The Dread Legion vol.III

[Caid Ivik]

Welcome for a third time, champions of darkness!

Today comes time to turn the view and point the PTD (perverted thoughts detector) into our own phalanges. To be sure, Roman Catholic Church already made dominicans and jesuites to do such work, but it seems it is a fight against windmills. As first two parts were showing antitheism as destructive philosophy, third one will show other heresies, which are based on theism, to be sure, catholic theism.

First of all were gnostics. This ascetic movement came in first 4 centuries AD, later as a response against christianity adopted by the Roman Empire. They teached dualism, fatal differences between matter and spirit, later many times condemned by Pope as a lowering of God's art - the creation - not saying about misunderstanding of Church's definition of evil. Gnostics thought, that with elimination of matter, sinful opposition to spirit, they will find truth. Selfmade poverty was for them only real way to find the way to salvation. Early gnostics perished with the order of St Benedict, which made an organised system of brotherhood. Roman era ended with dark age of barbarian hordes. Fortified monasteries could resist, lone ascetics usually lost even that few their fanatically dualistic doctrine allowed.

Gnosticism inspired many other heretics in the Church history. Between else, manicheists in Persia, bohomils on Balkan or, considered as most vile, catars in France, which nearly negated life as a thing of spirit. Catars led massacres of people to bring them to "their place" in day and sexual orgies at night to find a "higher spiritual stage". It can be said that early and medieval times of Church were influented by eastern thoughts, especially by zoroastrism. Or were adopted as an opposition to pharisistic judaism, about which can sound some Jesus' comments rather confusing.

Dualistic thoughts became alive again with swiss politician Johannes Calvin. He started a new way, known as the "purism", lifestyle "cleaned" of evil influences. As people were banishing all pleasures, they started to see evil itself in earthly matter. Purism hit also England and then early anglosaxon north american colonies. But with time, thank God, people lost this twisted zeal.

Eastern philosophical inflitration can be also felt in theories of Master Eckhard, general vicar of dominicans for Holy Roman Empire on the early 14th century. Today, as well as before, is his teaching considered as only mystical, altough some points may sound as dreadful heresy. For him isn't matter evil; it isn't. We can posses it only because of God's mercy. Not only matter, but also soul itself isn't valuable for Eckhard. Even Jesus himself wasn't for him a more divine mercy as any other human. Archbishop of Kolln accused him in 1326 of heresy, but Pope refused. Despite its nearly hinduistical sounding, Eckhard can from one view show the core of God.

His thoughts were a base for first nationalists like Wycleff, Hus, Savonarola or Luther. All four (first three sacrificing their life) catch this as a powerful political weapon: it brought such equality, that philosophy of divine power, on which were hold thrones throughout whole Europe, had no arguments. Especially Hus in Bohemia and Savonarola in Florentia caused fear of Papacy, losing its power. Savonarola nearly caused a popular crusade against Rome, until House Medici ended his efforts. Luther about twenty years later fully parted from Church. I can say, with full right...

Altough nationalistic christianity brought the Holy Word to masses, which had no idea about latin (this problem was actual even since the first missions, that's why many slavonic nations, i.e.Great Moravia, preferred byzantine patriarch when calling for missionaries), later it brought a more oil into fire of internal Church stability. Religious unease allowed Turks to besiege Wien, while after century these senseless clashes, like if Bible can be translated, led to full turn from God. 18th century proclaimed itself as a new beginning, without God, with human mind as highest being.

And this is since today. While all gnostics now prefer eastern sects or drugs, nationalists in our Church cause still more and more hostility towards not only non-christian religions, but also orthodox and protestant churches. Many national churches proclaimed themselves as souverenne, Church senselessly condemned them. In times of WW2 we've seen the worst parts: clerofascism in Spain and Slovakia, system, where feudal hierarchism of the medieval times arised again in totalitarian form. Altough slovak president of the WW2 state, catholic priest Jozef Tiso, was many times degraduated by Vatican for his antisemitic and nationalistic acts, even after "aggiorgamento" (opening) philosophy of John XXIII., he has many followers, including our archbishop Jan Sokol.

That everything maybe my view of dreadists inside us. To sum up, human mind can create a bizzare things sometimes. All our history is led by one point, searching for a questions like "why?" or "what?". But I can say that despite it led many people by wrong ways off morale, it did also many improvements in our philosophy. And there can't and shouldn't be anything done to stop it. As says statement 285 of catechism, this searching makes us human.

[Acriku]

All gnostics are fools, as everyone is agnostic.

[Caid Ivik]

To be sure, antignostic doesn't have to be that what we call agnostic...

[Acriku]

Antignostic = against knowing? I'm not sure what this word means.

[Caid Ivik]

We can't take so puristic translations. If we would, as "catholic" we can talk about anyone. Gnostics are one movement, agnostics are something else, but not really opposed. Gnosticism searches the way of self-salvation, agnosticism tells there is no salvation. Opposer of gnostic movement means there is other way of salvation, i.e. with cooperation with God's mercy.

[Egeides]

Caid, you're talking about Eastern philosophies that emerge in the 14th century, and you say Luther got influenced by it. Can you detail? Which sources do you have?

[Caid Ivik]

Hm, can you be more exact? I've said that Luther was influented by Eckhard, he was a German, no Hind...

DL is based on my thoughts with various sources I've encountered through my life, so I can't say. Vladimir Kubran?