Theos-Talk Archives (November 2005 Message tt00084)

Dear Doss, Eldon, and all,

This recalls to me the fact that some years ago, after serving as 
National Secretary, Nathan Greer called the TSA a toxic 
organization. (IIRC-- the word used might have been pathological.)  
If this were an isolated incident, it wouldn't be so worrisome as the 
fact that it is a continuation of a long standing pattern. The 
Boston lodge case is a recent one in the American section, but there 
are also suspicious events in the 90s with the Danish and Canadian 
sections. In none of those instances however do I recall hearing 
details of subversion like those in this case. The obvious message 
is "if you don't submit to our will, we will destroy you."

It seems as if the TSA cannot break the pattern of ugly litigation 
against local or national groups by national or international 
bodies. I had the impression that Betty Bland was a kinder gentler 
sort of person than John Algeo or Radha Burnier. But even if that is 
the case, there is a vortex of nasty energy in the TS that keeps 
sucking people into these awful confrontations between local autonomy 
and societal authority.  

Moreover, there is always secrecy surrounding the skulduggery. I 
read recently somewhere, maybe here, that TSA membership is down 
around 2500. Is that so-- loss of half the membership in 15 years?  
If it's true, incidents like this one go a long way to explaining why 
people choose not to renew.

Paul

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, M K Ramadoss <mkr777@g...> wrote:
>
> It is a sorry state of affairs in that property/funds that are 
meant to be
> used to further interests of theosophy being expended on attoneys. 
Anytime
> one gets into litigation, both parties loose.
> 
> mkr
> 
> On 11/15/05, Eldon B Tucker <eldon@t...> wrote:
> >
> > 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@p...]
> > Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 6:58 PM
> > To: phxultlodge@g...; mcdavid@u...; eleutherian51@y...;
> > timestar@t...; cjraby@e...; epelleti@t...;
> > theosnw@t...; editor@t...; AmSec@p...;
> > fohat@p...; edbl1@c...; subaruza_31@h...;
> > maurice.warnon@k...
> > Subject: narada suit
> >
> > Wheaton sues officers of Tacoma Lodge on behalf of Wheaton's 
appointees.
> > Please look at our web page, 
www.thetheosophicalsocietyinamerica.org<http://www.thetheosophicalsoci
etyinamerica.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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> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>