Word: mandaean
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Today Gnosticism survives as a living religion only among the Mandaean marsh dwellers of Iraq. But Robinson believes that the Gnostic world view has had a kind of underground existence throughout Western civilization, surfacing in such classics of existential despair as Albert Camus' The Stranger as well as among today's alienated youths. Says Robinson: "The Gnostics were colossal dropouts who opted for an otherworldly escape...
...have long been known in the Middle Eastern world-the Koran lists them with the Christians and Jews as worthy of special consideration. And they have survived the bloody centuries partly because of their exclusive faith and their horror of conflict, partly by going underground. "If persecuted," instructs a Mandaean text, "say, 'We belong to you.' But do not confess him in your hearts, or deny the voice of your Master, the high King of Light." The Christian Demons. Together with the King of Light, the Mandaeans worship the Great Life, which takes the form of the "living...
Nonetheless, they anticipate his return to destroy all religions except the Mandaean...
...present, the Mandaeans do their best to perform their daily water rituals and to exorcise evil spirits. Mandaean demons are bad enough, but Moslem or Christian ones are worse. If after an exorcism, an evil spirit departs on time he is known for a Mandaean-but if he hangs on after the limit, he is probably Moslem or Christian, and the possessed victim is in for a rough time...
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