The Path of The Christ

[Aes Sidhe]

Now I realise that this perhaps is not quite "pagan" as such, but I was interested to find out in such a community if many people realised that there are more than the roman and its offspring views of christianity. (of course excluding jewish and greek orthodox).

To just name a few, there were the alexandrians, the gnostics and the culdees. I was wondering if anyone else knew of any others, what they teach etc. And also to start this, if anyone is interested in learning the history and politics of those who claim to have followed The Christ.

It also lets us all ask questions, and learn new things. Of which there is nothing more important.

[Aine of the Fae]

Yeah, I'm a Christian, although certainly not in the traditional Roman and various offshoots sense of the word..... I'm studying Christianity, including it's verifiable history, which is, of course, vastly different than the Official History (tm)

[Sleet]

To just name a few, there were the alexandrians, the gnostics and the culdees.

Don't forget the Coptics - though it's possible they're the same as the Alexandrians, given the location of most Coptic Christians (Northern Egypt, if I'm not mistaken).

[cartweel]

The Coptics are sooooooooooooooooooooooo cool *drools*

You could also look into the "Christ Consciousness." It is, I believe, a theory that explains the various avatars of divinity throughout history. My friend that's a practicing pagan but also an ordained Baptist Minister knows alot about it- I'll have to ask her.

[Tsuki]

the gnostics, werent they the ones who believed in the archons and the aeons, and that the world was created because of the main evil deity. well anyways are you only looking for other sect that were created at the same time or branches that spun off of it, like there is a german philosopher by the name of Nietzsche. christianity has so many spin offs. you can check up stuff like evangelist and Existentialist. its a big religion.

[Keith Dragon]

My path is simple, I follow Christ, by I am not a Christian. Many say I'm still Christian, but my path does not resemble anything Christian.

I look to Jesus as a Spiritual Mentor that is guiding me towards a connection with the Christ Consciousness, or Universal Consciousness.

If anything, I resemble a part of the Gnostic faith which feels we all have this Divine Connection to be Christs ourselves.

Also, I look at Jesus and the Christ as two separate things, because they are, and they combine to form Singular Multiplicity, or the act of being God and the Individual simultaneously.

Dragon

[mara]

sometimes I wonder if I didn't throw the baby out with the bath water when I stopped being Christian..I am starting to realize that my problem wasn't with Jesus..it was with church doctrine and other christians. I've always had a " soft spot" for Jesus..its just all the other stuff that I hate.

[Ladyvi]

i know what you mean. i still greatly respect jesus .. my view of him as brother of the light. and greatly respect the christ aspect. even though i am pagan. never lost sight of that.. i have found more pagans better read on the bible than a great percentage of christians.

[equinox2]

Yes, and I've taught a class on the literally dozens of other Christianities.

It’s amazing to me how many people (Christians in particular) don’t know this. The dozens of other forms of Christianity were all (mostly) eradicated by the Roman church by around 400 CE. If you’d like to learn about those other Christianities, I recommend ordering these lectures:

http://www.teach12.com/ttc/assets/coursedescriptions/6593.asp (audio form)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0195141830/qid=1085748569/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-6867012-7485562?v=glance&s=books (book form, $20)

If you get them on audio tape they are just $35, the same you probably spend every month on cable. Which will stoke your mind more, a month of cable or learning about these other Christianities? I found that listening to them in my car on my commute worked great.


P. S. Jesus did say a lot of good things, and I agree that much of what I disagree with in the Bible in the other 62 books (Jesus' life and deeds are pretty much only discussed in 4 of the 66 books of the Bible). However, we have to be careful not to sugar-coat Jesus. He did say and advocate some things that are harmful in addition to all the good stuff.

[Morr]

I dont follow Christ, nor do I see him as the son of God or the messiah...
I respect him a lot as a Spiritual Leader & a Reformist, but nothing more. I think he was made out to be much more then he really was, and that a lot of myths were added to his simple & spiritual life story. I strongly believe that his teachings were twisted & edited by the fathers of the Church - and I think its a shame.

I have worked with Mary though, she guided me through some rough times.. But I dont worship her. I collect rosaries (but just cause theyre oh so pretty!), and i have a mini silver statue of hers on my altar as a token of "thanks" for her guidance in the past.

I adore Magdalene as the strong female figure that she is, I also think her story was greatly twisted and much edited to fit the propeganda the FAthers of the Church wanted to spread.

I hope one day the truth will come out.
This truth, in my humble opinion, will be much more beautiful, spiritual & simple then the Church's teachings, etc.

[MorningDove030202]

sometimes I wonder if I didn't throw the baby out with the bath water when I stopped being Christian..I am starting to realize that my problem wasn't with Jesus..it was with church doctrine and other christians. I've always had a " soft spot" for Jesus..its just all the other stuff that I hate.


I know what you mean, sometimes I consider myself a "Wiccan for Jesus".....LOL I think the Witch community might benifit from remembering how to forgive (but not the forget part).

Liz

[Aine of the Fae]

I know what you mean, sometimes I consider myself a "Wiccan for Jesus".....LOL I think the Witch community might benifit from remembering how to forgive (but not the forget part).

Liz

Jesus said to forgive, never said to forget.

[TYRRHENUS]

I was wondering if anyone else knew of any others, what they teach etc.Do these have to be modern denominations, such as the Armenian Church? If not, Arianism (not aryanism), Luciferianism (relating to the bishop from Sardinia), Marcionism (my fav), Catharism (though that may have been more of a movement), Nestorianism and thats all I can think of.

[grnpuffer]

Do these have to be modern denominations, such as the Armenian Church? If not, Arianism (not aryanism), Luciferianism (relating to the bishop from Sardinia), Marcionism (my fav), Catharism (though that may have been more of a movement), Nestorianism and thats all I can think of.
Heh... don't forget the Ebionites...... and the other Jewish Christians
And if they count doesn't it open the door for the bunches of messianic jewish sects??

[TYRRHENUS]

Ebionites... what an obscure reference! That deserves karma :)
grnpuffer is correct. If you count the many quasi-Jewish/Christian sects this list would be very long.

[Thalias_Smile]

I look to Jesus as a Spiritual Mentor that is guiding me towards a connection with the Christ Consciousness, or Universal Consciousness.



That is exactly how I see Yeshua. It is refreshing to see posts such as yours on pagan forums...many ppl shy away from even discussing the idea of Jesus in an intelligent manner. It's not God or Christ I have a problem with, its how they are both portrayed, and their so-called representatives, I worry about.

[Krystall]

sometimes I wonder if I didn't throw the baby out with the bath water when I stopped being Christian..I am starting to realize that my problem wasn't with Jesus..it was with church doctrine and other christians. I've always had a " soft spot" for Jesus..its just all the other stuff that I hate.

I have to agree with a lot of what you say. I was all for the Christian church, but I have to say that in a lot of ways, Christians have ruined what the CHURCH should be about.

One thing I have discovered recently is spiritual warfare. I had never heard of this before.

As a Christian I have had supernatural experiences; mainstream Christians scoff at me and pagans don't want to hear it either.

So I'm stuck in the middle. I'm a Christian who has had supernatural experiences. So much for God's 'church' - they're only worried about the collection plate.

Krystall

[Keith Dragon]

That is exactly how I see Yeshua. It is refreshing to see posts such as yours on pagan forums...many ppl shy away from even discussing the idea of Jesus in an intelligent manner. It's not God or Christ I have a problem with, its how they are both portrayed, and their so-called representatives, I worry about. This has been one of the issues I've been facing. I cannot speak of my view of Jesus to Christians, because they freak out. And if I speak about it to Pagans, they throw the Christian Church at me, and it IS a heavy Church.

But, please, tell me of you views of Yeshua.

Dragon

[Aes Sidhe]

Yes, well... the various churches are a VERY heavy weight to bear for anyone who has any connection to The Christ. *mutters something about stupid people and their stupid churches*

[Tobias]

I have to agree with a lot of what you say. I was all for the Christian church, but I have to say that in a lot of ways, Christians have ruined what the CHURCH should be about.

One thing I have discovered recently is spiritual warfare. I had never heard of this before.

As a Christian I have had supernatural experiences; mainstream Christians scoff at me and pagans don't want to hear it either.

So I'm stuck in the middle. I'm a Christian who has had supernatural experiences. So much for God's 'church' - they're only worried about the collection plate.

Krystall


Krystall,

Sorry to hear you had some bad experiences with Christianity. I was fortunate to find the answers I needed there and learned the spiritual warfare that was nessisary to deliver me from what I was going through. I'm sure I ran into as many problems there as the next person (I've been kicked out of a couple of churches!), but I also found the help I need.

Anyway, I've been trained in Deliverance but also have a rather open mind about things. Is there anything I can do to help you? There are precious few of us here halfway between Paganism and Christianity. If there's anything I can do to help, or if you'd just like to compare notes please feel free to pm me. Or, start a new topic on it and we can discuss it in the open. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who would like to hear about your spiritual experiences!

:)

[Gwynna Star]

sometimes I wonder if I didn't throw the baby out with the bath water when I stopped being Christian..I am starting to realize that my problem wasn't with Jesus..it was with church doctrine and other christians. I've always had a " soft spot" for Jesus..its just all the other stuff that I hate.


I came across this realization some months ago. I had been angry with God and Jesus, over many things that happened long ago. Since I started studying Wicca and Paganism it has allowed me to take a step back and examine my spirituality.

Now I realize that I wasn't angry at Jesus, but at the church, doctrine, etc...

[sacrificialgoddess]

I was never really angry with any of it. I just couldn't identify with any of it.

[MorningDove030202]

I was never really angry with any of it. I just couldn't identify with any of it.

Dito

[CleftOfLight]

dont forget the Essenes,they are like a buddhist christain sect meanig they believe theteachings of Christ to be more esoteric and more in the manner of Buddha than the Christain view.hmmmmmmm did that make any sense????

[argento_occhi]

I've coem to realise that it wasn't Jesus or Mary or God or any of them that i had a problem with. It was a lack of connection with the doctrine, i think, that made me walk away from the church. I still occasionally go to church with my parents, because i love going to Evensong in the Cathedral, but i'm not Christian. Actually, i feel very close to Aset during Evensong, and the more i meditate on Aset and Mary, the more the lines blur. I've always felt close to Mary, though i've never worked with Her. Growing up, the story of Esther was my favourite. I think my mum helped me 'connect' if you like with the strong women in the bible. Well, she is a feminist and she was a hippie. Hence, my parents don't mind me being Pagan. I'm started rambling. I'll stop now before I go completely off track.

bright blessings,
argent