Gnostic Liberation Front Respond

1. Bullshit Psuedo-”Gnosticism”:

Every investigation into Gnosticism must begin with the understanding that Gnosticism refers to a very specific method of spiritual inquiry with a very specific symbolic tradition, and just because an organization refers to themselves as “Gnostic” doesn’t automatically make it so. There are profound similarities between Zen Buddhism, Sufism, Taoism, etc. and Gnosticism. However, they are different traditions and have different symbologies and story-systems. We can draw attention to the similarities, but that doesn’t mean that any mystical tradition automatically gets to call itself Gnostic.

The individuals who have hijacked Gnosticism in this manner (peddlers of bullshit) mostly run in “New Age” circles; it’s a safe bet that if someone in the New Age movement refers to said movement as “Gnostic,” they’re either uninformed or taking advantage of the fact that the Gnostics possessed some kind of “hidden wisdom” which could be bought or sold. Obviously, any shuckster with the ability to read and the desire to make a few quick bucks can claim to be “Gnostic.” Any so-called “secret tradition” will always be suceptible to people who will gladly charge a hefty fee to release this information to scam-suceptible individuals. Gnosticism, however, doesn’t charge fees, and the information therein is by no means “secret”– it’s freely available to the seeker. If you’re *expected* to pay any sort of fees, you’re not involved in a truly Gnostic organization.

There is also no strict or specific Gnostic dogma. New Age Pseudo-Gnostics will consistently insist that their secret knowledge is *the* Secret Knowledge that will Save the World. They’ll also insist that their detractors have the right to disagree, but they only disagree because they haven’t yet been “initiated” into the Inner Mysteries. Free inquiry is only allowed on their terms.

Gnosticism is also heavily dependent on specific mythological concepts. Because they are mythological concepts, and stem from an Internal Mystery, they cannot be codified or crystalized! The Gnostics employed a great variety of often contradictory teachings and experiences and myth cycles which can’t be consolidated into a single text (other than the inner text of the individual seeker). No Urantia Book or Gaia Hypothesis can be considered Gnostic.

More than anything, Gnosticism, by its nature, cannot be a personality cult. Some forms of Gnosticism can and do have priests, but the priests support and serve the entire congregation, not vice-versa. If one or two individuals’ personalities becomes the focus of the organization, this isn’t Gnosticism, it’s a personality cult. In true Gnosticism, the only one making edicts is the Inner Light of the individual.

“Gnosis” is a great concept, and since it’s based on individual experience, it can pretty easily be co-opted by unscrupulous jerkwads. One cannot be charged for enlightenment; nor can one have it granted by a powerful personality; nor can it be found in rigid rules and literal structural systems. The ultimate arbitor, however, of what qualifies as valid Gnosticism is the individual seeker and direct experience.

EXAMPLES OF BULLSHIT PSUEDO-GNOSTICISM:

The “Church” of $cientology
Ramtha’s School of Enlightenement — The American Gnostic School
Samuel Aun Weor
Laura Knight-Jadczyk’s Cassiopaeans
The so-called “Gnostic Liberation Front”

3 Responses

1 Bogomil Says:
March 29th, 2006 at

2 This’s universal problem - in Russia too…

bing Says:
March 29th, 2006 at

3 heh–”Little Gnostic Footballs”

Dan Says:
March 30th, 2006 at

This is weird, because I was actually gonna write a post called Gnostic Front on April 1st as a joke. The content was gonna be exactly the kind of thing on that site.

Gnostic Liberation Front responds:

4 Holger Werner Haffke Says:
April 1st, 2006 at

Hello fellow Gnostics? How could you write such smear job concerning my web site “Gnostic Liberation Front”? You, Jeremy, must feel quite superior in your spiritual “attainment” to write such a unprovoked article about my site. Have you really given it some time and research before calling me a “pseudo-Gnostic” racist, anti-Semitic ass-hole? Not very spiritual of you, is it? What makes you such an expert on Gnosticism?

Let’s start with that indeed my web site is “pseudo” Gnostic. What is really so wrong with that? I have studied Gnosticism for more than forty years and can honestly claim that all so called neo-Gnostic groups, churches and cults are “pseudo” Gnostic at best. And that would include your group also. That religion and politics go hand in hand should be no surprise to you either. My web site is a Gnostic digest and journal and not a group or church. In fact I despise anything to do with “churches,” Gnostic or otherwise. I consider myself neither truly enlightened nor do I promote any specific Gnostic or political point of view. Thus I am neither left nor right politically. In fact I believe strongly that either label is nothing but a joke fostered on mankind by the powers who really run this world. Whether they be called “illuminati” or “Zionists.” Which of course brings me to your charge that my website is “anti-Zionist” and “racist.” These are labels of today’s politically correct manipulation of thought and you as a so called “Gnostic” should know that! Do I really have to point out that the world for at least the last hundred years was and is run by Jewish finance as by the Federal Reserve system here in the US and by similar frauds in all other nations of this earth? And do I have to tell you that the so called “New World Order” which would make this planet into a prison-planet is almost in place?

Perhaps it offends your “spirituality” and your “enlightened” sensibilities to deal with the ugly facts of reality. Perhaps you are in denial? Nevertheless, calling me an “anti-Semite” won’t change reality as it is rubbed under your nose every day by the powers of this world. I don’t hate Jewish people but I do plan to fight their tribalism and destructive power-hunger to the end of my days.

As to being a racist or “white-supremacist” that really is a laugh! Just because I have articles on my website which I chose for their importance to true Gnostic-Heretic research doesn’t make me into something which I definitely am not.

National Socialism and Communism are considered by knowledgeable researchers as neo-Gnostic, or if you will, “pseudo-Gnostic” movements and are therefore of utmost importance to neo-Gnostic research. I don’t know how old you are, but I can claim to have lived through both and have suffered from their influence directly as well as indirectly. I lived through it as a child and grew up under Communist threat in Berlin Germany. And I would be the first one to disavow either one as I have seen it and experienced their oppression!

Like it, or not, Jeremy, I am certainly neither racist nor white-supremacist. If only you would do a little more research on my site you would understand that. Nevertheless, I will not buckle under to any lies, politically correct labels or accusations, just as you did by throwing your labels at me and my site. I am on the quest for TRUTH, no matter how it offends anybody or any group of people or religion. Calling a spade a spade I will not hesitate ever to speak what I consider to be the truth.

According to your little article about my web site, you really seem to have no idea what Gnosticism is. At least in regard to the political aspects. Please do some more research before hurting someone on the same path! As to putting a quote from the gospel of Thomas on the same page with my research and subsequent “huge defense” of Jo McCarthy, why does this strike you so “blasphemous”? Jo McCarthy warned the country about Communist subversion right into the White House. Was he a demagogue and liar? Absolutely not. All of his accusations have been proven true through access to former Soviet archives! McCarthy was a heretic against the system and he bucked the system and he was, as some researchers believe, murdered, just like James Forrestal at the same Washington Bethesda Naval Hospital for doing so. So how would: Jesus said, “I have cast fire upon the world, and look, I’m guarding it until it blazes”. - Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, be offensive in any possible way?

But I believe that YOU, dear Jeremy, are the racist and that you have ulterior motives to be so upset by my website. Again, on two points you are correct though. One, my website is “anti-Semitic” although even that label is a joke as the Zionist and Neo-con powers that ARE, are not “Semitic” at all but Caucasian Ashkenazi or Khazars. But let’s ignore that and just go along with “anti-Semitic”…. Which I definitely am. Not that I hate Jews but that, to say it again, I have come to the conclusion that the coming New World Order is first and foremost Zionist controlled through the Rothschild’s and that the average Jews are in general going along with it just like the Germans did with Hitler! And I do believe that the so called Holocaust is a sham in regards to the mythical 6 million murdered in gas chambers. The Holocaust is of such importance to Jews and to the New World Order, because it is the foundation of the racist state of Israel and also the hush motive against any critique’ of Israel, Zionism and the One World agenda of the New World Order.

It should be quite obvious to any honest researcher that the “Holocaust Revisionists” of today are as persecuted, maligned, smeared, financially ruined and jailed in Europe as the Gnostics and Heretics were for centuries. And all that for speaking and writing their meticulously researched opinions! Are you on the quest for truth…ultimate truth which IS Gnosis, or do you just want to ride the tide and pontificate ecclesiastical theories which are just as “orthodox” as those of any priesthood of any religion?

Also your claim that Gnostic groups were not based on a “personality cult” is somewhat dubious as most of the known Gnostic schools, groups and churches were based on a charismatic leader….Carpocrates-Carpocratians, Valentinus-Valentinians, Basilides-Baselidians, Marcion-Marcionites…and so on. And yes, these were names given to those groups by orthodox Christians and might not have been their true names. Nevertheless, this should indicate that these leaders were revered with a “prophetic” status to say the least. But, be that as it may, I also want to tell you that I have never made a penny with my website and have refused all advertising because I need to be totally independent. In fact, I freely send to anyone who asks quality astrological reports and horoscopes made with expensive matrix software. Of course you wouldn’t mention that. So, who is “peddling” what?

Holger W. Haffke

Most modern Gnostics find the writings of Eric Voegelin, who claims that the Nazis were a modern manifestation of Gnosticism, rather ill-informed and based on a cursory understanding. Mr. Haffke, however, seems to have taken Voegelin’s theories to heart and instead of taking umbrage, agrees with them. (I find it interesting that his final dig at my site seems to be about the fact that I use advertising, whereas he offers free horoscopes and astrological readings made with “expensive matrix software.” I don’t really have any comment on that, but it’s definitely interesting, no?)

Now, since I obviously disagree with Mr. Haffke about 99.99999%, I have no interest in wasting time arguing the difference between Gnosticism and “Gnaztisicm,” as it were. I’ve mentioned before that I think the subject of politics can turn into a nasty rhetorical cesspool, and has no place in discussion of spiritual matters (seperation of church and state and all that). Gnosticism was never, historically, a political movement (nor was Canonical Christianity intended to become one, for that matter), and I tend to think that trying to combine Gnosticism and politics is like trying to combine vanilla ice-cream and tuna salad. You can do it, but if you’re able to keep it down, the horrible taste will most likely stay in your mouth for weeks.

No, what I’m interested in is the border between “my” Gnosticism and “your” Gnosticism, the subject and object. In other words, is a pro-Nazi “Gnostic” the same thing as a non-Nazi “Gnostic,” and should one tolerate the other? I’ve addressed similar questions in the past (see “Gnosticism, Homosexuality and Sola Scriptura“), and personally believe that there is no room for hatred in Gnosticism. But, is it okay to hate people who hate?

My personal view is that Gnosticism is a path of self-knowledge and compassion and humility. I do indeed have a difficult time living up to these characteristics, but I see no room within the modern Gnostic movement for those who choose to focus their Gnosticism on hatred, on fear, on the affairs of the world. That’s my opinion, and I welcome Mr. Haffke to disagree with me as vehemently as I disagree with him. I won’t change my mind, and he won’t change his, and that’s fine. I don’t hate him one bit, but in my mind, if you espouse and defend a belief system that opposes X-individuals for Y-external reasons, you don’t get a membership card. Sorry!

Some original Gnostics were certainly anti-Semitic. Some were certainly homophobic. Yes, some of the original Gnostics were even “personality cults.” My question doesn’t, however, concern the original Gnostics– the question concerns *us*! Just because our forebears were this or that thing, are we also so required? Or, can we actually be Gnostics, and listen to gnosis, and live the life of love and compassion that Jesus talks about? Can’t we repudiate the works of the Archon, even if they appear within the writings of our predecessors?

And, equally important, if someone disagrees that Gnosticism is about love and compassion, or wants to compare Gnosticism to Nazism or use it to support this or that political figure, where do we draw the line? Or, should we even try to draw lines? Even though I often use “blue” language and combative terminology, I’m really not out to change anyone’s mind. I pointed out this “GLP” site not to say, “hey, let’s gang up on him and force him to change his mind!” Instead, I was saying, “beware– here is a site that conflates Gnosticism and anti-Semiticism, etc., if you, like me, find this troubling, here is this site.” I’ve stated before that Gnosticism is indefensible, but does that also mean that if we vehemently disagree with another’s approach to the subject we should always keep silent? This is a serious question– what do you think?

Look, Gnosticism is about experiencing gnosis. I challenge anyone who claims to have had this experience to find justification not within the works of the original Gnostics, not within the vague and shadowy trappings of politics, not within the books of philosophers, but within h/er own indwelling spirit, to find a place for hatred, for exclusionary action, for room to fight against any group, no matter how despicable.

Holger responds:

Jeremy, oh Jeremy, yes, the ideal is Gnosis-Knowledge-Wisdom and I would never dispute that, but...but, you know, calling yourself a Gnostic or professing to be a believer in Gnosticism doesn't necessarily mean that you have attained Gnosis, does it? We are all human beings striving, however feebly, to attain this goal. Neither you nor I have reached this ultimate "pearl of great price", have we?

You talk a lot of truth and also some "New Age" mumbo jumbo. Talk is cheap. And I too get trapped in the same fantasy of words at times. I have no problem with that either. What you don't seem to understand is, that I am not representing any specific form or creed of Gnosticism but that I am speaking and writing about the GNOSTIC PERSONA as in PERSONALITY, nothing more and nothing less.

You might have a Gnostic Personality without ever reading or hearing about Gnosticism. That's the reason for my claim that true Gnostics have to be born Gnostics and that one can't convert to Gnosticism as one would convert to Christianity, Judaism (not that easy), Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or what have you. Gnostics, true Gnostics alone can convert to Gnosticism... So what true Gnostics do is to AWAKEN born Gnostics to their inherent birthright. True Gnostics AWAKEN and GATHER the "lost" Gnostics but never convert the masses who are not born Gnostics, as they are not ready to attain Gnosis. Did not Jesus say to not throw the pearls before the swine (sorry to offend your "politically correct" sensibilities, but those were his words, I believe.)

My particular path is to AWAKEN. I am a drummer...so to speak and nothing more. We live in a rotten world, saturated with evil which is groaning under the suffering of man and animals alike and I am not ever excusing or encouraging evil in any form or shape if I can help it. But facts are facts and truth is truth no matter where it comes from or where it leads to in the short run.

The born Gnostic's first Awakening comes when he becomes aware of the evils and injustices of this world. By his very nature he is driven, through an inner compulsion, to find answers and solutions to this problem which is weighing like lead on his soul and thus he becomes a heretic and "revolutionary".

At first this is only a mental attitude which grows and pressures him into action. What action can he take? He explores the possibilities according to his inherent temperament and genetic make up and finds himself attracted to religion, philosophy and utopian political ideologies. Dogmatic religions don't satisfy his need for experience of the divine and philosophies are much to sedate for his need to act out his awareness that things need to change NOW.

Thus the true Gnostic's quest leads him into the realm of utopian radical politics. He begins to explore, according to his temperament and background, either Communism, National Socialism, Fascism, Zionism (if he is Jewish) or off-springs of those ideologies. Nothing else will do because all of the other ideologies are much to tame and corrupted by the powers of the status quo.

His motives are pure and noble, helping mankind and himself is the goal. He is an Idealist, naturally, and he wants to follow his inner drive for justice and a "New Order" in this ugly, unjust world. And he knows that only a revolutionary, radical movement can do the job. He instinctively wants to finish the job which the "archons" couldn't or wouldn't do. He wants to create "paradise" on earth and nothing less.

So he joins a movement according to his temperament and background which, most likely, will be either Communist or Zionist or National Socialist. He is young and naive and believes that others are as idealistic and selfless as he is. Gradually he finds things in their ideology with which he doesn't agree, but in the interest of the final goal he compromises and submits to the cause.

As time goes on, he learns that there is a lot of stuff going on, behind the scenes, things which he normally abhors, but he is already much to deeply committed to the "cause" to turn away now. He has, by this time, attained rank and prestige in the movement and he feels strongly that he can eventually correct and change what he doesn't like in the movement and he compromises again "for the time being".

--- Well, I could go on and on and relate this short story to either Trotsky, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Rosenberg, Hess, Goebbels and so many more born Gnostics in the realm of utopian politics. With the exception of Rosenberg and perhaps Hess and Hitler, these men had probably never heard of Gnosticism but were, nevertheless, GNOSTIC PERSONALITIES who had never attained GNOSIS.

And, you see Jeremy, it is those born Gnostics which I am attempting to AWAKEN to the path of GNOSIS. And it is exactly this reasoning which leads me to connect utopian politics with Gnosticism.

These were all strong Gnostic Personalities who desperately wanted to change this rotten world and ended up becoming worse oppressors than the ones they overthrew, because they set out to "liberate" the world without being LIBERATED themselves!

Like a rolling stone, things just escalated and escalated until it all got out of control. Were these people, these Gnostic brothers, inherently evil? I don't think so.... They did, or people of less sophistication under them did, evil deeds, desperate measures where the end, they thought, justified the means, but their dreams were to help mankind..... to create an earthly paradise!

No matter, though, who rules, be it Capitalist plutocrats in conjunction with Zionist racist dreamers today, or those whom I mentioned before, the sheeple, the ignorant masses, will always be victimized and exploited in endless wars for profit and power.

The conspiracies for world dominion are real and so is the Zionist pipe dream behind it. Why do I "soil" the Gnostic reputation with this material on my "pseudo-Gnostic" website should be a no brainer: As I said before, I see myself as an AWAKENER and drummer to lead those born Gnostics looking for the path into shocking awareness and then, hopefully, into the spiritual realm of GNOSIS.

I don't believe that a purely spiritual approach can reach these strong Gnostic Personalities as they are much to concerned with worldly things and tastes of power then to feel any kind of attraction towards a "namby pamby" gutless spirituality, Gnostic or otherwise.

As to being "anti-Semitic" or racist, I don't believe that those labels are meaningful in any sense whatsoever. Surely I am NOT "politically correct" and how can any honest person go along with this victimization of truth? I am intelligent and a born Gnostic and I search for the TRUTH no matter what. When I am convinced of something I speak out regardless of whom it might offend.

Since the so called "New World Order" is a conspiracy with deep roots in Jewish Zionism, I speak out about it, because I want to make others aware of what is going on. If that is "anti-Semitism", then I am an "anti-Semite". If it were rooted in "Aryanism" or "pan-Germanism" or American Imperialism, I would speak out and condemn them in the same way.

Germans were, and still are, blamed for going along with National Socialism and that is generally speaking true. And I blame, in the same manner, Jews for going along with Zionism, generally speaking. And I also blame Americans for going along with the Imperialism of Bush and their relationship with Zionism, generally speaking....So then this would make me a "anti-Americanist" as well as an "anti-Semite", right?

If I point out and criticize blacks because of their criminality and anti-white racism, generally speaking, that would make me a "simple" "racist", right?

Well, I believe that since all this is going on in the world and in our "great nation", it is my duty to point all this out, especially since otherwise I would be a cowardly hypocrite and "asshole" as you called me with pious self-righteousness... But the truth is, and I speak again with all honesty, that I do NOT hate or even dislike you Jeremy, nor Jews, nor Americans, nor blacks.

My mistake perhaps, dear Jeremy, is that I am just simply AWAKE and that I trust my-self and my perception of things with the somewhat distant realism of the Gnostic "outsider"....And that I speak and write the TRUTH as I see it. This being the pre-disposition of any true Gnostic, I can simply not delude myself into a "spiritual retreat" and ignore the menace at hand.

If I had lived as an adult during Hitler's Third Reich, I would probably be in a concentration camp or I could have been an ardent nazi and hanged in Nuremberg...And the same applies to Stalin's gulags or being a member of the politburo, only that then I wouldn't have been executed because of "politically correct" hypocrites in the west who would turn a blind eye towards my crimes against humanity...ha, what a world, Jeremy!

But I am here now, in the good old USA, and, hell, I am AWAKE and I be damned if I will keep quiet because of labels applied to me by ignorant young fools.

I am a drummer, Jeremy, and I also know how to blow the fanfare....those are my kinds of instruments...while you play the fiddle, or guitar perhaps... But we all play in the Gnostic orchestra of the infinite God of Love....Please do remember that, Jeremy, even though you refuse me a "membership card".

....And, by the way, Jeremy, I never espoused a belief system that opposes anybody for any reasons! But I do defend belief systems, even Zionism, in the sense that I need to learn and absorb all about them, the details, you know, to be able to understand and AWAKEN the lost born Gnostics caught up in them, as I too could have been one of them!

....So go in peace Jeremy and leave me the hell alone. You are much to young and inexperienced to sit in judgment of me or my web site. Perhaps a little less talk of humility and compassion and more action in these regards would make you a better and more honest man....And PLEASE don't ever CHALLENGE anyone lest YOU be CHALLENGED by the TRUTH...