Theos-Talk Archives (January 2003 Message tt00256)

Daniel, Of course not, they are aeons removed from the likes of 
Clare Prophet. They have their distortions (mainly CWL in my 
experience) but are on the whole quite sound. P.

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "D. H. Caldwell <info@b...>" 
<info@b...> wrote:
> Phillip, do you include Leadbeater & Besant in the same "load" 
with 
> Prophet et al.?
> 
> Phillip, you wrote:
> 
> "Loads of them! Clare Prophet and Summit Lighthouse,I Am Movement, 
> and much other 'channelled' material. All make a travesty of the 
> Masters and distort." 
> 
> Do you include Leadbeater and Besant in the SAME "load," too? Do 
CWL 
> and AB also "make a travesty of the Masters and distort"?
> 
> I wonder if you are aware of the following:
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> In regards to C.W. Leadbeater's and Annie Besant's Theosophical 
> teachings, Dr. Alvin Boyd Kuhn in his book Theosophy: A Modern 
> Revival of Ancient Wisdom (published 1930) wrote the following 
> relevant statement: 
> 
> "Certain schools of his critics assert flatly that he [C. W. 
> Leadbeater] has only succeeded in vitiating her [H.P. Blavatsky's] 
> original presentation [of Theosophy]. Two years ago [starting in 
the 
> March 15, 1928 issue] The Canadian Theosophist, a magazine 
published 
> under the editorship of Mr. Albert Smythe at Toronto, published a 
> series of articles in which parallel passages from the writings of 
> Madame Blavatsky and the Mahatma Letters on one side, and from the 
> books of Mrs. Besant, Mr. Leadbeater, Mr. C. Jinarajadasa, on the 
> other, give specific evidence bearing on the claims of perversion 
of 
> the original theories by those whom they call Neo-Theosophists. 
The 
> articles indicate wide deviations, in some cases complete 
reversal, 
> made by the later interpreters [Besant, Leadbeater, Jinarajadasa] 
> from the fundamental statements of the Russian Messenger 
[Blavatsky] 
> and her Overlords [the Mahatmas]." 
> 
> "The differences concern such matters as the personality of God, 
the 
> historicity of Jesus, his identity as an individual or a 
principle, 
> the desirability of churches, priestcraft and religious 
ceremonial, 
> the genuineness of an apostolic succession, and a vicarious 
> atonement, the authority of Sacraments, the nature and 
nomenclature 
> of the seven planes of man's constitution, the planetary chains, 
the 
> monad, the course of evolution, and many other important phases of 
> Theosophic doctrine. This exhaustive research has made it apparent 
> that the later exponents have allowed themselves to depart in many 
> important points from the teachings of H.P.B." (pp. 330-331)
> 
> Dr. James A. Santucci, professor of religious studies at 
California 
> State University, Fullerton and editor of Theosophical History 
> <http://www.theohistory.org/>, confirms Kuhn's statements:
> 
> "The two [Besant and Leadbeater] were largely responsible for the 
> introduction of new teachings that were often in total opposition 
to 
> the Theosophy of Blavatsky and her Masters. These teachings were 
> designated by their opponents as Neo-Theosophy . . . or less often 
> Pseudo-Theosophy. The differences between Theosophy and Neo-
Theosophy 
> are too numerous to mention in the context of this paper. . . . An 
> extensive overview [of the differences] is given in the 
unpublished 
> booklet, Theosophy or Neo-Theosophy by Margaret Thomas. . . . The 
> booklet was written around 1925." Quoted from: 
> http://www.theohistory.org/aquarian_foundation.pdf
> ---------------------------------------------------
> The above quoted from:
> http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/contradictionslatermessengers.htm
> 
> Daniel H. Caldwell
> BLAVATSKY ARCHIVES
> http://hpb.cc