XVI THE CHURCH
- What is the Church?
The Church is the assembly of all reasonable spirits which recognize Christ the Saviour as their head.
- How is the Church divided up?
Into two parts: the heavenly or pleromatic part and the earthly part.
- Therefore all the Church is not visible to us?
No, the greatest part of the Church is invisible; only the small portion which is on earth is visible to us.
- What is the Church also called?
It is also called: kingdom of God, kingdom of heaven, kingdom of light.
- Who is the chief priest of the kingdom of light and of the universal Church?
It is Christ the Saviour and there are no others.
- What are the main qualities of the invisible Church?
The invisible Church is one, holy catholic and indestructible.
- What do you mean when you say that the Church is one?
I mean that the Church is one because it forms only one organized body, having only one head, a single sacred science and all the members of which are united amongst themselves by the same charity and all obey the same moral laws.
- Why do you say that the Church is holy?
Because its head is the Holy of Holies and all its members are Holy.
- Why do you say that the Church is catholic?
Because it includes all the beings of the spiritual and material world which, in all times, remained or became again followers of the Savoiur.
- Why do you say that the Church is indestructible?
Because it has always existed and always will exist.
- What is the visible Church?
It is the earthly Assembly or Society which recognizes and has always recognized Christ the Saviour as the head of the Pleroma and as its head.
- Are the characters of the visible Church similar to those of the invisible Church?
They ought to be; but unfortunately they are not entirely so. The members of the visible Church agree on certain points of doctrine, but do not agree on others; they are divided into several fragments or orthodoxies: (Greek, Armenian, Coptic, Old Catholic, Roman, Anglican, etc…) each one claiming to be right and saying the others are wrong. The most proud of these portions of the visible Church is without question the Roman Church; it is this one, too, which has always allied itself the most with the princes of this world.
- What is the role of the Gnostic Church?
It is to preach a doctrine which is that of the higher human race, which has not been corrupted by the ideas of the semitocushitic races and which conforms the most faithfully to the universal tradition and the teaching of Christ the Saviour. It is finally to work according to its means to the unification of the orthodoxies; to join together all men of good will who are outside of the visible Church and to deserve by this to be truly catholic.