Theos-Talk Archives (January 2005 Message tt00473)

In a message dated 1/16/05 9:56:02 AM Central Standard Time, 
danielhcaldwell@yahoo.com writes:

<< 
Surely after the 1906 scandel Mr. Leadbeater
should have known the "bad publicity" such behavior
(even if totally innocent) would have 
upon himself, Mrs. Besant, the Theosophical
Society and also on the Masters and Theosophy.
>>

Oh he knew. He simply did not care, or rather he had an element of his 
psyche that overrode those considerations.

Consider this. We are more or less agreed that Leadbeater was a pedophile. 
It is very difficult for such folks to stop being pedophiles (though I think 
the notion that they never stop is nonsense, any behavior can be controlled 
with sufficient reason and character) so on matter what the PR difficulties, he 
was not likely to change.

Second, he had the Supreme Enabler in the person of Mrs. Besant, who was 
pretty much incapable of rational thought and who thought that the Evil Bishop was 
a gift from the Gods. The weight of her influence made any effective 
sanction of the Bishop in the TS virtually impossible.

Third, and this cannot be overestimated, in the crowd that ran the TS during 
the Besant period, Leadbeater was the most likeable (and possibly the most 
sane!) and people genuinely seem to have enjoyed being around him. Many 
seriously revered him. That fact put him a very good defensive position because if 
someone is really liked, it is very difficult to attack him without being 
isolated yourself. The people who disliked the Bishop came across as such 
insufferable fuddie-duddies that no one cared what they had to say.

Chuck the Heretic