get started? That too is simple. Go to your local library or book store and browse. You will be surprised at what is out there. When you stumble on an interesting subject, google it. Never has the process of learning been easier than it is today. The fundamentalists are plotting a return to the Dark Ages. The best defense against this horrendous event is the acquisition of knowledge. That is the Gnostic Way.