I consider myself a post-Christian, but this term really needs defining. A few religions exist that I would consider post-Christian, and both are kindred spirits of mine, Quaker and Unitarian Universalist. I suppose Gnostics could be considered post-Christian in ways – the more universalist Gnostics -but most Gnostics are just heterodox Christians.

As I define it a post-Christian is a person whose spirituality came out of and maintains roots of come sort in Christian thought, in that it never would have evolved that way without Christianity and is shaped thereby, but does not fit into the religious framework of Christianity. Note that I say framework not theology or belief system, let me explain.

A Christian may believe many things on the following subjects, Christ’s Nature, the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the Ressurection, the Second Coming, how to interpret Christ’s Word, etc. A Christian must however have beliefs regarding these things, they make up the religious framework, they are the issues their creeds and institutions address and apply. I personally do not have to have a belief on any of these things, though as we will see in a second on some of them I do.

Well, my beliefs also fall outside the bounds of many other religions and I have personal beliefs and interpretations of the issues of other religions, so why am I not a post-Manichean, or a post-Gnostic? See the creeds and institutions of Christianity are what created my belief system, not of Manichaeanism, or Gnosticism. As a post-Christian I am a product of the Christian framework, yet separate from it and able to adapt Christian, Manichaean, Gnostic, Buddhist, etc, beliefs into my personal belief system, which does not have a necessary framework, thus almost post-Religion in general.

So this is where I arrive on the term post-Christian Gnostic, or perhaps post-Christian Seeker, to avoid the religious connotations of Gnostic. My beliefs are a product of the Christian framework, yet distinct and alien therefrom. Thus post-Christian. In this proccess I have rejected religious frameworks per say and replaced them with truth-seeking as the key factor in establishing spiritual beliefs. So I call myself a post-Christian Gnostic Seeker.