Theos-Talk Archives (September 2002 Message tt00123)

Frank:
> The Holocaust was necessary to fulfill the prophecy of Jehovah at the
> end of the times which was mid of the 20th Century to the Jews.

Well, let's take a look from a Christian theological perspective. Jesus
was supposed to be crucified to fulfill HIS prophecy. However, Judas,
who could claim that he only worked to fulfill this prophecy, was damned
for all time. 

I think that this is a pretty clear statement that even if someone has
karma coming to them does not absolve those who act as agents of karma
from the karma of their own actions. How much more is this true if the
prophecy is merely one's own interpretation of the prophecy?

This was the major error of the interpretation of karma through much of
Indian history. It was used as a tool of those in charge to keep those
under them from improving their situation. "If you were born an
outcaste, that is your karma, and therefore we have the right to keep
you in that position for life" contains two basic errors. The first is
the assumption that it is the karma of someone born an outcaste to
remain so for life, and the second is that this absolves those who
oppress the outcastes from the karma resulting from that oppression. 

Brian:
> "Peace" as his motive is kind of relative. He wanted peace with
> Britain so as to have his hands free for the confrontation (deemed
> inevitable by him as well as by many outside observers) with the Soviet
> Union. So while offering "peace", he meant war with a single front
> rather than the two-frond war which had cost Germany so dearly in
> 1918.

This is in agreement with virtually every credible historical analysis.	

> Brian: HPB was a confused woman mixing all the stuff she half-
> comprehended into a Grand synthesis. This included the then-
> fashionable ideas in popularized science, including electromagnetism
> and outdated ideas of evolution and race. Religious enthusiasts trying 
> to integrate the latest in science is nothing new, including 
> astro-symbolism and number mysticism among the ancients.

HPB was certainly inconsistent in many of her writings. This is not to
be confused with the fact that the overwhelming majority of her writings
had a main philosophy to which she adhered, and that included a belief
in the basic brotherhood of ALL humanity, not to mention a number of
ideas which were in direct opposition to the science of the time, but
which have since been confirmed by scientific study.

> Even without its political connotations, theosophy has misled many
> spiritual seekers into a labyrinth of mumbo-jumbo, taken from but
> tragically devaluing slices of genuine traditions.

OK, that I'll give you. But, then again, so has virtually every
religious or philosophical belief since humans learned to talk.

> Race then became a pseudo-scientific term used in the study of
> biological, physical or physiognomic differences within the human
> species, and to support the contention that some sub-groups were
> genetically superior to others. 

However, the term "root race" was a made-up term by Sinnett, to create
an English term for a new concept. It was certainly an unfortunate term,
because the "root races" were, physically speaking, separate species
from modern humanity, and what is commonly called "races" are, as you
point out, very minor genetic varations all belonging to the species,
homo sapiens. 

> Two of the many definitions of racism seem to exclude
> each other. On one hand, racism as the irrational hatred of others 
> based on color, religion, language, tradition, culture, ethnic group 
> (according to the UN definition mostly found in Western Europe and 
> North America, plus their colonies) is a behavior, without a theory 
> behind it.

The UN definition was created by a number of groups who practice
oppression of outsiders far beyond anything currently found in the
United States and Europe. 

> I do not agree that the holocaust was necessary. Blavatsky's
> references to root races and that the Aryans were the master race of
> the seven Atlantean races and so on, is fiction.

Except that Blavatsky's "Aryans" (from a Sanskrit word, meaning
"noble") refer to the species, homo sapiens, and not any subgroup within
them. Although she shows some culturally-based bigotry here and there in
her writings, as I have stated, the main thrust of her writings are
based on this. (Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about many later
self-styled Theosophical writers, Alice Bailey in particular). 

Bart Lidofsky