In his first talk at the Mere Simulacrity conference in Phoenix, Arizona, in December 2022, Dr. James Lindsay introduced the idea that there is a long, running current of “Secret Religions” in the West. These are the Modern and Postmodern manifestations of the Esoteric Religions like Gnosticism and Hermeticism as they developed through what we might consider the Middle Age’s “New Age” period, famously codified by G.W.F. Hegel. In the second lecture in his “Secret Religions of the West” series, Dr. Lindsay explains that these “philosophies,” including Marxism, are actually mystical Esoteric cult religions posing as science, economics, and politics, and that their success in infiltrating our religions, societies, and institutions is down to their intrinsically parasitical nature. They mimic and illegitimately claim the language and structure of the things they pretend to be and bring destruction and madness into the void they create. Join him to understand not only this but how the “handshaking” balance between Reason and Faith is the only way to stop Gnosis.
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Peter Kellow
Phew!. This takes some following. He jumps around all over the place. I will listen to the end but so far he seems to be setting up “mysticism” for a fall with Christianity as the mainstay we should all go with. He says mysticism is gnosticism which so far he has not defined. Gnosticism is looking inwards to find truth quite simply – “knowing internally”. Gnosticism with a big “G” refers to a number of early AD cults mainly around Alexandria. He passes over a crucial point about this which is that this lead to monasticism in the Egyptian desert which was all about making Christianity look inwards for revelation. And monasticism was what made North European Christianity and what differentiates it from southern Catholicism. This has become more pronounced with the reformation. I won’t go on for now but I really think there is something we need for the true Hermeticism that is really quite beautiful. Some smart people in the Renaissance certainly thought so and they cannot be dismissed. Lindsay slips up when he puts Alexandrian thought BEFORE Hermeticism. I love the fact that he is bringing all this stuff together but the narrative from what I have heard needs a lot of tightening up. For the record, Marx, the new world order and wokists are primarily corporatists not Gnostics. I will follow the rest but I hope it starts to come together properly
Terence
This ties in with a 2nd hand book I have read before – The Serpent and the Cross by Alan Morrison. Thanks be to God, the Lord of Hosts, for this revelation.
Peter Kellow
My comment on this excellent piece that I posted yesterday has been censured. It was a good well-informed statement. If we cannot accept reasoned discussion we are truly lost
AW Harding
Thanks Peter. I wish i could read your full comment. I agree that the presentation has a difficult style, but James does comment in an earlier presentation that his grasp of the material has not formed fully. My intellectual tradition has been marxist, but i realised that post modernism does deal with the complexity of identity. James is drawing on literature that explains how other knowledge traditions hide in so called western thought – in plain sight. The mysticism in marx appeals. The influence of Dugin has made these knowledge traditions fashionable, even if they are problematic.
Kevin Archibald
Peter is right. His comment should not have been dismissed in this manor. His thoughts can be accepted, rejected, or corrected buy the reviewer. Please repost it with an apology.