Theos-Talk Archives (December 1996 Message tl00620)

On Tue, 24 Dec 1996, Tom Robertson wrote:
> >   The study centers and lodges are put on *probation* and are watched
> >to see if their activities conform to *Theosophy* as interpreted by
> >whoever sits in judgment over what Theosophy is or is not. Once the
> >probationary period is over, only then the lodges/study centers are
> >given a permanent status.
>
> Someone, or some group of people, has to define "Theosophy."
	They most assuredly do *not*. The Three Objects "define" the
purpose of theosophical organizations. Neither HPB, nor Olcott, nor the
Masters in the Mahatma Letters *ever* even suggested, let alone insisted
upon, any of that controlling garbage.

>
> >   What a change over a period of a century. When Olcott visited a city
> >in India where I used to live, during his visit he chartered not one but
> >two lodges in one single day in two parts of the city. These lodges were
> >not in any way or form put under *probation* neither by Olcott nor by
> >HPB, nor my the Real Founders.
>
> You seem to be implying that having no control over lodges is optimal.  But
> there would be no reason for the founders to found lodges if they did not
> care what those lodges would study.

Perhaps what he is saying (as I would say) that the *Lodges* have control
over what the Lodges study. There is an *enormous* range of opinion and
belief about what constitues Theosophy - as there was *designed* to be. It
was meant to be something broad enough to encompass all races, religions,
creeds and castes ... Headquarters has absolutely *no* moral or
intellectual foundation to take one of a multitude of perspectives and
make recognition of a Lodge or Study Center *conditional* upon the
practice of its (IMO very narrow) definition. Apparently HPB, Olcott, and
the Masters believed the Lodges themselves could actually govern
themselves, and choose the content and methods of their study and work.
The Lodges HPB, Olcott and the other early ones began studied an enormous
variety of different things - curious ... I'll bet the first Lodge HPB and
Olcott started ... if one examined its proceedings ... *would not pass the
tests Headquarters now sees fit to impose*.
								-JRC