Theos-Talk Archives (February 2005 Message tt00606)

Below are extracts from the official declaration of the Theosophical 
Society, Adyar.

"As the Theosophical Society has spread far and wide over the world, 
and as members of all religions have become members of it without 
surrendering the special dogmas, teachings and beliefs of their 
respective faiths, it is thought desirable to emphasize the fact that 
there is no doctrine, no opinion, by whomsoever taught or held, that 
is in any way binding on any member of the Society, none which any 
member is not free to accept or reject. Approval of its three objects 
is the sole condition of membership. No teacher, or writer, from H.P. 
Blavatsky onwards, has any authority to impose his or her teachings 
or opinions on members. Every member has an equal right to follow any 
school of thought, but has no right to force the choice on any other."

and 

" Opinions or beliefs neither bestow privileges nor inflict 
penalties. The Members of the General Council earnestly request every 
member of the Theosophical Society to maintain, defend and act upon 
these fundamental principles of the Society, and also fearlessly to 
exercise the right of liberty of thought and of expression thereof, 
within the limits of courtesy and consideration for others."

It can also be read at

http://www.anandgholap.net/Freedom_of_Thought.htm

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Frank Reitemeyer" 
<ringding777@t...> wrote:
> 
> They of course reflect the policy of the TS, 
> because it happened and not only to one lodge or 
> one section only, because the persecution of those 
> who seek after truth or remain true to HPB is done 
> by officials of the TS. And I eyewitnessed it for 
> myself in 2002.
> 
> You arguemnt of not being responsible is the same 
> the Vatican uses. Persecution of the gnotics, 
> mystics, theosophists, witches all was not the 
> policy of the Church, it were only failing humans.
> 
> Why feel lodges teh need to left the Adyar TS, 
> although it declares "freedom"? Why people flet 
> from the former GDR westward, although the working 
> class was ruling?
> 
> Why on the other hand is Hitler made responsible 
> for the Holocaust? It was not the German policy. 
> Why makes Adyar even the German people responsible 
> for the Holocaust and demanded for a 
> "re-education" of the high-minded people to the 
> present porn and drug "culture"??
> Next you say, that Adyar had nothing to do with 
> it!
> 
> Do you know that this Anti-Germanism of Adyar is 
> the reason that the call for destruction of the TS 
> becomes louder in Germany and is public now?
> 
> Do you know that Hitler in his letters to Arundale 
> outed himself as a Theosophist and that he 
> supports the 3 aims, but that the TS has 
> degenerated into a Jewish-Bolshevistic sect in 
> opposition to HPB and that he will be forced to 
> close the TS lodges when they not return within 
> one year to HPB and withdraw from the Bolshevist 
> overrun conspiracy and the destroyment of European 
> culture?
> 
> Do you know that Hitler's letters (also as Judge's 
> letters) in the Adyar archives are not allowed to 
> have a look on it (but I spoke with a person who 
> has read them) and that they are not published 
> until today, although WWII is over since 60 years? 
> (or is it not?)
> Frank
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Anand Gholap" <AnandGholap@A...>
> To: <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Monday, February 21, 2005 1:54 PM
> Subject: Re: Theos-World Freedom of Thought 
> (AnandGholap.net - Online Theosophy)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Frank,
> At lodge level much depends on what local officers 
> do. Their
> behaviour does not reflect policy of the 
> Theosophical Society. My
> experience is members enjoy lot of freedom. It is 
> practically
> impossible to control what others should read or 
> in whom they should
> believe.
> Anand Gholap
> 
> --- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Frank 
> Reitemeyer"
> <ringding777@t...> wrote:
> >
> > But there are people who take freedom of speech 
> > in
> > theosophical groups, hinder free thoughts by
> > giving wrong advises or recommend wrong books.
> > For example in the mid 1980's the whole Berlin
> > Surya Lodge of the Adyar TS of over thirthy long
> > term members canceled collectively their
> > membership and entered a undogmatic Point Loma
> > oriented TS.
> > They were not giving the freedom to keep loyal 
> > to
> > HPB and never had the luck to experience the 
> > paper
> > freedom of Anand in real life.
> > Frank
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Cass Silva" <silva_cass@y...>
> > To: <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
> > Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2005 4:57 AM
> > Subject: Re: Theos-World Freedom of Thought
> > (AnandGholap.net - Online Theosophy)
> >
> >
> >
> > Really guys, no one can take freedom of thought
> > from anyone. We will think what we want to
> > regardless of whether we are reading wisdom or
> > rubbish. Spending too much time outside looking
> > for Guru instead of searching within.
> > Cass
> >
> > Frank Reitemeyer <ringding777@t...> wrote:
> >
> >
> > The constitution of the former Communistic 
> > German
> > Democratic Republic (which was neiterh German,
> > democratic nor a republic) sounded very similar.
> > The liberated workings class has had all kinds 
> > of
> > freedom of speech, travel, human rights etc. 
> > etc.
> > Moral of the story seems to be that either the 
> > GDR
> > was the first Theosophcial state or in Adyar 
> > rules
> > the working class!
> >
> > Or do they mean by freedom the same freedom 
> > which
> > with George Bush threats the world to free them
> > from their possessions?
> >
> > Or is it just what HPB used to call cant in the
> > way of the "German philosopher" Carlyle?
> > Frank
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Anand Gholap"
> > To:
> > Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 2:52 PM
> > Subject: Theos-World Freedom of Thought
> > (AnandGholap.net - Online Theosophy)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > I find that many members need to understand what
> > exactly freedom of
> > thought means in the TS. Here is official
> > declaration of the
> > Theosophical Society
> >
> > Freedom of Thought
> >
> > As the Theosophical Society has spread far and
> > wide over the world,
> > and as members of all religions have become
> > members of it without
> > surrendering the special dogmas, teachings and
> > beliefs of their
> > respective faiths, it is thought desirable to
> > emphasize the fact that
> > there is no doctrine, no opinion, by whomsoever
> > taught or held, that
> > is in any way binding on any member of the
> > Society, none which any
> > member is not free to accept or reject. Approval
> > of its three objects
> > is the sole condition of membership. No teacher,
> > or writer, from H.P.
> > Blavatsky onwards, has any authority to impose 
> > his
> > or her teachings
> > or opinions on members. Every member has an 
> > equal
> > right to follow any
> > school of thought, but has no right to force the
> > choice on any other.
> > Neither a candidate for any office nor any voter
> > can be rendered
> > ineligible to stand or to vote, because of any
> > opinion held, or
> > because of membership in any school of thought.
> > Opinions or beliefs
> > neither bestow privileges nor inflict penalties.
> > The Members of the
> > General Council earnestly request every member 
> > of
> > the Theosophical
> > Society to maintain, defend and act upon these
> > fundamental principles
> > of the Society, and also fearlessly to exercise
> > the right of liberty
> > of thought and of expression thereof, within the
> > limits of courtesy
> > and consideration for others.
> >
> > Anand Gholap
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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