Gnostic Conservatives


A continuation of the 4 times more liberal discussion.... And speaking of the earlier post. One reason, I would think that the ooze is "more off in left field", is due to what I would term "Gnostic Conservatives". sort of an oxymoron, but not quite.


This the concept... IF you look at Gnostic and other similar false teachers in history. You will find that a concept like Gnosticism is a really wide category. It can mean a religious system, that mentions something out of the Bible and Church tradition, but then goes really spinning out into left field. And really has very little in common with Christianity over all.


I would name some of the Heresarchs like Basiliades, and maybe Valentinus like that. While they believed in Yahew, their theological system made him really only a demi god. There were at least two levels of gods above Jesus and Yahew. A supreme being that started the creation of the universe, and then helper gods, that being created to actually do the creation of the universe. All other gods, whether Zeus, Yahew, etc. according to that system are simply creations of those gods. They are 3rd generation of lesser gods, called "demi-urges" etc.


anyway that's an example of really radicle Gnosticism (rooted in more Greek philosophy and myth, than the Judeo Christian tradition).


But not all Gnosticism was that radicle.


Some of it could be a different version of Arianism, adoptionism, etc. with a twist (belieivng in the need for enlightenment from ignorance rather than deliverance and forgiveness from Sin). I can think of actually areas of even the Charismatic movement that are Gnostic like.


anyway I would term these folks as "Gnostic Conservatives". And say some of them, might actually be more conservative (in terms of believing traditional Christian doctrine), then some folks on the ooze.


So what do you think?