Theos-Talk Archives (November 2005 Message tt00073)

I got a copy of the following message about problems at the Narada Lodge of
the Adyar Theosophical Society (in Tacoma, Washington). After reading their
web page describing the situation, at 

http://www.thetheosophicalsocietyinamerica.org,

I wrote them to clarify what they said, and following is what I understand
to be the situation.

The branch was chartered in 1890, obtained a charted from the Point Loma
Society in 1895, and got another from the Adyar Society in 1899. It
preexists the Theosophical Society in America (in Wheaton, Illinois); its
bylaws have never conformed; and it voted in 1989 not to change the bylaws
to conform with Wheaton. It was asked again in October 2004 to change its
bylaws, but declined, after which its current problems started.

>From what I heard, Wheaton declared four people who were not lodge members
to now belong to the lodge, after which the four (along with a former lodge
member) held a special meeting, electing their own officers for the lodge
and claiming they now were in charge of the lodge and in control of its
property. Their claim is being backed up with a lawsuit that presumes they
now represent the lodge and are suing on its behalf the lodge leadership
they say they voted out of office.

Say I were a president of a theosophical lodge and found out one day that
the national section had added new members to my lodge. These members have a
meeting without inviting current lodge members, hold an election, and vote
me out of office. They now sue me, in the name of the lodge, to turn over
control of its assets to them. If that were to happen, I certain wouldn't
feel very happy about the situation. I'd especially feel bad if my lodge was
a separate legal entity from the national section and was chartered before
the national section was created as a legal entity.

Perhaps there's another side to the story that we've not heard yet, with
further information that better explains what is happening and why it might
be considered a good idea. On first hearing about it, though, I have trouble
seeing how someone could see this as a good thing to be doing.

Eldon

-----Original Message-----
From: Narada Theosophical Society [mailto:naradasociety@peoplepc.com] 
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 6:58 PM
To: phxultlodge@gmail.com; mcdavid@uthscsa.edu; eleutherian51@yahoo.com;
timestar@timestar.org; cjraby@earthlink.net; epelleti@telus.net;
theosnw@theosophy-nw.org; editor@theosophy.com; AmSec@pacbell.net;
fohat@planet.eon.net; edbl1@comcast.net; subaruza_31@hotmail.com;
maurice.warnon@kingsgarden.org
Subject: narada suit

Wheaton sues officers of Tacoma Lodge on behalf of Wheaton's appointees.
Please look at our web page, www.thetheosophicalsocietyinamerica.org
We at Narada Theosophical Society are only interested in one thing, that is
the study of theosophy as presented by the Masters and early founders of the
Theosophical Movement. We have offered to work with Wheaton, but not under
them. We have been autonomous since we chartered with William Q. Judge on
April 28/29, 1895 as The Theosophical Society in America. We rechartered
with the American Section, Adyar again Jan. 1899, with a clause in our
Constitution giving us legal Autonomy, which they recognized. We were
members of both Societies at the same time. We have been asked many times
in our past to change our bylaws by Wheaton, but have declined, so as to not
lose our grandfathered in charters in the societies. 

John

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