My New Endeavor


truthseeker
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After much thought, a lot of prayer and even more reading; I have decided to embark on the endeavor of starting a Gnostic Christian Church based on the scriptures and Gospels of the Nag Hammadi Library. I am at the ground floor at this point. I will use the Common Book of Prayer for the Holy Sacraments, the scriptures will come from the Nag Hammadi library it will be based losely on the structure of the Catholic church as far as structure of clergy goes.

I already have a few people who are interested in seeing this happen. My goal as I have told them is to establish a church on the idea of an individual search for gnosis in Christianity with faith being established not because you go to church and someone tells you you have to believe, but because ones own search for knowlede through the wisdom of the teachings of The Christ through Jesus. The church would be solely a place to assist in each individuals search and to provide the sacraments to those who wish to receive them (no direct membership required.) I also want each church to be a place one can come for silent prayer or meditation between them and God.

I am posting as I would like to hear from neutral people on this idea. All opinions welcomed ideas are very appreciated.

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Since you asked.... Why would you base the structure of your church on the organization that was responsible for the destruction of Gnostic Christianity and the death of it's followers? The same question applies to your desire to incorporate the Book of Common Prayer. I am not necessarily opposed to the adoption of ritualistic ceremony or practices, but if you're aim is to offer an alternative, why start by copying the existing models?

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I am posting as I would like to hear from neutral people on this idea. All opinions welcomed ideas are very appreciated.

First of all I think there has never been a church based solely or as a core on the Nag Hammadi Library.

Second, I think it is very reasonable to assume as is also written in the Wikipedia document that:

In his "Introduction" to The Nag Hammadi Library in English, James Robinson suggests that these codices may have belonged to a nearby Pachomian monastery, and were buried after Bishop Athanasius condemned the use of non-canonical books in his Festal Letter of 367 AD.

http://en.wikipedia....Hammadi_library

Thirdly many texts cannot be uniquely deciphered or deciphered at all, I do not mean we do not know the literal meaning of the Coptic words but we simply do not understand what the phrases actually mean, there are a lot of references to things and allusions we do not understand or are unclear about.

But having said that, anything goes in the ULC, so if you want to base your church on a couple of papyri found in a jar go for it.

Edited by Hyper Real
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I love the BCP and use it for my own devotions....my website provides a couple of free liturgical choices. One inspired by the 1549 matins and evensong orders, another by Lutheran daily prayers, and then a link to a historic universalist prayerbook. You might find the following website helpful: justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp it gives versions of both historic and current BCPs from around. One prayerbook you might want to look into, although it is not on that site, is the newest BCP version from new Zealand which tries to use inclusive themes and wording. Here is its version of the lord's prayer:

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world! Your heavenly will be done by all created beings! Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us. From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and for ever. Amen.

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That is a good point and has been my topic of though as of late. As for the book of common prayer used for the sole purpose of administration of the sacraments I am basing it on the Gospel of Philip which speaks greatly of the use of the sacraments. I wouldn't say I am offering an alternative more that I want to capture Christened church as I have come to understand it from my reading of the very gospels and scriptures that were labled heretical and left out of what we call the Holy Bible today. You have presented a good point and I think I have found an answer to my line of thought on structure. Each church should be independently governed with no hierarchy but that of the Holy Spirit.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was sitting in prayer a few nights ago and was given a vision. I spent the most part of 2011 in the hospital fighting a fungal infection that landed me two surgeries, 3 trips to the ICU and almost took my life. It was in my darkest hour that I asked for a Priest and was baptised. The one thing I enjoyed after being moved to physical rehab was that anytime of the day or night I could ask to go to the chapel to pray, light a candle and just reflect on my life up to that point.

In the fission I received there was a "church" that was open all hours and served the people in the very same way the hospital chapel had served me. A place to go at any hour to pray, receive communion, ask for absolution if that is what one wishes, light a candle for a sick or dying loved one. A place of worship and reflection that never closes.

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I was sitting in prayer a few nights ago and was given a vision. I spent the most part of 2011 in the hospital fighting a fungal infection that landed me two surgeries, 3 trips to the ICU and almost took my life. It was in my darkest hour that I asked for a Priest and was baptised. The one thing I enjoyed after being moved to physical rehab was that anytime of the day or night I could ask to go to the chapel to pray, light a candle and just reflect on my life up to that point.

In the fission I received there was a "church" that was open all hours and served the people in the very same way the hospital chapel had served me. A place to go at any hour to pray, receive communion, ask for absolution if that is what one wishes, light a candle for a sick or dying loved one. A place of worship and reflection that never closes.

That's a very beautiful vision truthseeker. I think one of thereasons that I became an episcopalian in th efirst place was because the church down the block form my childhood home made the commitment to leave the church open 24/7 for prayer. That way, I could stop by and pray or just have a quiet place to think. Sure they were vandalized occasionally, but the church believed it was important that the church be a spiritual refuge at all times, not just for a couple of hours on sunday.
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Ok I am at an impasse. I have am in search of a name for my congragation. I am looking for some thing non denominational yet with a Gnostic Christian tone to it. All suggestions are welcomed maybe your ideas will spark a thought going in my mind.

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Ok I am at an impasse. I have am in search of a name for my congragation. I am looking for some thing non denominational yet with a Gnostic Christian tone to it. All suggestions are welcomed maybe your ideas will spark a thought going in my mind.

to borrow from the byzantines: The church of holy wisdom.
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  • 4 weeks later...

A dangerous path you tread there brother. Beware the beasts of the fields and such.

Know your texts throughout. The Gospel of Thomas should provide some good one liners to your detractors, and you'll have a fair share for sure. The Nag Hammadi Library holds some pretty harsh teachings.

Just some encouraging words to a fellow traveler.

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