>>725941
>What is Gnosticism?
Gnosticism is an early Christian (or some would argue they cannot be considered Christian at all) sect (or rather school of thought, as there were many different Gnostic sects) that usually has the following characteristics:
- Rejecting the Old Testament
- Believing that the God who created the world, the Demiurge, is an evil God and not the greater divinity that we must worship
- As a direct consequence of the above: all material things are evil, and only the spiritual matters, since material things are made by the Demiurge but spiritual things are made by the better, original God (called the Monad or the One).
- As such, Jesus did not come down to give us salvation from sin or to be crucified to destroy death, but rather to hand down secret teachings on how to let go of the material world. The term "Gnosticism" comes from "gnosis", meaning knowledge - hidden arcane knowledge is a big thing for them.
>Why is there so many fractions of Christianity and do all of them lead to Heaven?
Because people disagree on how to interpret the Bible, how to express our experience of God properly, and what the inherited teachings of the Apostles are (if such a thing matters at all).
Catholics and Orthodox would say that the Catholic Church or the Orthodox Church is the one true Church that alone gives salvation. However those who are outside of it are not automatically condemned, but we can't really know how they would be saved - it's safer to join the Church either way. Protestants would be more lax and consider that anyone who has faith in Christ can be saved, although ironically some would say that Catholics and Orthodox have strayed too far from the gospel and so they cannot be saved where they are.
>Can any Sin be Forgiven?
Any sin can be forgiven, except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which is to see the goodness of God and believe it is demonic (such as what the Pharisees did in Matthew 12:24, prompting Jesus's teaching on the unforgivable sin in 12:31-32). Such a person sees the ultimate goodness and is convinced that they are seeing the ultimate evil. Their heart is too far from God for them to be able to come back to repentance. The sin is unforgivable because someone guilty of it simply is unable to ask for forgiveness anymore.
>How many times should I pray and any sort of prayers?
I'm Orthodox so I'll give you an Orthodox perspective. At home, most people pray 2 times a day, in the morning and evening, or 3 times, with prayers at noon. We pray before and after meals. Some people follow a shortened version of the Divine Office, with the following payers:
- Vespers at 6pm
- Compline at 9pm
- Midnight Office at midnight
- Matins at 3am
- First Hour at 6am
- Third Hour at 9am
- Sixth Hour at noon
- Ninth Hour at 3pm
That aside, we gather to church on Sundays to do the Divine Liturgy (called the Mass in Catholicism).
>Do I need a Cross?
People are given a cross at their baptism, to symbolically remember to "wear their cross" (see Matthew 16:24, which has a more gruesome implication).
Of course, you don't -need- to wear a cross to be a Christian, and you don't -need- to wait until baptism to wear a cross.
>And anything I should refrain from?
I doubt a short and unbiased list can be given here. Read the scriptures to see how the people of God has expressed their experience of God throughout the ages, which includes what we should aim for.
>And can you keep asking for forgiveness for a certain sin you keep committing?
It is ideal to stop forever a sin after we are forgiven, but sadly it's difficult. That is why many churches offer confession every Sunday before Mass.
Of course, ask for forgiveness even if it is a sin you struggle with. Ask for forgiveness even if you do not feel it in yourself to stop - God will give you the grace to repent.
>your picture
I disagree with what this says (or at least implies) but this isn't a thread for me to shill Orthodoxy. I do need to point out that what this picture says does not represent all of Christianity and there are others here who will find it problematic.
If you are interested in conversion, or at least inquiry… Read the Bible. Start with the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), then read it from the first book (Genesis) to the last (Revelation) keeping in mind what you read in the gospels (and it will also clarify the gospels themselves).
At the same time, go to church. Unless you already have your mind on a particular sect of Christianity, check out different churches of different denominations to see how they worship, and at the same time do research on what they believe. You can ask questions to the priest/pastor too.