Goddesses and Gods.wps - Welcome to Our Temple

Gnosticism (Gnost = knowledge) was one of the very earliest forms of Christianity
being some what older then what became the Roman Catholic Church, and one of it's
chief rivals during the first part of the first millennium. They sought communion
with Sige (Silence) who dwelt at the beginning of all things and gave birth to Sophia
(Wisdom or Knowledge), The Gnostic Great Mother, who was both spouse and
mother of God. (Hey! it's how they thought back then, read your Joseph Campbell.)
What became the orthodox church especially hated the Gnostic feminine imagery.
Followers of Paul denounced the Gnostics as the spawn of Satan and ravening wolves
in human form, and both devil worshipers and atheists, and other insults Christians
used against other Christians of a different type in those times, and for that matter
today against other religions that they don't like today.
Starting mainly in the 4th and going through the 8th the Paulist church persecuted
any Gnostic minorities that they could find, killing them in the thousands.
Church fathers of the Paulist type were very upset and angry by the Gnostics
admitting women to ecclesiastical rank. Tertullian reported with horror that "All
initiates, men and women alike might be elected to serve as priest, bishop, or prophet.
Beyond that the women teach, engage in discussion; they exorcise; they cure. They
even baptize and in all way have equally, they pray equally -- even Pagans, if any
happen to come.They also share the kiss of peace with all who come."
Some sects of Gnosticism even went so far as to say that there were twelve female
apostles lead by the beloved of Jesus Mary Magdalene, and that while Jesus was the
real God made flesh, Mary Magdalene was the real Goddess also made flesh, most of
their gospels pertaining to this were destroyed by the early Paulist, though some have
survived.
In return for what the other Christians had to say about them the Gnostics said that
the God of the Roman church was not the real God but was a devilish demiurge who
only wanted to entrap human souls in lies, illusion, and evil.
But what about some of these differences that are to be found between the Gnostics
who had a Yahway and Sophia, and the Paulist who had only Jehovah and Jesus? Lets
take a short look at the Gnostic version of the Garden of Eden myth next.
The Gnostics said that Sophia was born from the primordial female power Sige
(Silence). And that she (Sophia) was God's mother, "the great revered Virgin in whom
the Father was concealed from the beginning before He had created anything. Sophia
gave birth to a male spirit, Christ, (who only much later came to earth in human