Theos-Talk Archives (December 1995 Message tl00489)

>Dear Paul

Re:"thank God we're not all alike"
There used to be a time when I'd wistfully wish that I were "normal". After
about 10 years of wishing I finally realized that if I were "normal" I
would be frightfully dull & that if everyone were "normal" we'd all bore
each other to death. Sooo I changed to
"Thank God I'm not normal!"
Liesel

>This morning I found something in the Edgar Cayce readings that
>describes IMO the fighting I've witnessed on theos-l
>Talisman alt.religion.eckankar soc.religion.bahai and quite
>a few other newsgroups:
>
>It was given "Except your righteousness exceed the
>righteousness of the Pharisees ye shall all likewise
>perish."...What was the righteousness of the Pharisees and
>what was their sin? How were the disciples to discern between
>the righteousness of the Pharisees and the righteousness as
>presented by the Teacher?...The righteousness of the Pharisee
>was that as indicated by the prayer offered in the temple; that
>he thanked God he was not like other people. Here we find
>then self-righteousness...who is to judge as to what is sin
>and what is righteousness for the individual? As we remember
>as has oft been given "Study to show *thyself* approved unto
>God a workman not ashamed." Here we find much that may need
>analyzing looking into in our own individual experiences. Do
>we as children of God as seekers after God have firsthand
>knowledge? or do we accept only that others have told us? Do
>we condemn any? Do we know or is it only self-righteousness
>that speaks?
>
>Pharisaic self-righteousness henceforth to be referred to as
>PRS is a nearly universal element in disputes among
>Theosophists Baha'is Eckists and ex-Eckists and various
>other disputants I've observed on the Internet. The bottom
>line message is always "thank God I'm not like you/them"
>although it takes myriad forms:
>1. Thank God I'm a believer in the Sylvia Cranston version of
>Blavatsky and thus on the side of the White Lodge and not like
>those who give credence to alternative views of Blavatsky
>inspired by the Brothers of the Shadow.
>2. Thank God I'm a true believing Baha'i who never questions
>authority and not like those who teeter on the brink of
>becoming Covenant-breakers.
>3. Thank God I'm an Eckist who has genuine spiritual
>experiences with the Masters not like those envious
>unbelievers who are incapable of any spiritual experience
>whatsoever.
>4. Thank God I had enough sense to see that Eckankar is a
>fraud not like you dummies who just don't get it.
>5. Thank God I'm a liberal Baha'i who understands something
>about human rights and scholarly discourse not like you
>fundamentalist anti-intellectuals.
>6. Thank God I'm a progressive Theosophist who welcomes new
>ways of thinking about Blavatsky not like those fanatics who
>attribute any new idea to occult "opposing forces".
>
>And so it goes. Can we all say in unison "Thank God we're not
>all alike" and leave it at that? Guess not. When I look at
>the world of spiritual movements in light of the injunction to
>overcome Pharisaic self-righteousness things look pretty
>bleak. Not only can I think of dozens of instances it's been
>meted out to me by one Pharisee or another sometimes in the
>scholarly form of "Thank God if I wrote a book about HPB it wouldn't
>have any of the contemptible scholarly lapses yours do". I
>can also admit that I have doled it out in liberal measure.
>But what Edgar and Jesus seem to be saying is "you cannot
>advance a single step on the real spiritual path until you get
>past Pharisaic self-righteousness." Interestingly of all the
>spiritual teachings I've encountered Cayce's is the only one
>that seems totally devoid of PSR.
>
>A New Year's resolution then based on this passage from the
>readings: when confronted with PSR in a post or in person I
>will try to: arecognize that PSR is the commodity being
>delivered bignore it if possible and respond to any or all other elements
>of the communication cat times give a comment as to the
>intensity of PSR displayed but dnot reciprocate by giving an
>even larger dose of PSR in return.
>