Rise of Gnosticism October 3, 2001 In the beginning of the second century the early church was forced to take a stance so as to justify their very existence. With Gnosticism on the rise and already posing as a threat that would confuse the public as to who the Church was and what they stood f...

1. If Gnosticism had succeeded in implanting its own distinctive ideas into Christian thought, Christian theology would be different in many fundamental ways. Because Christian theology has a strong foundation insofar as its teachings are concerned, the very structure and nature of Christian t...

Gnostic writings of Jesus portray him as a heavenly redeemer made less of flesh than of spirit. The emphasis of Jesus' importance is not on his physical humanness but rather, on his ability to show people the way to the kingdom. Jesus put on flesh in order to give people gnosis and reveal to the...

Knowledge is the key to success in any society, without knowledge us as human beings cannot survive. It is also important that knowledge have a means of being passed on from person to person. The invention of the printing press in 1450 changed and revolutionized the way knowledge was spread thoug...

An explicit religious inclination is an experience that expresses itself through the realm of myths. It does not reveal stories that are not true, but rather the truth embodies the myths in a different manner from the doctrines of theology or philosophy. A personal religious experience is the teachi...

The word renaissance comes from the French language meaning "rebirth". This rebirth of man may have been caused by the broadening horizons of man's geography and knowledge. This time period was marked by legendary explorers such as John Cabot, Vasco de Gama, Balboa, Magellan Hernan...

Throughout my life I have been blessed with the opportunity to experience many things. I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet many unique and loving people who have influenced me to become a better Christian. As a young child Church and the gospel of the Lord was not a big part of my lif...

When first presented with the idea of Mysticism, one may automatically think of terms such as demonology, witchcraft, occultism, or magic. Poossibly astrology or the determining of destiny by the signs of the zodiac comes to mind when mysticism is mentioned. Whatever comes to mind, mysticism...

In search of the truth, I found life. Researching this book has opened my eyes and my mind to understanding my faith. Through eyewitnesses and Biblical accounts, historical facts and archaeological findings, we can develop knowledge of our faith through substantial evidence. The historicity and...

Nietzsche's unpublished essay "On Truth and Lies in an Unmoral Sense" was regarded by some scholars as a keystone in his thought. He rejects the idea of universal constants, and claims that what we call "truth" is only "a mobile army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms. His view is not...

Crosby 1 Messenger The term angel derives from a Greek translation of the Hebrew word mal'akh, which first meant "Shadow side of God," and now means messenger (Jeremiah 59). Angels as an article of faith have become an unshakeable part of our society. One...

Crosby 1 Messenger The term angel derives from a Greek translation of the Hebrew word mal'akh, which first meant "Shadow side of God," and now means messenger (Jeremiah 59). Angels as an article of faith have become an unshakeable part of our so...

Hinduism Hinduism was founded sometime between 1500 and 500 CE in the are of the Indus valley civilization. There is no individual founder and no names given to say who developed it. They are many gods in the religion of Hinduism. Many Hindu followers believe that one of the gods is the true...

Discovering the essence of Christianity is too varied and diverse a topic for anyone to pin to solely one definition. How one approaches the topic of Christianity is often in accordance to their personal foundations of religious belief. Sometimes these beliefs are deeply seeded during childhood ...

An individual's subjective interpretation of success directly correlates with the general attitude of the society as a whole. Therefore, in a society where affluence and dominance have gradually become the universal standards for measuring a person's overall achievements in life, people te...

What is God? To the people that want to believe in Christianity, God is the sole Supreme Being who is worshipped as the controller of some part of the universe or some aspect of life in the world. He is a spirit that is eternal and unchangeable. Within his being are wisdo...

"Dying Well" Death is one of the main pillars to Life because it proves that nothing is living forever, and everything in life even life itself will end. Death is part of the life every creature in this earth. Everybody is written to die someday by God either a good death or a bad death. Altho...

"Everyman" is a medieval allegory and also classified as a morality play that is majorly devoted to the demonstration of how temporary everything in life is as death approaches, except good deeds. We witness the struggle of salvation that takes place throughout the play by the main char...

The Organization of the Early Church. According to The Acts of the Apostles, the church began on the day of the first Pentecost, but the need for the development of the church is presented well before it's actual creation. The gospels of Matthew and John reveal the apostles preparation by ...

Jesus of Nazareth shares meaning and value with other great historical influences of time such as Buddha. They are both categorized as great moral teachers who continue to influence even after death. They share similarities and differences at birth, during the time of their lives, and at death. T...

Maria Jaoudi, author of the book, Christian Mysticism: East and West is a powerful reminder of the Christian mystical tradition. Jaoudi writes the book in which she "attempts to elaborate on the spiritual aspects of a sometimes forgotten Christian tradition that contains within its label of Eas...

Bible 301 Our English word Bible comes from the Greek word Biblos, which means "book." In theology a study of the Bible is called bibliology. While the word Bible simply means "book" the words "The Bible" distinguish it as the supreme, unique and incomparable Holy Bib...

Christianity was traditionally understood to be founded by Jesus of Nazareth. Paul of Tarsus, after his conversion on the road to Damascus, worked tirelessly to establish Christianity among both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles of the Diaspora. Clues in the New Testament indicate that there was ...

"There is no such source and cause of strife, quarrel, fights, malignant opposition, persecution, and war, and all evil in the state, as religion. Let it once enter our civil affairs, our government would soon be destroyed. Let it once enter our common schools, they would be destroyed." Supreme Cour...

The Conflict Between Christendom And Islam Since Islam came into being, it has clashed numerously with the already established Christianity. Their rivalry has never ceased until today. Modern Examples would be Bosnia and Lebanon. There were not only military clashes but political...