Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl00453)

Liesel:
>When I first read Rich, I thought all ULT members were fanatics too., Rich
>isn't. I hardly think that he believes HPB is a deity. nor the Masters.
	I doubt if anyone ever thought HPB was a deity, Liesel.  I would
say that "fundamentalists" (rather than "fanatics") believe every word that
she wrote is true.  This is rather like the Christian fundamentalists who
take every word of the Bible as true.  The problem with this is that most
passages are open to many different interpretations.  Not every word is
truly inspired.  But fundamentalists cannot understand this, and honestly
think that there is only one interpretation, and those who don't agree are
influenced by the devil.  While I have found little that HPB wrote that I don't
accept, I can see a lot of her passages are open to interpretation.
	Eldon and I have different views on what
HPB and G de P say about some subjects, for example, even though
we are reading the same words.  Because Eldon realizes this difference
in possible interpretations, I have never called him a fundamentalist.
	Rich, on the other hand, seems to be saying that HPB taught
us all to be morally upright, and that anyone who disagrees is
not a "real" theosophist.  His last posting tends to place him in the
fundamentalist camp (Rich, am I wrong?).  As I have said before, I
hate to put labels on anyone.  I am not so sure that being a
fundamentalist is all that "wrong" but rather just trying to point
out the distinction.

	Jerry S.
	Member, TI