Confused about Gnosticism

How does a man made religion, one that separates the Son from the Father, one that classifies God as a created and lesser being known as the demiurge, one that...but really, why go on? I would not classify Gnosticism's relationship with Christianity as reverential. While I've read a bit about Gnosticism for school (and still have Gnostic Truth and Christian Heresy on my shelf), I did my reading with the understanding that Gnosticism was an enemy of the Faith, no matter how they tried to steal kernels of Christian truth and adapt them to their blasphemous system.

 

If you sift out all the ancient myth and fantasy of historic Gnosticism what is left is the word gnosis derived from the word ginosko γινώσκω

knowledge - to know.

In my estimation 21st century Gnosticism is to know ABOUT Christ, substituting the possession of that knowledge for a 1st person relationship with Jesus Christ.

e.g.
You could talk with a Roman Catholic theologian who could give you an accurate and precise definition of the Trinity, the Incarnation The Hypostatic Union of which you could wholeheartedly agree.

Yet the theologian might only have a vast knowledge ABOUT Christ but not know Him (or not be known of Him) personally.

IOW head knowledge salvation (which is no salvation).

 

Modern day version of Gnosticism would include much of current Charasmatic theology in the church!

 

A great passage that uses the word "ginosko" is Philippians 3.

Within the passage is the emphasis is that "knowing Christ" was more than head knowledge about the subject. To "know" as Paul used it is to have such a personal relationship as to view your own sufferings in the light of how Christ suffered, to recognize the loss of everything once held as valuable as not comparable to that gained in Christ, and that the goal of conformity to Him is the living hope. To know was more than tradition and ritual and more than even self sacrifice and offerings. It is that personal relationship and fellowship in which is both knowledge and experience.

The Laodicea church is a great example (imo) of a gnostic church. Christ isn't even among them and they don't know Him and recognize that He isn't present with them.

The modern church is fast becoming such as the assembly chase after worldly and worldliness, putting authority upon signs of God's presence rather than actually fellowship in His presence.

 

Yes, He asked a rhetorical question:

Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?