The word "Gnostic" was mostly used by people who were against these ideas. For this reason, some researchers have said that Gnosticism is a false grouping of many separate religious movements.[3] There are many problems for people who research Gnosticism:[2]
Many Gnostic teachings were esoteric, meaning they were kept secret or hidden
A lot of what is known about Gnostic beliefs came from attacks written by non-Gnostic Christians
Almost all Gnostic writings were destroyed by non-Gnostic Christians who wanted to wipe them out