I am working from the Marx idea that the bourgeoisie operates from a fundamental “inversion” (mirroring the religion it prefers and has had a hand in making). The Catholic Church evolved its teachings to reflect the Roman State – and to do this it demonised and rejected the Gnostic tradition. However, if my hunch is correct, I suspect a duality is in effect within Gnosticism – which was rejected by the Catholics for just one-side of the equation (the world-denying segment). The bourgeoisie want all the worldly political power to themselves – and so their preferred religion must divert the mind of the workers to an imagined non-existent destination that is merely “wished” for from here. The Gnostic, on the other other hand, developed a sophisticated oscillating effect which teaches adherents to circulate from one extreme to the other – until both are reconciled. Inward “looking” and outward “discipline” are te tools for the Gnostic. As for the eviscerated religionists – they must simply remain impotent in the face of State power and “imagine” their salvation.
