Theos-Talk Archives (August 1997 Message tl00345)

To readers of theos-l. Herewith the letter to which I
referred in other posts.  A few comments of my own follow
at the end.

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN ENGLAND

BRISTOL LODGE [address]

Alan Bain, [address]

21.1.96.

"Dear Alan

"The President's decision to dismiss you from the Committee
was confirmed by the Committee - 8 votes in favour, 2 against.

"The Committee has also decided to reiterate the following:-

"We hereby request and require that you refrain from handing
out any leaflet or literature not approved by the Committee,
or by the President in office at that time, and that you desist
from intimating that you are an official spokesperson 
for this Lodge or the Theosophical Society in England".

"The Committee's further decision which was confirmed by
9 votes in favour, with 1 abstention. That we repeat our
warning that you, whilst a member of this Lodge, do not
undermine the Lodge or T.S. by promoting or proposing
alternative Theosophical Organizations on paper, or the
Internet or other electronic media, and to desist from
any such activities that you may be engaged on at present.
Failure to do this may result in your being requested to
resign from the Lodge.

"Furthermore the Committee felt that it would not be appropriate
for you to give the scheduled lecture 'My Theosophy', and that
the invitation to do so should be withdrawn. 8 votes in favour,
1 abstention, 1 member having withdrawn from the meeting.

"Yours sincerely

"Stephen Hagan
Lodge President"

(Comments: Asking me to desist from intimating that I was an
official spokesperson etc. fell into the category of "stop beating
your grandmother." IOW, the suggestion was a lie.  I do not want
to go into these matters in any further detail - I did that at the
time, when far worse allegations and downright lies were circulated
by certain committee members.  Suffice it to say that all the matters
of which the above letter were the summation were conducted in 
contravention of the Lodge rules, the National Society rules, and
the International [Adyar] rules, and at no time was I given any
opportunity to speak on my own behalf.  I am now no longer a member
of the TS in England, nor shall I ever be again, together with a 
number of other people (mostly women) who were members of Bristol
Lodge at the time.  Its membership is now, I am informed, about
80% of its previous 1996 total administered by, effectively, an
autocratic oligarchy.)

AB