Introduction
Religion could be considered one of the first peoples attempts to cognize the world that surrounds us and give answers to the most important questions related to the nature of life, the origin of the Universe, rules that regulate its existence, etc. It appeared as primitive beliefs of tribes living in different areas. For this reason, ancient cults were not homogeneous in their nature and origin. Moreover, they promoted worshiping to different powers. Thus, in the process of evolution, these beliefs transformed into complex and structured religions with their rituals, ceremonies, and perspectives on the nature of God. However, the above-mentioned convergences preserved and become the main distinguishing criteria that were used to create different confessions and sects. For instance, being one of the most popular religions in the world, Christianity incorporates numerous perspectives on the nature of God and creation, and Gnostic and Christian views are one of them.
Gnostic Views
Gnosticism could be determined as a set of religious ideas and beliefs which state that God is split and the world is created by the emanation of this supreme creature, but not himself (Farrelly 54). Moreover, Gnostics also believes that our world is split too as there are dark and light aspects of our existence. For this reason, the supreme God is not the creator as he is not able to give birth to imperfect things. Gnostics also postulate that humanity is divided. There are doomed and evil people who are opposed to those who possess a divine spark that comes from the supreme God, gnosis, and know the right way to live and the truth.
Niceness Views
These ideas about the creation and the nature of God are often opposed to Nicene ones. People who adhere to this very perspective are sure that there is only one God who is the creator of all things starting from the Universe and ending with every creature living on the planet. Furthermore, according to this very theory, God cares about the world and creates things by the power of his will (Farrelly 78). It also means that all objects are initially good as they are the result of Gods creativity and his intention to care about his children.
Comparison
Comparing these two perspectives, we could state that they are extremely different and suggest diametrically opposed perspectives on the creation of this world. When Gnostics are sure that God, the world, and humanity are split, the Nicene vision suggests the concept of Gods oneness. Furthermore, contrasting these theories, it is crucial to touch upon the nature of objects created by God. Gnostics are sure that there are both good and evil phenomena as the world is the result of Gods emanation activity. At the same time, the Nicene view presupposes that all things are initially good because of the great power of the creator who cares about this world and acts with a purpose to do good to people. These differences precondition the great divergence in the above-mentioned perspectives.
Conclusion
Altogether, we could state that among other ideas about God and creation, Gnosticism and Nicene views should be taken as opposite ones. They proclaim that God is split and should not be confused with the creator and, at the same time, that there is only one supreme creature in the world correspondingly. The differences in these approaches precondition the great divergence in these views and the existence of different perspectives on God.
Work Cited
Farrelly, John. Belief in God in Our Time. Michael Glazier Books, 1992.