Determinism & Apocolypse: the Grim Irony of Our Fortunate Fall

[David Morris]

I think that there are two very different ways that Calvinism (with
the inclusion of Voegelin's focus on Puritanism)  and Gnosticism can
be compared:

1.  First similarity:  Alienation from the World:  Both believe that
the world we inhabit is inherently evil, or at least deeply flawed,
and seek a way to escape it:

The Gnostic world is the creation of an identity called the
"Demiurge," essentially a rebellious (or merely ignorant) spirit who
created the present world, entrapping the divine within a flawed
materiality.

Calvinist believe that this world, though created by the true God, has
fallen into the possession/rulership of Satan by way of the
disobedience of Adam & Eve, and that ever since the fall of man all of
creation is plagued by death and inherent sin.

The difference between the two is the means of escape from this
inherently evil world.  Gnostic's think they can get back to the pure
God through "gnosis," which usually involves meditation and some form
of withdrawal from the world.  Calvinists (but more accurately
Protestants) believe faith in Jesus Christ gives salvation which will
be realized with the end of this world and the return of Christ.

2.  Second similarity (only if you focus on Puritanism):
Immanentizing the eschaton (thanks to Alice's posts)

"Immanentizing the eschaton" means "bringing forth from within the end
of the world."

Or as the late WF Buckley defined it "“Eschaton means, roughly, the
final things in the order of time; immanentize means, roughly, to
cause to inhere in time. So that to immanentize the eschaton is to
cause to inhere in the worldly experience and subject to human
dominion that which is beyond time and therefore extraworldly. To
attempt such a thing is to deny the transcendence of God; to assume
that Utopia is for this world.”

Gnostics believe this is possible (in a purely personal way) through
gnosis, noted above.

Puritans didn't literally believe in  "Immanentizing the eschaton,"
but by separating themselves and attempting to live personal lives
which manifested their internally purified souls, it could be said
they were attempting to do so.

In GR the Calvinist concept of predestination is spun on its head in
order to focus on the doomed and their place in this inherently evil
world.

David Morris


On Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 9:31 AM, Joseph Tracy <brook7 at sover.net> wrote:
> I can  see Pynchon's gnosticism or how that tradition could be applied to him( it's not a tight fit as for P Dick or Elrond Hubbard), but I don't see much correlation of gnosticism to Calvinism. Calvinism is identity based and
 Gnosticism is knowledge based. Calvinism is aggressively
proselytizing, Gnosticism more like a secret club of those who know.
Clavinism sees history and authorities as ordained by God, Gnosticim
sees history and authorities as under the control of the demiGod. What
you are left with is the spirit/flesh division. The philosophy there
is similar, but plays out differently with Calvinists seeking to
repress and control the flesh through judgemental institutions and
harsh law and gnostics making it a matter of personal discipline and
spiritual advancement.
>
> On Oct 2, 2009, at 9:13 AM, David Morris wrote:
>
>> But the essence of Gnosticism and its relation to Calvinism is in both of their theologies, and specifically their understanding of the spiritual origins of the cosmos in relation to its present state, and how to escape it.