The Cathars protested the moral, spiritual and political corruption of the Catholic Church. The Cathars wanted to form their own independent church. The Cathars claimed an apostolic succession to the early founders of Christianity, and felt that Rome had corrupted the original purity of the Apostles’ message.

The Cathars’ concept of Jesus is docetistic. The Cathars felt that Jesus was a manifestation of spirit, unbounded by the limitations of matter. Catharism completely rejected the Old Testament, and held the Gospel of John as their sacred text. Like other Gnostic groups, the Cathars held that the Old Testament God was synonymous with the devil, and proclaimed that there was another, higher, True God. The Cathars also held a maltheistic world-view, claiming that this present world was hell. Catharism taught that there was nothing to fear after death, except for reincarnation. Cathars also reject the trinity and the Eucharist.

Catharism appears to be a peaceful Gnostic religion. So peaceful, in fact, that the Cathars earned the nickname of “Western Buddhists” due to their views of non-violence and reincarnation.

The Mystic Christ    by Ethan Walker III The light of non-duality and the path of love according to the life and teachings of Jesus. The Gnostic path is the inner path to God-realization. Buddha, Krishna, Jesus and the other great Masters are all one and in essence taught the same thing.