On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 10:20 AM, Gruss Gott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> No, I would say that, for example, Thomas ("doubting Thomas") was the
> first Gnostic; meaning "truth".
>
> Thomas believed that God existed within each person and so to find and
> know God, one had to find and know oneself. To find and know oneself,
> Thomas believed, was through the search for the truth.
>
> That's why Thomas died in India - he was search for the truth.
But "Gnostics" were, broadly speaking, just a group that felt that the truth
about God could be known...whether that truth lie internal or external would
just be a sub-category of the Gnostic belief, right?
>
> The viewpoint that God existed internally was vehemently opposed by
> his contemporaries; especially John. He believed that God was
> external and that to know God you had to appease him and perform all
> kinds of acts - if you didn't you would never know him and go to hell.
>
> If you are familiar with the Bible you'll notice some interesting
> inconsistencies in the history as told in the gospels: Matthew, Mark,
> Luke, and ... John. MML all mostly agree on timing, events, etc. But
> John tells the stories completely differently. Take a look at Jesus'
> upending of the table after he enters Jerusalem.
I am familiar enough to know that John's gospel is vastly different than the
other three, and generally, in my opinion, much more enjoyable.
> Why was John included then when his stories are so different and not
> Thomas?
Dunno why you are stuck on Thomas......the intriguing question to me is not
WHERE God is to be known, but WHETHER God can be known.
Many scholars believe it was to promote a more disciplinarian form of
> Christianity that lives to this day: God is outside you and will
> punish you unless you do the right thing.
>
> Thomas' view was squashed and with it his form of Christianity.
Certainly possible. Let's remember that organized religion, no matter the
purity of it's roots, really has a much different motive in "modern" times.
So what the hell does this have to do with Dark Materials?
>
> The books are Thomasian! NOT atheist.
>
I'll take your word for it....I don't read crappy books :)
--
I'm young, I'm wild, and I'm free
Got the magic power of the music in me
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