(no subject)

[sophiaserpentia]

Some of you have rightly taken me to task for the sweeping and hasty comments I made yesterday about the Pope's pronouncement regarding the treatment of people in 'permanent vegetative states.'

I should perhaps clarify what I see as one purpose for this journal. I am not in any way pretending to be a pundit; I spell out my views as they occur to me, and though sometimes it bruises my ego I welcome feedback of all sorts. My ego needs to be bruised sometimes; it strengthens and hones the sharpness of my intellect, and of my compassion. So let me state explicitly, that no one need ever fear offending me simply by offering an opinion that differs from mine. Having friends who will rebuke me when I need to be rebuked is a blessing. I ask only that you be civil when doing so.

The nature of this medium, LiveJournal, is that it favors the recording of passing thoughts. It has been immensely useful to me in helping me to see the way my thoughts have evolved over the past two years. Even when I take the time to organize my thoughts before posting, my posts are still often quite raw, as they are works in progress. For me, who used to jealously hide rough drafts of everything until I was willing to let someone else peek, this has been a way of learning to open up, to see that I don't have to be considered an expounder of flawless wisdom.

Comments

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

Well, as "they" say, the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked. I often tend to forget which terms or facts people may or may not know; and so if anything is confusing don't hesitate to ask. Really. I'll answer if I can.

And, I'm just a student of all this, too...

[yud.livejournal.com]

Fortunately I've had some basic lessons in Gnosticism, primarily through reading/discussing some of Philip K Dick's books, as well as one really cool NPR segment they had about it ( http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=1286543 ). But while I know some of the basics, I have gotten nowhere near any of the details. Most of your posts don't confuse me, they fascinate me. And they reveal how little I've actually learned about Christianity despite all the sermons and sunday school lessons. I really should read some books on it, or at least go back and read all of your livejournal posts.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I'll have to take a look at that NPR feature.

Bear in mind that most Gnostics would probably consider my views outside of the ordinary. But you are welcome to read my bookmarked entries.

If you read books on the subject, I recommend starting with The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels.

[yud.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I just checked the local library and while they have the book, someone has it checked out right now. The library has five books by her, but only one them is available: The gnostic Paul : gnostic exegesis of the Pauline letters.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

The Gnostic Paul is an excellent book, but I don't recommend it for people just setting out to explore Gnosticism. It's very technical.