How is prayer viewed in Gnosticism? Is it effective? How and who do you pray to?
>>18762493Gnosticism is a meme religion and not worth thinking through seriously
>>18762493Just like in any other abrahamic religion? Gnosticism has different ontology, but I don't see how it could affect the daily prayers.
>>18762493Prayer always has been retarded.>"Uh mister demiurge can you give me nice car and some pussy too"You meditate and commune with the divine spark within you. I believe some gnostics manifest too but I'm not super sure.>>18762521I would classify it more as a platonic religion with some influence from abrahamic religions. Namely the gnostic devil figure.
>>18762511t. hylic
>>18762511/thread
>>18762661>mister demiurge can you give me nice car and some pussy tooIf you pray like this, you should expect the wrath of God.
>>18763314Yeah, you should sacrifice a child before asking for stuff.
>>18762521A ontology where the beings you'd pray are evil and seeking to milk your suffering.
>>18763319Just pray to the true God, not to Demiurge?
>>18763332Praying is a material act, you need mental states to reach communion with the true God.
>>18763334It's your headcanon. Historically, Gnostics did pray. Actually, they still do. Look at Mandaeans.
>>18763343Some gnostics prayed, some didn't, gnosticism is an amazing doctrine that prevents organized religion from gaining much strenght.
>>18763345Kek, your headcanon again. Valentinus almost became a Pope. Marcion literally created the first organized version of Christianity.
>>18763364>Look, this one gnostic group I talk about did pray, how dare you not pretend all are like this.
>>18763369Name a historical Gnostic group that didn't pray.
>>18763314How is that fundamentally different then asking God to keep your grandma alive a few extra months or to find a wife?Or even to be more wise or pious. It's still asking something of God who by the logic of Abraham religion already decided what will be.
Holy shit do retards actually think the demiurge is the central figure of Gnosticism that will reward you if you pray to him like the chrisitan god? Are they incapable of conceiving of any other narrative/worldview and project the only thing they know onto everything?
>>18763416I'm pretty sure Marcion or Valentinus didn't pray to Demiurge, they prayed to God.
>>18763392Have you ever read the Gospel of Thomas? It's certainly at least ambivalent toward prayer. When the disciples ask Jesus how they should pray, among other things, Thomas' Jesus just responds with "Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven." He also at one point says, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits." Though, elsewhere in the gospel, he says, "Congratulations to those who go hungry, so the stomach of the one in want may be filled." So I suspect that "fasting," "prayer," and "charity" in the prior saying all represent ritualistic or showy versions of those things, similar to what Jesus takes issue with in the canonical gospels.
>>18763507>So I suspect that "fasting," "prayer," and "charity" in the prior saying all represent ritualistic or showy versions of those thingsPerhaps so. Of course, those are just interpretations. For example, we could say the prayers weren't needed until Jesus was alive.Thomas - 104>They said to Jesus, “Come, let us pray today and let us fast.” Jesus said, “What sin have I committed, or how have I been overcome? But when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber, then let them fast and pray.”Mark 2:18-20>Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”>And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.>The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.From the secular point, the intriguing part here is how Gnostic Jesus himself actually was.
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