h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Proofing - In paragraph 1 you capitalize initiates and later do not.
You have a sentence that says that revelation is "also a divine gift" and I'm not following why you use "also". (Which probably means that I'm not following the sentence.) Openess - openness(US)

Paragraph 2 - In it(s) origins.

Otherwise a really interesting entry. So are you saying that churches that choose to be independent in governance, but would be comfortable in reciting the Apostle's Creed (f they recited anything) are gnostic?

Thanks for the proofing.

I hope I am not confusing independent governance and gnosticism. I had better go and check!

I doubt it. It was your reference to Christian Churches outside of Orthodoxy as suffering from gnosticism (or at least ones that don't regularly recite the Apostles or Nicene Creed). I agree that a lot of independent/non-mainline churches may fall into the trap of gnosticism - believing that they (and only they) have real insight into the truth of Scripture. But there are also a large number of Christian Churches that are not affiliated with a mainline denomination or Orthodoxy that have separated themselves not because they feel that they have some special truth but, largely because of preferences - they practise their faith differently.

At my church, we don't even recite the Lord's Prayer regularly. It is a very different service from a traditional mainline or, I imagine, an Orthodox service. But we know that there are Christians everywhere, not just in our own church, and we seek to support the activities of a larger group of believers - whatever the label on their faith.

I'm guessing that you didn't mean all Christian churches that don't recite the Creeds but I just wanted to ask.

I think the point I was intending to make was that churches that refuse to engage in open debate about the truths that God's has revealed to them were Gnostic.

Presumably different worship styles are the result of different forms of revelation to different people. Some people find God through hand-waving others don't. Similarly others want two hours of communal silence and others don't. Others want corporate dialogues and others don't. If any group is going to claim that it has access to divine truth (and thereby get extra people in) but refuse other people's gift of discernment, then there is a problem.

The creed thing is about a willingness to engage with it, not about how often it is said.

I will make the changes right now (since this one, at least, is quick).

Much better.