Gnosticism was more than Christian heresy. There was other non-Christian variations of it. Having read a lot of these texts, especially the Nag Hammadi library, it is very bizarre to say the least. The general consensus was the material world was evil and a prison of the spirit created by a malevolent entity.
I personally don’t see how someone who is skeptical of the Bible can view any of these texts as being more credible.
Don’t liberals, more or less, believe the same thing? They think capitalism and material goods is an evil of the world and, if everybody lived like communists, where we gave up material goods and we live as complete equals?
Every movement of liberalism today involves purity. If you’re not pure, you’re going to be exorcised from society.
I think it’s what Bible prophecies as the power of God, but lacking the morality of God.