Theos-Talk Archives (August 1994 Message tl00051)

Brenda,

BT> I totally disagree with your and April's ideas regarding
>ethics.  Ethics never made any sense to me whatsoever out of the
> context of its place in treading the path.  Without the path, I
> am sure that I would never have become vegetarian,
> alcohol-free, etc.

     If the world was unified in your belief system regarding a
divine hierarchy forming an inner government that "can direct all
seven kingdoms on earth simultaneously, justly, and with
equanimity for the benefit of all", then, of course your point
that ethics make no sense would be well taken.  After all, with
such perfect justice ruling the world, we would have no need to
make any ethical decisions at all.  All we have to do is have the
"Inner Government" tell us what to do.
     However, all of the world's major religions follow one or
another code of ethics--some of them so lofty as to put the codes
of many western religions to shame. There is also a growing
number of individuals who have freed themselves from the bounds
of religious superstition, but still value the codes of ethics
inherent in all of them, and try to conduct their lives by these
codes.  H.P.B. tried to point out in the ~Key~ that many atheists
live lives of greater purity and service than many devotees of
this or that religion.

BT> The path is beyond the realm of ethics.  Your dogmatic
> clinging to ethics really turns me off and I see no place for
> it in theosophy.

     Wow!  The light dawns!  Since you see no place for ethics in
Theosophy, it is now beginning to make perfect sense as to why
you find "nothing wrong" with C.W.L.'s actions.  If ethics has no
place in Theosophy, then of course C.W.L., whom you believe to be
the spokes-person for the Masters, and thus follows a "higher
authority," is not beholden to, and is above being judged by any
of our (might we say; inferior?) moral and ethical codes.  Thus
you can make with a clear conscience the following statement:

BT> I hope you don't mind my saying that I don't see anything
> wrong with what Leadbeater did, because I don't fully
> understand or profess to know what anyone else's (or my own for
> that matter) life is about.

     Brenda, you are scaring the Hell out of me!  Please tell me
that you don't really believe this.  C.W.L. only claimed "occult"
reasons, not "spiritual" ones for his actions.  He did not
explain what these "occult" reasons were.  However, if H.P.B. is
any authority, she stated unequivocally that "occult" practices
concerning the sexual organs is used *only* in black magic.  If
you reject H.P.B.'s teachings on this matter, and believe that
white magic can be accomplished by molesting children *against*
their's and their parent's wishes, then our positions are so far
apart, that I would be hard put to think of what to say to you
next on this matter.  Putting "occult" considerations aside, we
*do* have verifiable experiences in the realms of this humble
planet, by which we can make moral judgements.  I have met with
and talked to dozens of people in my lifetime who were
psychologically screwed up as a result of being molested as
children.  My wife spent ten years as a family therapist and had
to deal with situations like this every day.  We have stories
that would make your (well, maybe not yours) skin crawl.  Believe
me, this pathology is psychologically and spiritually destructive
to both the victims and the victimizers.  Thus I can't find any
justification in the "occult" defense claimed by C.W.L.,  or any
psychological data to excuse it either.  I do, however, know
something of the evils that molesting children creates here on
the physical plane.  Therefore, I cannot in good conscience allow
such things to be excused, or even tolerated in the name of
"occultism," "spirituality" or in any other name without protest.
This is my position on the matter, and I feel it to be my duty to
express it as often as necessary.

     In conclusion, I urge you to please search your own
experiences on this subject, and see if you don't come to the
same conclusions as we have.
Jerry H.E.