Post #4023051

2026-07-23 00:36 UTC

Hence the early Church drove Gnosticism underground and took a dim view of folk-Christian syncretism, although there clearly was a lot of that going on; many Christians saints are thought to be derived from pagan deities and heroes, given an indirect continuity through the Christian faith in order to keep converted pagans more likely to stick with Christianity. It was easier for mystical Christians to find some kind of place in Christendom so long as Christianity remained cloistered and associated with monastic life. But as Europe became more densely populated and urbanized after the post-Roman doldrums, the notion of having a life devoted entirely to spiritual service vanished into the furthest recesses of a Christian faith that had grown ever more secularized and institutionalized. (cont'd)

Replies (2)

@KaylinEvergreen@eldritch.cafe 2026-07-23 00:38

@mxchara@seattle.pink

Open ##4023087
@mxchara@seattle.pink 2026-07-23 00:45

It has not been possible to squelch what seems to be an innate human desire to seek gnostic and mystical experiences, and a corresponding tendency to regard the visible world as only part of the story. The notion of "the veil" in Western discourse, construed as an intangible barrier that prevents the ordinary human being from perceiving that which lies outside or beyond direct human perception, is a long-established and powerful one. Hence as Christianity has become ever dryer and more like a mere business or religious bureaucracy, a thing chiefly intended to lay down rules for humans to obey, belief in the mystical has flared up to occupy the spiritual void. Needless to say, all attempts to stifle this natural curiosity about mysticism only backfire. The harder the Christian authorities amp up their repression and indoctrination, the more people have come to believe that they're hiding something or they don't actually have the spiritual answers. (cont'd)

Open ##4023194