Theos-Talk Archives (August 2004 Message tt00316)

Gregory:

You will never get rich trying to confuse theosophists with the facts.

SS


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, gregory <gregory@z...> wrote:
> Poor Pedro has my sympathy as he clutches desparately at straws to 
defend 
> his hero. That anyone could assume that astrological "evidence" 
cancels 
> out historical data and official records presumes they operate in 
the 
> realm of fantasy, no doubt a happy place to be (as the Flat 
Earthers 
> doubtless find) but a long way from intellectual functionality and 
> historical investigation.
> 
> If we accept the astrologer's "evidence" we have also to accept 
that (i) 
> Leadbeater's parents lied in registering his birth, and (ii) that 
> Leadbeater didn't know that he was seven years older than he was 
when he 
> completed documents (e.g. his father's death certificate, documents 
for 
> the Anglican Church).
> 
> Does the astrologer have anything to say about Leadbeater's 
father's 
> chairmanship of a railway company (the death certificate completed 
by 
> Leadbeater says his father was a book-keeper) and the trek to South 
> America (where, if we accept Leadbeater's account, the locals spoke 
the 
> wrong language) to build a railway that wasn't built by him, or by 
anyone 
> at that time (including the company of which he was chairman, since 
that 
> didn't exist either), and to be caught up in a "revolution" that 
didn't 
> happen, featuring rebels of whom there is no historical record? I 
have a 
> somewhat ironic letter from the Brazilian Embassy in London 
responding to 
> my requests for information about these "events" - but they had the 
> disadvantage of relying to government records rather than the 
message of 
> the stars.
> Or can the atrologer enlighten us about the brother (Gerald) of 
whose 
> birth and death there is no record ? But since he was allegedly 
killed by 
> a person who didn't exist in a rebellion that didn't happen, 
perhaps the 
> lack of a death record is not to be wondered at.
> Or perhaps the astrologer can explain Leadbeater's thwarted studies 
at 
> Oxford (or, in some sources, Cambridge) which has no record of him 
ever 
> enrolling? Or the loss of his father's fortune (of which there is 
no 
> record) in a bank collapse which actually happened at a different 
time 
> than Leadbeater claimed?
> 
> Perhaps, to paraphrase Lewis Carroll, believing six impossible 
things 
> before breakfast is the mark of a true intellect. Or a symptom of 
someone 
> who's fallen through the Looking Glass. No doubt the White Rabbit 
has a 
> significant contribution to make to Theosophical history, and 
should be 
> interviewed as soon as possible. No doubt he will tell us that 
there were 
> really two Charles Webster Leadbeaters born to parents (of 
identical 
> names, birthdates, marriage dates, death dates, with parents of 
identical 
> names, and relatives of identical names, etc...) seven years apart, 
both 
> of whom were ordained in the Church of England on the same day in 
the 
> same place by the same bishop, etc.....but only one of whom was 
recorded 
> in the Diocesan records even though both of them must have had the 
same 
> uncle who arranged for both of them to be appointed as curates to 
the 
> same parish. It remains to be explained: what happened to the other 
> Charles Webster Leadbeater? Perhaps the astrologer has something to 
> contribute on this curious matter.
> 
> Dr Gregory Tillett