Good morning to you Sir.
I know it's difficult (as you noted) for you to write. So I for one sure do appreciate the time and the trouble you've gone to in posting your post.
Full disclosure: I spent a good deal of time this morning looking up and trying to learn a little bit about Gnostic beliefs i.e. no point in having a discussion about something that I know absolutely nothing about. Suffice to say: yet again I've learned something new (albeit on a very cursory level).
My issue remains and my search continues though (and my use of the word "issue" doesn't mean I have an issue with you or your beliefs i.e. it's in reference to my personal issue with all of this that we're debating). Even Gnostic's (as I understand it anyway and from my cursory reading on the topic) are to rely on, or incorporate, "belief" and "faith" and the existence of a "supreme being". In other words: even with being a Gnostic you have to make the assumption that there is some truth to biblical (and/or other religious) texts and that all is not merely folklore that's been passed down century after century and based on "beliefs" that originated as a result of the people of the time not being able to make sense of certain phenomena and, apparently, it's a human trait that we have to be able to "make sense" of things (or find patterns in things as another example) e.g. weather or climate phenomena and changes. We know today, for example, that if a small meteor hits the earth somewhere in some remote place: it just happened as a result of a piece of rock barreling its way through the earth's atmosphere and burning up on the way down (and if a piece makes it to the ground then there's an explosion and a crater formed). But go back thousands and thousands of years and without this knowledge: in all probability it'd be perceived as one or the other "supreme being" or "God" being angry and raining down fire on the earth. That being said: it again comes down to maybe the way all of this has been taught over the centuries. The occurrence of the (a) great flood can be (to a certain extent) proved today. It happened (to a greater or lesser degree). But as for Noah and the ark? We'd not even be able to pull off saving all the animals on the planet "two-by-two" with the technology of TODAY let alone a few thousand years ago.
Anyway. That's my comments (for now).
Once again: your post and effort is very much appreciated.
Please have a look at this information and know that Gnostic Christians think that the literal reading of myths, even our own, is a really foolish thing to do.
I hope you can see how intelligent the ancients were as compared to the mental efforts that modern preachers and theists are using with the literal reading of myths.
https://bigthink.com/videos/what-is-god-2-2
Further.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/03132009/watch.html
Rabbi Hillel, the older contemporary of Jesus, said that when asked to sum up the whole of Jewish teaching, while he stood on one leg, said, "The Golden Rule. That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the Torah.
And everything else is only commentary. Now, go and study it."
Please listen as to what is said about the literal reading of myths.
"Origen, the great second or third century Greek commentator on the Bible said that it is absolutely impossible to take these texts literally. You simply cannot do so. And he said, "God has put these sort of conundrums and paradoxes in so that we are forced to seek a deeper meaning."
Matt 7;12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
This is how early Gnostic Christians view the transition from reading myths properly to destructive literal reading and idol worship.
Regards
DL
