Theos-Talk Archives (February 1997 Message tl00043)

On Sun, 2 Feb 1997, Ann E. Bermingham wrote:

> ----------
> > From: M K Ramadoss <ramadoss@eden.com>
> > >Doss:
> > >>Ann: Do you know if LCC allows women to hold the offices all the way up to
> > >>the *Pope*?
> > >
> > >This was covered in another post.  There is no title of Pope, but Presiding
> > >Bishop.   No women are ordained to holy orders, but are permitted to be
> > >servers or deaconesses at the altar.
> >
> >   With my understanding of one ascpect of the first object of TS -- which is
> > no discrimination on the basis of sex, it would be impossible to reconcile
> > myself with any organization which excludes women from holding the highest
> > office. Who can say a woman is not fit to hold any office anywhere? It is
> > sheer hypocracy for a T/theosophist to even participate in any organization
> > which discriminates in any manner.
> >
> The LCC was organized and set up basically by the clairvoyance of CWL,
> whose opinons and insights, are to this day, considered unquestionable by
> those in charge of the church.
>
> These are his words, as taken from The Science of the Sacraments, Pg. 391,
> written by him as a guide to the Liberal Catholic church in terms of
> vestments and ritual.
>
> "It is often asked whether a woman could validly be ordained.  The forces now
> arranged for distribution though the priesthood would not work efficiently through
> a feminine body; but is is quite conceivable that the present arrangements may be
> altered by the Lord Himself.  It would no doubt be easy for Him, if He so chose,
> either to revive some from of the old religions in which the feminine Aspect of
> the Deity was served by priestesses, or so to modify the physics of the
> Catholic scheme of forces that a feminine body could be satisfactorily employed
> in the work.  Meantime, we have no choice but to administer His Church along
> the lines laid down for us."
>
> Since this was written, around 1920, other churches have decided to let
> women participate fully.  While I know there
> are bishops and priests in the LCC sympthetic to the idea of women
> being ordained, I can only surmise that the majority of those in power do
> not want this or it would have happened.  The present presiding bishop, in his
> magazine, heartily denounces any type of change in the church.  He believes
> that the arrangements made by Wedgewood and Leadbeater are permanent.
> So this is more than an issue of the equality in the church, but a lack of
> desire to make any changes in the church.
>
> How does the LCC fit into the future Aquarian Age, with its emphasis on equality?
> I really don't know.
>
> -AEB
>
  I saw some material in the compilation of the history of TS for the
first 50 years. Will try to post some soon. Since it was written from the
party line, it is not the full story.

  However reasonable the reasoning of CWL is, I am not convinced that
women should be excluded from any position.

  Any prospective member of TS seeing the (unrelated) relationship
between TS and LCC would wonder about the paradoxical stand. Especially
women prospects are going to the turned off. Not a good prospect
especially considering present trend of membership of TS.

mkr


------------------------------