American Gnostic Church

The American Gnostic Church is a new religious movement based on the teachings of Aleister Crowley.

It was incorporated in November, 1985 by Rev. James M. Martin as an offshoot of the Ordo Templi Baphe-Metis, with which it is still associated. Martin, who took on the title of Knight of the Pentagram when he founded the organization, and later Knight-Servant in 1986, is currently the church's Grand Master.

The church follows the Thelemic teachings and rituals of Aleister Crowley, as well as his "The Book of the Law". It also includes among its scriptures the "Pistis Sophia" and the other works found in the Nag Hammadi library, and the more recent "Liber Leviathan vel Tiamant-Opus". It also claims an "astral link" to the Ordo Templi Orientis through ancient shamanism practices, and also the Ophites, Cathari, and Knights Templar.

The church lays particular emphasis on five principles: antinomianism, docetism, pantheism, polytheism, and magick. It ascribes the existence of evil to the attempt to mix the opposing principles of matter and spirit. The goals of the church's members is to be freed from the physical world.

All members who have reached the eighth degree within the church accept Christ, which the church calls the Savior, as the redeemer, and believe that to be the sole reason he appeared in mortal flesh. They renounce the man Jesus, mainstream Christianity, and all the laws laid out by the God of the Old Testament. It specifically embraces libertinism over asceticism.

The church's periodical is the "Aurea Flamma", published in Corpus Christi, Texas.

References

*Lewis, James R. "The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions". Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1998. ISBN 1-57392-222-6.