Which eclectic Middle-Eastern religion mixes up elements of Islam with Judaic, neoplatonic and gnostic elements, believes in the divinity of a certain caliph whose return they expect, and divides its adherents in two groups: those who know and those who don't know?

tragic_flawed

gnostics agnostics Apr 01 07, 3:30 PM

tragic_flawed

or esoteric/exoteric Apr 01 07, 3:47 PM

queproblema

This sounds rather like, but not precisely, the Sabbatean movement of the 1600's, based on the teachings of the self-proclaimed Messiah, Sabbatai Zevi. The main offshoot is the Donmeh sect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbateans It's enlightening for westerners to realize the eastern and middle eastern religions have as many sects and schisms as Christianity. Also as many eccentrics, pragmatists, scholars, and humanitarians. Apr 01 07, 3:59 PM

Arpeggionist

I think the sect your looking for is the Druzi Muslims. Among other things, Druzi Muslims profess a belief in predestination and one in reincarnation (makes them eccelent soldiers), an attachment to the land in which they live no matter who governs it, and a belief that the prophet Muhammad will be born again to a man (rather than a woman). Apr 01 07, 4:44 PM

zbeckabee

Well...star_gazer and I were just having a conversation this morning about men giving birth... Apr 01 07, 5:14 PM

queproblema

I'm sure Arpy is right about the Druze, though they aren't really Muslim. The divine caliph is al-Hakim. The two groups of Druze are the al-Juhhāl (جهال), "the Ignorant", and the al-ˤUqqāl (عقال), "the Knowledgeable Initiates". Ummm, the online link Flem-ish apparently used was there for the clicking. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druze Apr 01 07, 5:17 PM

Flem-ish

Nope, not Wikipedia, but one of those books for "dummies" and also this website:http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9363131/Druze Druze - Britannica Concise What strikes me about the Druzes is that they don't accept any converts.And that they have their evening meetings on Thursdays. Possibly they felt the weekend had been filled up already by the other monotheistic religions. Apr 01 07, 8:28 PM

Arpeggionist

The Druze religion was closed to converts some 30 years after it was thought up, since its founders did not want converts adding their own ideas to the doctrine of the day. Bahaism is also a closed religion. Apr 02 07, 2:03 AM