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Why the cloak and dagger; ??
Topic Started: Nov 3 2005, 04:21 PM (192 Views)
Wacki Iraqi
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Senior Carp
Overview of Gnosticism

By Lewis Loflin

In AD 1209, the entire population of the Albigens was slaughtered at the order of Pope Innocent III. The Albigens, in the south of France, was then the most populous, the most technically, socially, and economically advanced part of Europe. Its population was largely Gnostics and Arian Christians, and were a sanctuary for Jews who were persecuted almost everywhere else in Europe. All of these groups had a high percentage of literacy and read the Bible, which was prohibited by the Vatican. Innocent III was seeking to put a stop to the "Gnostic heresy", but found it to be entrenched throughout Europe, so he followed the "Cathar Crusade" with the creation of the Inquisition, resulting in countless millions of people being slowly and brutally tortured to death over the next 500 years for even the mere suspicion of being witches. Innocent also reinstated a prohibition against the owning or reading of Bibles by anyone other than clergy, under penalty of death.



Any theories as to why within these walls? Pray do tell.
You're an atheist when considering Zeus, Apollo, Amon Ra, Mithras, Baal, Thor, Wotan, the Golden Calf and the Flying Spaghetti Monster.........I just go one God further.
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AlbertaCrude
Bull-Carp
Two. Heresy by thought. Heresy by deed... there are three theories, heresy by....whatever seemed appropriate at the time.
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ivorythumper
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
Psst-- Wacki -- this guy Lewis Loffin is not a medieval historian or theologian. Check out his home page..

Why is this important? He makes a pretty startling claim that "The Albigens, in the south of France, was then the most populous, the most technically, socially, and economically advanced part of Europe." First of all, there is no place called the "Albigens" -- the word Albigensians comes from Albi, a town in France. Second, Albi was a never much more than a trading city, and there is no merit for claiming it was particularly populous or advanced. Perhaps Loffin got that from this rather bizarre website.

I won't disabuse you of any more of Loffin's many errors -- so many in such a short paragraph -- but instead turn to the question of why the Albigensians were persecuted. First, they were not a heretical sect -- they were an entirely different religion and social order. They were gnostics (that it to say, they believed that salvation was achievable through learning secret knowledge (gnosis)). Typical of gnostics, they were also dualists believing that the material world was evil and only that which is spiritual was good. The good soul was trapped in an evil body.

Cutting to the chase, they held that sex was sinful even within marriage. In fact, prostitution was preferable since it was more temporary. Husbands ought to abandon their wives and vice versa. Since the body was evil, the goal of human existence was to escape the body. Suicide was considered good, and since all flesh and human activity was bad then starvation was the preferred method.

In short, they were considered very dangerous to the social order, which incurred the wrath of the local secular authorities as much as the Church.

Hope that partially answers your questions.
The dogma lives loudly within me.
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KlavierBauer
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HOLY CARP!!!
Thanks Ivory ... Now I don't have to explain why Gnostics aren't Christians. :)



"I realize you want him to touch you all over and give you babies, but his handling of the PR side really did screw the pooch." - Ivory Thumper
"He said sleepily: "Don't worry mom, my dick is like hot logs in the morning." - Apple

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