# NT Apocrypha Authority



## KMK (Dec 4, 2009)

Are there cults/religions that view books like "The History of Joseph the Carpenter" and the Gospel of Thomas as authoritative?


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## nate895 (Dec 4, 2009)

There are modern Gnostics, so I'd guess that these have authority in those small circles. I also saw _The Gnostic Bible_ at a local Barnes & Noble in the Christian section, so they might have some influence elsewhere.


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## toddpedlar (Dec 4, 2009)

I think what's more prevalent is modern professing Christians who hold the Bible in such poor repute that things like the Gospel of Thomas are in relative terms placed on the same level for them. I once saw a talk by Elaine Pagels on her neo-Gnostic convictions concerning Thomas, and relgion faculty that I know eating it up like nobody's business. For them, Thomas is every bit as authoritative as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John... for them, they all tell equally accurately the life of Christ and the disciples.


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## KMK (Dec 4, 2009)

toddpedlar said:


> I think what's more prevalent is modern professing Christians who hold the Bible in such poor repute that things like the Gospel of Thomas are in relative terms placed on the same level for them. I once saw a talk by Elaine Pagels on her neo-Gnostic convictions concerning Thomas, and relgion faculty that I know eating it up like nobody's business. For them, Thomas is every bit as authoritative as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John... for them, they all tell equally accurately the life of Christ and the disciples.



This is an amazing phenomenon to me. I heard an off the cuff comment recently that Jesus buried Joseph as it says in The History of Joseph the Carpenter. He stated it as fact.


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## Osage Bluestem (Dec 4, 2009)

In agreement with Todd, many of the mainlines and offshoot liberal denominations have members and leaders who do not believe the bible is what it claims, and simply use the parts of it they like as a guide to get a general idea about what the early church wanted to teach about Christ, but they do not believe it is the written Word of God. They criticize it to great detail and give it virtually no authority over the conscience. They reference their philosophical and scientific learning in regard to the contemporary social structure and come up with their relative path to follow. Many of them use not just any old Christian source they can get their hands on, but they use documentation from pagan religions as well as poetry and philosophical musings and song lyrics.

I once on a Sunday morning heard a female PC-USA Pastor preach from the "wisdom" of the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen.

I guess you could call their authority Sola Satisfacta or something.


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## Mushroom (Dec 4, 2009)

> I once on a Sunday morning heard a female PC-USA Pastor preach from the "wisdom" of the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen.


You mean to say the Boss is not a modern-day prophet?


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## Osage Bluestem (Dec 4, 2009)

Brad said:


> > I once on a Sunday morning heard a female PC-USA Pastor preach from the "wisdom" of the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen.
> 
> 
> You mean to say the Boss is not a modern-day prophet?



Apparently he is a secret sage with a hidden reputation beyond repute among those with a secret gnosis. Kinda like Ghandi, Bob Marley, and Seinfeld of course.


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