Theos-Talk Archives (March 2006 Message tt00429)

Dear Anand,

As I have just learned, when I leave the list because of the recent 
degradation of atmosphere I won't be the first to do so.  You wrote:
>
> Hello Paul,
> It appears that some people don't like your work 'Masters Revealed' 
> They are trying to make you go out of talk-lists. Unfortunately you 
> seem to be surrendering by leaving this theos-talk.

To stay and fight would also be a kind of surrender; surrender to an 
untheosophical atmosphere on an alleged theosophical list.  To stay and 
not fight would be surrendering to abuse.  I don't see a good 
alternative here.

 And even if you 
> leave the list, they will try to demean you and your book. So I would 
> suggest you to stay. 
> Suppose you don't accept Blavatsky, why do you fear to say so 
openly ? 

I admire HPB and her books very much, and for close to 20 years freely 
shared my views of her and researches on her with fellow Theosophists 
with no problems.  No one ever suggested to me that I was not a 
Theosophist. In his introduction to The Masters Revealed, Joscelyn 
Godwin wrote: "Mr. Johnson's work occupies the middle ground.  He 
obviously has a great respect and admiration for HPB, but he has no 
illusions as to the mischievous and even dark sides of her 
personality.  He observes the convention without which scholarship 
would be impossible, namely that of not imposing one's own religious 
beliefs on the matter to be studied.  But he evidently believes that 
HPB and her Masters achieved something of tremendous importance for the 
human race."  That is just as true today as when he wrote it in 1994.  
It is clearly however not good enough to satisfy Theosophical 
inquisitors.  How many furiously antagonistic attacks does it take 
before one fears to express his views?

> It is not necessary that you should accept Blavatsky or anybody else. 
> TS gives complete freedom to all. 
> After coming in contact, I soon realized that Blavatsyans have 
> problematic mental structure which was result of perhaps study of 
> Blavatky's writing. 
> AG

As Erica has just shown, there are abundant quotes from HPB that put to 
shame all the hatefulness her supposed followers have expressed towards 
those who don't share their beliefs.  I would suggest that rather than 
HPB's writings per se, there is something problematic about the 
association between esotericism and elitism.  "We know spiritual 
secrets, and we're superior to those who don't" is bad enough when it's 
a sentiment shared within a private club like the ES.  When it becomes 
a *public* stance of contemptuous dismissal of everything outside a 
narrow range of Theosophical orthodoxy, it becomes a total reversal of 
everything HPB stood for.  As someone just wrote me in private email, 
what theos-talk has become represents HPB's worst nightmare.

Cheers,

Paul