Theos-Talk Archives (August 1995 Message tl00287)

[The following is a recent e-mail to me from Patrick, who for some reason
could not post it to the board. I do not at all like what it says, but I
thought as least the board should have the benefit of his thoughtful,
point-by-point response to my post on Bailey as a Theosophical religion
rather than just let it sit in my hard drive.--Rich]

>the Alice Bailey
>teachings have an Invocation calling for Christ's return to earth; in
>addition they observe full and new moons and hold several high holidaysas
>well -- Christian Easter and Buddhist Wesak,

 Yes, this is all part of cooperating with natural cycles and human
evolution.

>when all the Masters are
>imagined to assemble and receive a discourse from the Christ.

 There is no imagination in this and its more of a meditation service
opportunity than a discourse.

>The hierarchy
>of Masters is laid out by AAB in no uncertain terms,

 Yes, it is beautifully done.

>a full bureaucracy of
>who is supervising whom, and who's on top (you guessed it, the Christ).

 False anthropomorphization.
 All is holistic and flowing.
 Christ, Christos, Krishna, Bodhisattvaa, ...

>The
>"great invocation," seeing as it is addressed to Christ and His return,
seems
>inescapably a "prayer" to me,

 Prayer and meditation are key processes on the path of discipleship.
 This is not any kind of closed formalism.

>having divinized that being who holds the
>"office" of Christ. Was there a general election, one wonders, or was the
>fellow promoted when the previous Christ moved on?

 You didn't vote?! Well, it was a unanimous victory!

>The Invocation closes
>with a prayer "Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth."

 Yes, the three aspects of diety related to moving our Logos toward
perfection in manifestation.

>Are we to assume that there is a Plan which has somehow been hidden or taken
>away?

 No, this is not the correct assumption.

>And that if we pray hard enough it will come back?

 The plan is to work out through human choice, prayer helps set the
appropriate helpful vibration in the various planes.

>Again, all of
>these beliefs are certainly viable for a personal faith, but they make
>Theosophy unmistakably into a religion.

 Religion as humanity's relationship with God is fine, religion as closed
dogma is a mistake. There is no such dogma in A.A.B.'s work.

>A step more and we will have a
>priesthood leading us in this prayer, with the Masters as saints who
>intervene for us and grant indulgences.

 There are false teachers who are doing this today, but no sincere
student of theosophy will remain so glamoured for long.

Patrick