Gnosticism and other weird strains of Christianity are, I think, the only things that have kept me fascinated with Christianity
since I stopped considering myself a 'Christian.' While I have yet to philosophize on Christ and all the strangeness that
surrounds him as thoroughly as I'd like, I still think that there's some truth to the notion of a messiah, if only because
mankind has consistently proven that its bad streak seems to grossly outweigh its good one, and therefore needs
some semblance of redemption. Of course, it could be several years of being surrounded by Christian dogma talking, but whatever the case, I simply cannot deny the value of the Christ-ideal.

Not to say that most of the people passing themselves off as Christians, especially in America, have anything to do with
my notions about ol' working-class Yeshua of Nazareth. No, fundamentalism does nothing but scare me- on several levels- and does absolutely for the virtues of scholarship and well-reasoned theological/philosophical thought, and I think that Christ would (or is, depending on what you believe) be quite depressed by how those who claim to dedicate their lives to him act. At least, that's what I like to think; one of my biggest unfounded fears is that the fundamentalists are right, and while I have no proof, or belief, that they're any more correct than I am, I still worry. Most of the time, I think it's old-fashioned religious guilt at work, but I cannot help but wonder am I right or am I wrong, and what will happen to me if I'm wrong?

A pox upon any faith or philosophy that makes a man doubt the validity of his own introspection.

np: Cathedral, "Astral Queen" (from Endtyme. This song forces one to make a journey across the plain/plane of the soul, and
for that it will always remain one of the best mellowing-out songs I've ever heard... even by Cathedral's own standards.)