Theos-Talk Archives (August 1998 Message tt00180)

Dear Paul,

Let me also observe that you quote out of context.
In the instance under discussion I believe your position is slippery a
number of times.=A0 Unfortunately, to trace out all the "you saids" and "he
saids" would make a document that would be hardly readable.=20

But let us try this new case of quoting out of context that I believe you
have just "committed".

You say:

=A0Where she got the SMALL PROPORTION of her SD that isn't found
"scattered" in thousands of other texts is irrelevant to the question under
discussion.=A0 If she derived *SOME* teachings from more advanced
students, what relevance does this have to the question of whether she then
blended together a wide variety of different teachings from different
"advanced students" past and present, many of which were in writing-- which
is what she seems to be saying?
=A0...=A0 Thus perhaps leaving the part "given or suggested" [to her] as a
RATHER SMALL PROPORTION of the whole?=A0


Reed says:
So you conclude in various ways above that her share in adding information
was minimal. But if you are going to use this passage of HPB's as your proof
text then we need to observe that you have omitted her OWN statement in THAT
context where it contradicts YOUR presentation.

HPB says:

"These truths are in no sense put forward as a revelation; nor does the
author claim the position of a revealer of mystic lore, now made public
for the first time in the world's history. For what is contained in this
work is to be found scattered throughout thousands of volumes embodying
the scriptures of the great Asiatic and early European religions, hidden
under glyph and symbol, and hitherto left unnoticed because of this
veil. What is now attempted is to gather the oldest tenets together and
to make of them one harmonious and unbroken whole. The sole advantage
which the writer has over her predecessors, is that she need not resort
to personal speculations and theories. For this work is a partial
statement of what she herself has been TAUGHT BY MORE ADVANCED STUDENTS,
SUPPLEMENTED IN A FEW DETAILS ONLY, BY THE RESULTS OF HER OWN STUDY AND
OBSERVATIONS."

Reed:
But that last sentence gives her view: "supplemented in a FEW DETAILS ONLY,
by the results of her own study and observation."=A0 This directly=
 contradicts
how you just described her contribution.=A0 You omitted these following=
 words
of hers and they directly contradict how you had just positioned her.=A0=
 Shame
on you Paul for quoting out of context.

Reed Carson