Theos-Talk Archives (February 1998 Message tl00148)

Dr. A.M.Bain wrote:

> I bet you were!  Joe and Jane public are unlikely to grill you so closely,
> so my opinion stands.  To an average seeker, to say that you are a
> religious educational organization *will* suggest a religion or religious
> organisation behind it. *Is this registration made widely know to the
> general public of NY in your literature?*  In the case of my old lodge,
> no one was ever told of their denominational registration, the only
> purpose of which was, in my opinion, to deny the local authority its tax.

    I begin to see the misuderstanding; I forgot that you were British. In the
United States, freedom of religion is taken very seriously; it is illegal for
the government to even ask what someone's religion is. Members of the TS are
not "registered" as to belonging to the Theosophical "religion", and Theosophy
is not listed as a religion. It is a place where people can learn more about
their OWN religions (as specified in the Mahatma letters).

    Bart Lidofsky