I find it ironic that Christians bash Gnostics about how only they have some special knowledge by which they're saved when Christians are the ones professing to have special knowledge of a dying and resurrecting Jesus-God by which they're saved. Doesn't your Church claim to be the only ones in the world with the hidden knowledge of the true history and nature of things?

There's a difference between esoteric and exoteric knowledge. Christianity is the latter - everyone can come and see what it's all about and is welcome in the Church. There are no secret initiations and secret knowledge. Epistemically Christians profess knowledge about their faith through divine revelation that is deposited in the Church and not by personal enlightenment achieved through mystical experience leading to gnosis, which is the be all end all of gnosticism (hence the name). It's glorified folder chasing and special pleading shrouded in secrecy. But it all boils down to self-worship and rejection of outside authority and that's where its appeal lies (screw the Church, tradition, mainline history - I'll make my own system instead).

I find it ironic that Christians bash Gnostics about how only they have some special knowledge by which they're saved when Christians are the ones professing to have special knowledge of a dying and resurrecting Jesus-God by which they're saved. Doesn't your Church claim to be the only ones in the world with the hidden knowledge of the true history and nature of things?

There's a difference between esoteric and exoteric knowledge. Christianity is the latter - everyone can come and see what it's all about and is welcome in the Church. There are no secret initiations and secret knowledge. Epistemically Christians profess knowledge about their faith through divine revelation that is deposited in the Church and not by personal enlightenment achieved through mystical experience leading to gnosis, which is the be all end all of gnosticism (hence the name). It's glorified folder chasing and special pleading shrouded in secrecy. But it all boils down to self-worship and rejection of outside authority and that's where its appeal lies.