Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

IALDABOATH (aka 'Yaldabaoth')

The Gnostic's Creator demiurge. The name means "born of chaos" and is most likely derived from yalda which means "child" and bohu meaning "void"). Even in Gnostic thought, Ialdabaoth is little more than a Demon, for the world is seen as a creation of evil untouched by the true God, who dwells far away - who, then, Yahweh is supposed to be is another question altogether, outside of context.

see also: GNOSTICISM

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc