Theos-Talk Archives (March 2004 Message tt00524)

I think it is possible, Erica, and like everything
worthwhile, not easy. You are right about emotional
reactions too. I think I forgot what Annie Besant
wrote about the members of the TS:

"They consider that belief should be the result of
individual study or intuition, and not its antecedent,
and should rest on knowledge, not on assertion. They
extend tolerance to all, even to the intolerant, not
as a privilege they bestow but as a duty they perform,
and they seek to remove ignorance, not punish it."

I would like to apologise for being intolerant of some
of the views expressed on this list.

Pedro 



--- Erica Letzerich <eletzerich@yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> It's obvious that students of Theosophy they have to
> be the first do 
> not promote racism and intolerance and also evil
> ideologies, 
> otherwise they know nothing about theosophy. 
> 
> But to be against evil ideologies having emotional
> reactions, does 
> not help as well. The mind has many traps and the
> biggest challenge 
> of a theosophist is to find a way to promote the
> principles of 
> truth, that are essential esoteric without to be
> intolerant. 
> 
> Is that possible?
> 
> Erica Letzerich
> 
> 
> --- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, Pedro Oliveira
> <prmoliveira@y...> 
> wrote:
> > --- Morten Nymann Olesen
> > <global-theosophy@a...> wrote: > Hallo all of
> > you,
> > 
> > > Sorry I forgot to wrote "NOT".
> > > 
> > > My views are:
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Blavatsky might be helpful on this one:
> > > "ON PSEUDO-THEOSOPHY"
> > 
> >
>
http://www.blavatsky.net/blavatsky/arts/OnPseudoTheosophy.htm
> > 
> > > If what anyone says is false, then we aught tell
> the
> > > person, what is wrong -
> > > and NOT go around being too sensitive and as
> > > Blavatsky says:
> > > "tremble at every opinion too boldly expressed
> in
> > > LUCIFER".
> > > 
> > > Do you not agree ?
> > > 
> > > Let us act like true theosophists and not be
> like a
> > > leaf in the wind.
> > 
> > 
> > Thank you for your comments, Morten. 
> > 
> > Since you brought up comments by HPB in "Lucifer",
> it
> > may be relevant to consider her view of the
> purpose
> > for which she started that magazine. Below is what
> she
> > wrote on the very first issue of "Lucifer" (H.P.
> > Blavatsky Collected Writings, vol. VIII,
> > September, 1887):
> > 
> > "Now, the first and most important, if not the
> sole
> > object of the magazine, is expressed in the line
> from
> > the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, on its title
> page.
> > It is to bring light to "the hidden things of
> > darkness" (iv, 5); to show in their true aspect
> and
> > their original real meaning things and names, men
> and
> > their doings and customs; it is finally to fight
> > prejudice, hypocrisy and shams in every nation, in
> > every class of Society, as in every department of
> > life. The task is a laborious one but it is
> neither
> > impracticable nor useless, if even as an
> experiment.
> > 
> > Thus, for an attempt of such nature, no better
> title
> > could ever be found than the one chosen. "Lucifer"
> is 
> > the pale morning-star, the precursor of the full
> blaze
> > of the noon-day sun—the "Eosphoros" of the Greeks.
> It
> > shines timidly at dawn to gather forces and dazzle
> the
> > eye after sunset as its own brother "Hesperos"—the
> > radiant evening star, or the planet Venus. No
> fitter
> > symbol exists for the proposed work—that of
> throwing a
> > ray of truth on everything hidden by the darkness
> of
> > prejudice, by social or religious misconceptions;
> > especially by that idiotic routine in life, which,
> > once that a certain action, a thing, a name, has
> been
> > branded by slanderous inventions, however unjust,
> > makes respectable people, so-called, turn away
> > shiveringly, refusing to even look at it from any
> > other aspect than the one sanctioned by public
> > opinion. Such an endeavour then, to force the
> > weak-hearted to look truth straight in the face,
> is
> > helped most efficaciously by a title belonging to
> the
> > category of branded names."
> > 
> > Anti-semitism, ethnic cleansing, racism, sexual
> > violence, and all other forms of prejudice, are
> not
> > based on truth - the oneness of all life - and
> > therefore deserve and must be exposed as crimes
> > against humanity. These are evil ideologies; they
> > bewitch, condition and pervert the human mind. An
> > understanding of Theosophy throws light on what
> they
> > really are: "prejudice, hypocrisy and shams." 
> > 
> > As the Mahatma wrote (letter 88, chronological),
> "The
> > real evil proceeds from human intelligence and its
> > origin rests entirely with reasoning man who
> > dissociates himself from Nature. Humanity, then,
> alone
> > is the true source of evil. Evil is the
> exaggeration
> > of good, the progeny of human selfishness and
> > greediness. Think profoundly and you will find
> that
> > save death — which is no evil but a necessary law,
> and
> > accidents which will always find their reward in a
> > future life — the origin of every evil whether
> small
> > or great is in human action, in man whose
> intelligence
> > makes him the one free agent in Nature."
> > 
> > Should students of Theosophy appease evil
> ideologies?
> > 
> > Pedro
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >
>
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