u/Just_Critical0

Anyone else seen “gnostic” influencers (more a specific one I’ve seen) online talk about how the gnostics believe “sin doesn’t exist” or similar sentiments?
While knowledge is essential to reach the fullness, where does the sentiment that “sin doesn’t exist” come from exactly? No where in the texts to me do I ever get the impression that sin is not important/false rather the opposite, the most I can point to in how sin is portrayed “differently” to what most associate sin as is in the ‘Exegesis of the soul’ which my interpretation is that sin isn’t more a literal thing then a spiritual and the more “dangerous” damage of sin is giving oneself to it rather then blankety committing it (which is still condemned and ill advised in the texts and even some others)
Is it just me in thinking that influencers who portray sin in Gnosticism as “unimportant” and “not essential” are wrong or did I miss some text which expresses that “sentiment” because none of the texts I’ve ever read entirely downplayed or belittled sin as something “not essential”?

I made a post on this subreddit a little bit ago about how the Bible pushed me away from Christianity, and during that time I decided to delve into other theologises on which I believe answers the greatest issue of Religion and especially the three abrehamic religions, and that is that religion should have never been an external entity.

When you look at Jesus’s life, you’ll find within the cracks a story that said Jesus wasn’t here to turn people to a god, but to turn into themselves. Self improvement, in Luke 17:20-21 Jesus says and I quote “God does not come with observation, nor will they say, ‘see here!’ or ‘see there’ for indeed, the kingdom of heaven is within you” and in the rejected book of Thomas they believe could have been written by the apostle Thomas “If those who lead you, say to you, ‘See, the kingdom is in the sky,’ then the birds will precede you. If they say to you, ‘it is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you.” Both quotes and I’m sure other quotes tell a story that rather than a place in which you go, heaven is a place you obtain as well.
Buddhism and other such practices tell a similar story about “enlightenment” because from what I’ve seen through my deep dive into religion is that Sin isn’t supposed to be law, and Heaven isn’t supposed to be a place to go rather Sin governs the soul and heaven is a journey, not a destination.

There is a book called the Exegensis on the soul (which while a gnostic text) tells the story of a women who goes around sleeping with many men. Through my interpretation of the story, it less condemns her for the act but rather the faith and intention to which she puts in the men she sleeps with. While this is my own interpretation, I feel as though this was what sin truly is, not law but guidance for the ‘soul’
John 8-34 “Truly, Truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin”,
Mark 7:20-23 “and he said, ‘what comes out of a person defiles them. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immortality, Theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” to specifically look at this quote, 7 out of the 12 things are not physical actions.

What is my point? While I’m not telling you to convert to Hermeticism or Gnosticism or something, my point is that I believe the Bible materialised teaching which were meant to be spiritual, and for some, perhaps that can help you on your own mental journeys whether spiritual or just mental, because the Kingdom of god was never above or below, never a man in the clouds, The kingdom of god, while as cringe as it may sound, could very well just have been inside you all along.

Thank you for your time Ex Christian’s and… others who are in this subreddit Ex or not, Christian or not.

Hey chat, Just feel like dropping my thoughts about Gnosticism, and how its helped me since I’ve started getting into it, so maybe it’s not a post for you or maybe you’ve had similar experiences with religion or about Gnosticism.

I’ve always believed if there was a god, we didn’t know about them. I believed that whatever was the true answer, wasn’t as materialistic as the religions of today make it out to be. Though while I was spiritual I felt I never belonged, and those feelings solidified when I read the bible. The god I saw in the pages of that book did not fit what I believed a god to be, for the everything of our world, that god was vindictive and cruel, hateful and spiteful. I had hoped perhaps the story’s were just playing it up, that maybe god (of the Old Testament) wasn’t as bad as I thought. What I found wasn’t my god, and any lingering hope I had to have a place in Christianity died there. To be clear, I don’t hate Christian’s or there religion but I couldn’t align with the god of the Old Testament.

I had just gotten out of one of the worst years of my life and one of the most heartbreaking experiences I’d ever gone through, and I was looking for something to place hope in. I’d known of Gnosticism but hadn’t looked into it, I grabbed the book I had and started reading it and while it’s not perfect, like every religion it has its parts and pieces. However, it was everything I believed god to be, and while I don’t ever know if I’ll achieve “gnosis” and while I don’t know if it’s true (like with all other religions) it’s brought me peace. More peace than the Bible ever did, more peace than anything else.

Gnosticism had brought about more of an acceptance and appreciation for the other religions, while its possible one day I die and Christianity or Islam is “true” and I’m sent to hell for believing and having hope in “heresy” or whatever. I’d rather die standing for something I believe than what others tell me to believe and I’m sure many of you would agree with that sentiment.

So I just wanted to make an appreciation post for Gnosticism, and to all of you for being a good community of people just talking about something g they like/are curious about.

That’s all, thank you.