Many Christians believe their religion has always been a unified community of devotees. They trust in the idea that the books chosen for the bible retell God's word with perfect accuracy. They also think that church clergymen teach the valid interpretation of His word. Richard Smoley portrays a very different picture of Christianity in his book Forbidden Faith.

This work chronicles the history of Gnosticism and other esoteric faiths since Christ's death. Smoley also uncovers the controversy and mainstream clerical confabulations about this alleged savior's life and resurrection, while diagnosing the reasons for much of contemporary Christianity's Aristotelian emptiness.

According to Smoley, Gnostics believe in one true God. However, they also think that a lesser celestial being, known as the "Demiurge," created our imperfect universe. Our bodies, the world, and all the vices we mistakenly cling to come from the Demiurge's initial mistake. Gnostics also believe that each individual should seek their own intimate connection with the one, incomprehensible God who underlies reality-rather than worshiping the church's Demiurge.

Ancient and contemporary Gnosticism differ greatly. This is due to the fact that today's historians can only estimate the nature of older Gnostics. The Catholic and Orthodox churches have systematically marginalized any differing ideas about Christ as "heresies" over the past 2000 years. In turn, these institutions have tortured and killed millions of individuals, whom they branded heretics. Certain American churches continue this legacy of anti- Christian behavior by calling any Christian group that doesn't adhere to their beliefs a "cult." Despite all this persecution, some of the Gnostic legacy remains.

Smoley has a knack for keeping potentially boring subject matter engrossing. He shows readers how esoteric belief systems like those of the Kabbalah and Masonry have developed to fill a void created by church idiosyncrasies. Fairly recent films and books have portrayed Gnostic-like conceptualizations of the personal quest for atonement with a mysterious, true God. Smoley also provides detailed comparisons of the Gnostic ideology and contemporary stories like The Matrix.

For a sobering read about Christian plurality, check out Forbidden Faith at a Douglas County Library. If you prefer fiction, Jodi Picoult's best-selling novel Change of Heart describes Gnostic beliefs amid and interesting plot as well.