Two faces of a global church are laid bare, revealing how hidden teaching shapes power and conscience. This carefully argued study disentangles the outer claims of Roman Catholicism from its esoteric underpinnings, tracing how hidden doctrine has influenced history, ethics, and institutional strategy. The author surveys key figures, movements, and debates to explain the church’s approach to loyalty, morality, and reform.
The book frames a provocative distinction: what is taught openly to believers, and what is taught in private to the insiders. It examines how this split has guided decisions from education and discipline to politics and wealth, and why the contrast matters for understanding modern religious life.
- How exoteric and esoteric Catholicism differ in message and method
- The role of Jesuits, moral philosophy, and casuistry in church history
- How church power intersects with politics, education, and wealth
- What this means for readers interested in religious history and church reform
Ideal for readers of religious history, church politics, and critical examinations of modern Catholicism.
Andrew Dickson White (1832-1918) did more than any other American to impress upon late nineteenth- and twentieth century thought the idea that science and religion are enemies locked in combat on an almost military scale. In 1849, he entered Geneva College and later enrolled in Yale. After graduating, White joined the University of Michigan as a lecturer in history. He returned to New York and won election to the state senate. Finally, White went on to become the first president and cofounder of Cornell University. He also is the author of books, including Seven Great Statesmen in the Warfare of Humanity with Unreason and a 1906 autobiography.