Theos-Talk Archives (April 2003 Message tt00121)

Thursday, April 24, 2003

Are Christianity and Islamic faiths adequate to restore and
maintain peace?


Dear Jesse:


The basic question, to my way of thinking is: Is any "religion"
necessary?

What are religions supposed to do?

Do they teach? If so what?

Do they remove worries and responsibilities? If so, why ?

If they teach ethics, is any religion very different from others?
A comparative study recommended by Theosophy will reveal this.

If not, then, are they antagonistic at their inception, or are
they complementary? Do they, by any chance, happen to emerge as
facets of some one fundamental condition?

If they are a system of ethics of what value is a long string of
incomprehensible "history" being attached to them ? Does this so
called "history" actually reflect what happened, or is it
interpretative?

Are religious texts to be taken and understood literally, or are
they to be treated as myths and parables, as fables and
illustrations rather then serious records? If in the course of
time they have become shadowy accounts of actuality, then what is
the purpose today of reviewing them?

Why is this inquisitive, interrogatory approach not used on all
religions, especially on one's own?

In gong through ISIS UNVEILED and The SECRET DOCTRINE one finds
that H P B has done this and makes it available to all of us.
Does it please organized religion? From all accounts it does
not.

Does Theosophy invite examination, inquiry, scrutiny? It does,
and fearlessly, because it is open to any one to be approached
and analysed.

There is a claim made by Theosophy, and that is that IT IS VERY
ANCIENT, and in fact is a historical record, as well as a process
of examining all statements and facts. It would be strange if it
discouraged such an examination being turned on it.

The next point is : Who will take the time to do this? Who
really wants to know?

What stands as the main points of discouragement for such
individual effort?

One can trace:

1.	Individual responsibility for all choices in thought, feeling,
actions and words.

2.	The Pre-existence of the Soul/Mind -- the basis for individual
existence (The Mind lives in the body).

3.	The "Real Man" is a Thinker. The body (at its level of
intelligence) is a conveyance and a tool.

4.	The Mind is an individualized Spiritual Entity. It is seeking
to become more aware of its powers, purpose and reason for
existence, and to discover its independent and self-assumed
position and work in the universal cooperative.

4.	The Mind itself is a tool for the SPIRITUAL ENTITY to direct
and use.

5.	What is the nature of this Spiritual Entity, is one field of
inquiry. In this search help is sought of the records of past
search and experience.

5.	All forms at whatever level of intelligence (atomic, human, an
Earth, a Solar System, a Galaxy) are parts of a living chain of
evolution.

6.	They aggregate cooperatively to provide the best vehicle for
the experience of living needs by an entity that is intelligent
at any level. That entity is expected to nurture, protect and
instruct them.

7.	The Universe, and all its components are a living whole and
constantly interact.

6.	Their intelligence does not "die" even if the materials they
use change constantly.

8.	Laws, rules and processes are all extremely old and
continually interact. Cooperation is the rule.

9.	The aim and purpose of our lives is to discover our true
powers, and then use them beneficently, unselfishly and in a
brotherly manner to assist others to share in what we have
learned..

10.	Those who succeed plunge back into the maelstrom of life to
assist, as advisors, more Thinkers to rise to a knowledge of
their nature and powers.


This is only a brief outline of some of the potentials available
to all. There are many ways of phrasing this.

Islam and Christianity, as exoteric practices, both need to
become compassionate and tolerant.

I hope this might prove to be useful for consideration,

Best wishes,

Dallas

==========================



-----Original Message-----

From: Jesse S B
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2003 6:42 PM
To: study@blavatsky.net
Subject: On Islam, Christianity and the Theosophical Middle
Ground


[ In part, with apologies to the queryist -- DTB]

It should come as no surprise that after the outward
violence ends and the results of the frustrations are over, all
parties
will be left with the root of their frustrations fom the
beginning, and as
it is in the Middle East, this root is a matter of religion.

You see, the real battle will soon begin and this is the
religious warfare
and signs of this coming have been eminent for the last 20 years.

Who and How will we approach mending the two Faiths of Islam and
Christianity?

If the true light of the Divine nature is not revealed in this
time to silence the cries of
inter-faith partisianship then it will only be a matter of time
before countless more aggressions will be harvested, but this
time they will be fueled on Religion and not Politics.

We must begin now to prepare ourselves so that when it does
begin, that
we will not simply fight back with our own fire because we didn't
take the
time to formulate a better plan. The consilience must begin now.

What does theosophy say in regards to practices of Islam and
Christianity?

This is a start.
Jesse