Yeah I know, I was taking the piss, sorry.
Gnosticism isn’t a specific belief system. There were Christian Gnostics and Pagan Gnostics. Gnosis has to do with ‘Special Hidden Knowledge’ that one can directly experience.
In the 2nd century CE, some groups, now collectively referred to as Gnostic Christians, claimed to have access to ‘secret knowledge’ about the nature of the universe, the nature of Christ, and what his appearance on earth meant to believers. In the middle of the 2nd century CE, a group of Christian leaders retroactively referred to as the Church Fathers (Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and others) wrote volumes against these Gnostic Christians.
Today the Krishna movement is a Gnosis movement. You know Lord Krishna through direct experience and this experience comes through cultish meditation and a starvation diet of chanting. Anyone willing to go through the rituals can see the truth.
In the Gnostic tradition, special knowledge is directly imparted to the adherents. In Christianity, it is akin to being 'Touched by the Holy Ghost and then Talking in Tongues." Probably a remanent from Gnosticism.
Gnosis is knowledge from experience, especially experience of divinity. Experience is better than belief. Glorian: Books and Teachings of Practical Spirituality
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