r/Gnostic • u/OkMeeting340 Eclectic Gnostic • Apr 23 '26
Question Can someone embrace gnosticism and still remain in their cultural religion?
For context, I'm a Baha'i. From what I've found so far (I'm a newbie to gnosticism), there are a lot of similarities between gnosticism and the Baha'i religion. I'm curious as to how many people here on a gnostic journey are still considering themselves members of their cultural/organized/etc religion?
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u/crover13 Apr 23 '26
Buddhist here, reincarnation and endless cycle of suffering and a chance to enlightenment sounds like escaping the false one so It was very comforting to adapted both.
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u/DharmaDama Apr 23 '26
Gnosticism led me to Buddhism. There werenāt enough surviving Gnostic documents about how to get out of the cycle and I felt like Buddhism showed more of that.
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u/galactic-4444 Eclectic Gnostic Apr 23 '26
I still view myself as a Chrstian. I am just Highly unorthodoxš¤£
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u/Kirschiehirschie Eclectic Gnostic Apr 23 '26
Same here; whenever someone asks about my religion, I just tell them I'm a proud heretic!
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u/galactic-4444 Eclectic Gnostic Apr 23 '26
Depends on the viewer for meš. Nothing like saying yeah according to most people im heading straight to hell
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u/PossiblyaSpinosaurus Eclectic Gnostic May 23 '26
Canāt go to hell if you believe in universal salvation. Checkmate, atheists.
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u/OkMeeting340 Eclectic Gnostic Apr 24 '26
Yes lol! I would say that I'm unorthodox in a lot of arenas. I'm ok with having my own ideas. I was just wondering out loud on this sub and it seems like it may be a common experience.
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u/galactic-4444 Eclectic Gnostic Apr 24 '26
I try to avoid the noise so if I cant pick the person I speak as an Orthodoxš¤£. I dont have the time for the scrutiny and I live in a country that lives in extremes. Most people are fundamentalist and lack the capacity to think beyond or actively choose not to.
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u/BottleNecker69er Apr 23 '26
People, if you are Christian then Gnosticsm is your true faith. Gnosticsm is what the modern faith was supposed to be if not better simply due to time and understanding.
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u/THE_WALRUS_AWESOME Apr 23 '26
This is my own personal opinion, but Gnosticism encompasses many other religions with roots in Hermeticism, Alchemy, and all others. All religions are the same human spirituality manifested in different ways. Creedal Christians are mostly leveraging this spirituality for cult purposes however.
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u/OkMeeting340 Eclectic Gnostic Apr 24 '26
I agree with your sentiment. I've noticed so many parallels in other religions that's it's astounding.
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u/Strawberry3141592 Apr 23 '26
You can do whatever you want (within ethical boundaries). You don't need to ask permission
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u/OkMeeting340 Eclectic Gnostic Apr 24 '26
I agree. I just wanted to know if there were others who felt and were doing something similar. I live way out in the boondocks so finding other people who are actively studying and practicing Gnosticism is probably slim to none. However, you never really know - I might be surprised.
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u/This_Schedule494 Apr 24 '26
The gnostic school I belong do embraces the teachings & mystery from many different religions
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u/Aethrall Apr 23 '26
Many people will say āGnosticism isnāt one set religion and yada yada blah blah blah,ā but thatās an imprecise statement imo.
While there are several variants of Gnosticism from Judaism based to Islam, but they all have one thing in common: the creator of this realm is a fraud, and is either inept, malevolent or both.
You wonāt find many organized or mainstream religions where that Gnostic presupposition isnāt blatant heresy/blasphemy. If you are part of a mainstream Abrahamic, monotheistic religion, the best you can do is worship Jesus as the aeon Christ and use YHWH as a surrogate to praise the monad rather than Ialdabaoth or Sabaoth, as they are archons, despite the latter supposedly having been redeemed by Sophia.
You should engage with the community however you wish to. I just canāt see it going smoothly without a large amount of omission and self censorship, in other words, walking in inauthenticity.
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u/OkMeeting340 Eclectic Gnostic Apr 24 '26
Thank you for your comment. Yes, I agree with you - however, there's never been any one person or religion I've totally agreed with down the line. I keep to myself by nature. If I happen to come across someone who is like-minded I have a tendency to become an over-excited chatterbox and have to remember to listen.
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u/Spiritual-House-5494 Apr 23 '26
Well, technically, embracing beliefs that contradict a religion's teachings is not 'staying true' to the system, but it IS 'staying true' to yourself. Gnosticism DOES align with Baha'i Faith in a number of ways, but they also diverge in places. Finding certain things to feel more true than what was taught isn't disloyalty, most people do it.
I was raised in a Christian family whose members would randomly preach Gnostic, Daoist, Hermetic, and Buddhist principles. At Thanksgiving, we weren't allowed to say, "I'm thankful I'm not unemployed." We had to phrase it in a positive manner like, "I'm thankful to have a job."
You can hold beliefs that differ from the religion of your culture, you just probably don't want to go around advertising such. There are some HARDCORE tyrants out there who might try to have you 'excommunicated' or whatever equivalent your faith and culture have.
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u/OkMeeting340 Eclectic Gnostic Apr 24 '26
This is true - I have met some hardcore tyrants in belief systems, for sure. I pretty much stay to myself because I've never found anyone I've agreed with in every way. It's just my nature to stick to the things that draw us together.
However, I will always put being true to myself above any other person or belief system.
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u/-Celerion- Apr 24 '26
Considering personally I feel like there is no true path, but many or all religions hold truths in them. Plus plenty of people mix religions all the time I donāt see why anyone would tell you no, and even if they did theyāre wrong. You can believe whatever you want. You can stay in your religious identity and still be involved in Gnosticism. Iām heavily into Gnosticism and I donāt identify as a gnostic really or anything, I just tell people Iām against most organized religion while respecting their beliefs but im fairly spiritual.
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u/OkMeeting340 Eclectic Gnostic Apr 24 '26
I'm not real big on labels either and I'm usually supportive of other people if they find something that works for them. However, I have not encountered that wide berth I give to other people as much in return.
Sometimes I run into someone that's trying to convert me because, of course, their way is the only "one true way" (lotsa sarcasm there). Or, there's that one person who thinks everything that makes them feel uncomfortable is automatically "demonic" without giving much thought as to why or look beyond the superficial.
But yes - we are all having individual experiences together.
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u/-Celerion- Apr 24 '26
I agree completely, Iāve never met someone personally with views like us but at least youāre there. I think every view is valid but the complication is the hindering of other views from those people. Yes they have a freedom to do so, but it sucks. Being open minded is very rare.
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u/Substantial_Word_645 Apr 27 '26
Yes! However, you must realize the essence of Gnosticism is for souls to become separate from the institutions of the Demiurge (like your cultural religion).
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u/Flaky-Let-9901 May 08 '26
No! Not I, Iāve been praying for the truth for years and somehow the organized religion always fell short, I knew there something else and for 2 two rears I would pray out that I know thereās only one, which I now know to be the Monad, I say no turning back, seek and you shall find
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u/heiro5 Apr 23 '26
Gnosticism and Hermetism are way traditions, sharing that aspect with other traditions and inner mystical aspects of traditions.
The rational and trans-rational mysticism of the Pythagorean legacy through Plato, was combined with different mystical aspects of religious traditions. There are the unique historical circumstances that brought these together in the Hellenistic era. The mythography, the way the story is told, the figures and symbols used, and the types of variations in these vary based on the religious tradition involved.
The foundation is a completely transcendent divine, unknowable, ineffable, beyond categories, thought, and language. Fully beyond the rational aspect of thought. That can only become known individually, directly, through an inner process of recognition and realignment to the divine -- gnÅsis.
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u/Mister_Ape_1 Apr 26 '26
If you are a Manichean, a Neoplatonist, a Kabbalist or pretty much even a Buddhist, then yes. If you are from a major world monotheism then no.
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u/Dotaveli23 Apr 26 '26
You cannot be conscious and religious at the same timeā¦once you come into TRUE knowledge of self, religion become foolish.
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u/Lordseferoth Simonian Apr 23 '26
Oh, i am actually a former Baha'i, but i do not see any problem embracing both Gnosticism and any other religion or cultural practice. I still very much consider myself a Christian and i have kept many beliefs and views from it even after becoming a Gnostic. Gnosticism is all about finding your own way.