Christians are ESOTERIC?
Jesus did possess intellectual and esoteric knowledge of spiritual things?
Sorta reminds me of
Fundamentalist:
[n] a supporter of fundamentalism
[adj] (theology) of or relating to or tending toward fundamentalism
Fundamentalism:
[n] the interpretation of every Word in the Bible as literal truth
Christians are neither liberal nor conservative.
Fundamentalism is not based upon the concepts of this world but is based upon the concepts of God!
GNOSTIC:
WordNet Dictionary
Definition:
[n] an advocate of gnosticism
[adj] possessing intellectual or esoteric knowledge of spiritual things
[adj] of or relating to Gnosticism; "Gnostic writings"
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
Definition: \Gnos"tic\, a.
1. Knowing; wise; shrewd. [Old Slang]
2. (Eccl. Hist.) Of or pertaining to Gnosticism or its
adherents; as, the Gnostic heresy.
\Gnos"tic\, n. [L. gnosticus, Gr. ? good at knowing,
sagacious; as a n., man that claims to have a deeper wisdom,
fr. gignw`skein to know: cf. F. gnostique. See {Know}.]
(Eccl. Hist.)
One of the so-called philosophers in the first ages of
Christianity, who claimed a true philosophical interpretation
of the Christian religion. Their system combined Oriental
theology and Greek philosophy with the doctrines of
Christianity. They held that all natures, intelligible,
intellectual, and material, are derived from the Deity by
successive emanations, which they called Eons.
GNOSTICISM:
WordNet Dictionary
Definition:
[n] a religious orientation advocating gnosis as the way to release a person's spiritual element; considered heresy by Christian churches
ESOTERIC:
WordNet Dictionary
[adj] confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle;
AGNOSTIC:
WordNet Dictionary
Definition:
[n] a person who doubts truth of religion
[adj] uncertain of all claims to knowledge
20. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21. To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
22. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
23. And this I do for the gospel's sake