Theos-Talk Archives (February 1997 Message tl00287)

At the Theosophical History Conference in 1992, Gregory Tillett
presented a paper on esoteric groups in Theosophy, and devoted
particular attention to the Seven Virgins of Java.  A couple of
weeks after the conference, its organizer got a blistering
letter from John Algeo, expressing extreme dislike of Tillett's
paper and some others.  Also complaining that Grace Knoche got
too much attention (this for an event held at Point Loma!)  The
clincher was that his language conveyed an implicit threat to
prevent any TSA support or involvement in Theosophical History
Foundation events in the future, unless assurances were given
that obnoxious papers like Tillett's wouldn't ever again be
presented.

My source for this, among others, is Tillett, who showed me the
letter involved and wrote his own response.

Just goes to show that the effort to exclude history they don't
like from consideration by the membership is an ever-recurring
feature of this organization with the motto "No religion higher
than truth."

It felt *so* good to throw the membership renewal form in the
garbage this week.

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