If you have not read Elaine Pagels book, "Beyond Belief", you should make the effort to do so. It is the incredible story of how early Christians believed many of the things we talk about on this board, and how the New Testament was put together as a way to keep Christianity together as a unified body. There were many "gospels" other than the big four that made the cut, and some of these were discovered over the last century. The language that many of the writers used in these other "gnostic" gospels, is incredibly similar to the words and concepts many of us use here.

Absolutely true. As I read this book, I was constantly being surprised by the words, symbols and concepts that many Christians held in the century or two after Jesus' death.  The truth is there were many sects within the faith, too many in fact. So They sorted them out to create the canon of four that we have now.  many of the other gospels that have since been found in Egypt and elsewhere were so similar to the "New Age" belief system that it is shocking. Even, as you say, the words that they used were so similar. Yet these were culled out because they did not support the story told by the four "synoptic" gospels. The stories told by the gospels of Thomas, Mary Magdeline and others told of a direct connection between us and God, and the ability to create a personal relationship with the creator. Of course, these did not match up with the "Jesus as gatekeeper" ideology that the gospel of John touts, so they were suppressed.

"History repeats the old conceits,
The glib replies, the same defeats,
Keep your eye on important issues,
With crocodile tears and a pocket full of tissues..."

...I look to you beyond belief!