What about Blavatsky and Theosophy?Whenever an effective critique of religious dogma has been advanced, a defensive tactic by believers has been to smear, libel and slander the critics with all manner of personal attacks in a misguided attempt to discredit the criticism itself.
One such tactic over the centuries since Christianity was created involves calling people "heathens," "blasphemers" and "satanists." Of late, the name-calling has included "Luciferians," "Freemasons," "Illuminati," "Theosophists" and advocates of the "New World Order." Whatever the epithet, the fallaciousness and misrepresentation remain the same, often largely or entirely based on falsehoods.
This latest trend has been applied most recently to individuals not blindly believing the Christian doctrine and the gospel story of Jesus Christ, such as those who inspired and/or created the internet movie "ZEITGEIST." Since my work served as significant inspiration for the religious part of that film, detractors have chosen to obfuscate, misrepresent and lie about my work and to slander, libel and smear me personally with all sorts of vitriol and calumny, including calling me a "Satanist," "Luciferian," "Illuminati," "Theosophist" and advocate of the "New World Order."
Completely independent, not affiliated with any organizationDespite all of these attempts, the fact will remain that I am none of these things and never have been. I am not and never have been affiliated with any group, society or organization of any kind, whether religious or not. Nor do I subscribe to any doctrines or dogma prescribed by any religion, sect, cult, brotherhood, clique, faction or organization. I am a completely independent scholar who draws her material from a wide variety of sources composed over the broadest spectrum of time. In this quest, I have published several books using thousands of sources, including primary sources wherever possible in as many languages as necessary and the works of highly credentialed authorities in relevant fields. I have also utilized less orthodox sources on occasion where necessary and where important factual material could be found.
No connection to Blavatsky and Theosophy, etc.Because of out of thousands of citations in my voluminous works I quoted the Russian mystic Helena Blavatsky a handful of times, certain individuals have attempted to deride, smear, libel and slander me and my work with the label of "Luciferian" and "Theosophist," etc. It has also been suggested that I am a member of the "Lucis Trust" established by occultist Alice Bailey during the 1920s. Again, I am not a member of any organization, group, sect or faction, and I receive no funding from any group, sect or faction.
In reality, I have never read a single sentence of Alice Bailey's works and know next to nothing about them - I had to look up the founding of Lucis Trust just now. Nor do I have any interest in the organization of Theosophy, begun by Blavatsky, and again know next to nothing about it - only bits and pieces from studying religion in general. In reality, these accusations and falsehoods appear to be the products of seriously disturbed minds who are obsessed with the occult and have far greater acquaintance with it than I do.
As concerns "Satanism" and "Luciferianism," I have no interest in Satan or Lucifer except as mythological constructs, the meaning of which is largely astrotheological and the origin of which can be found in ancient pre-Christian religions and mythologies. Hence, these slanderous and libelous allegations and labels are completely and utterly false, malicious and depraved, and should be dismissed as such. Moreover, the essence of my work long predates the founding of the "Theosophy" movement by Blavatsky and has nothing whatsoever to do with her. As noted, her work contributed nothing more than a few quotes, which represented a mere recital of facts that can be found elsewhere. For example, in
The Christ Conspiracy I quote her a mere five times, out of over 1100+ citations:
Quote:
"The Baal of the Israelites (the Shemesh of the Moabites and the Moloch of the Ammonites) was the identical 'Sun-Jehovah,' and he is still now 'the King of the Host of Heaven,' the Sun, as much as Astoreth...was the 'Queen of Heaven'--or the moon." (CC, 93)
Quote:
"[Buddha] was considered the...'Good Shepherd'..." (CC, 110)
Quote:
"[Krishna] castigated the clergy, charging them with 'ambition and hypocrisy... Tradition says he fell victim to their vengeance.'" (CC, 117)
Quote:
"[Concerning Justin Martyr] Blavatsky relates, 'writing in the early part of the second century in Rome, where he fixed his abode, eager to get hold of the least proof in favor of the truth for which he suffered, seems perfectly unconscious of St. Peter's existence!! Neither does any other writer of any consequence mention him in connection with the Church of Rome, earlier than the days of Irenaeus, when the latter set himself to invent a new religion, drawn from the depth of his imagination.'" (CC, 169)
Quote:
"Luther speaks of a fish-pond at Rome, situated near a convent of nuns, which, having been cleared out by order of Pope Gregory, disclosed, at the bottom, over six thousand infant skulls; and of a nunnery at Neinburg, in Austria, whose foundations, when searched, disclosed the same relics of celibacy and chastity!" (CC, 284)
The above constitutes the entirety of material quoted from Blavatsky's books in
The Christ Conspiracy, and, as we can see, it has nothing to do with the philosophy or doctrines of the Theosophical movement, whatever that might be. All of this factual material can be validated with other sources, such as:
Yahweh and the Sun by Dr. J. Glen Taylor for the first quote; Sir Godfrey Higgin's
Anacalypsis (I, 158) for the second part; Theodor J. Plange's
Christus, ein Inder?, as cited in
The American Journal of Religious Psychology and Education (349) for the second; George Reber's
Therapeutae (129-130) for the third; and Luther himself for the fourth. Taylor's work is modern and is obviously not the source of Blavatsky's contentions, which appears to be Higgins's
Anacalypsis and, of course, the Bible. For the fourth assertion here, Blavatsky specifically cites Reber, although a different work entitled
The Christ of Paul. The third part is verified in William Howitt's
The History of the Supernatural in All Ages and Nations (65), from which Blavatsky evidently drew her information, as it is nearly verbatim. Howitt's work preceded Blavatsky's by several years, and she cites him in
Isis Unveiled. Howitt in turn cites Pope Gregory as quoting Luther's "Table-Talk, p. 307" for this part about the skulls of drowned babies in ponds outside of convents at Rome and Neinburg. (In my forthcoming Christ Con revision, all of the Blavatsky quotes/citations will be replaced by these sources.)
While it may be argued that other concepts in
The Christ Conspiracy resemble those found in Blavatsky's writings, the fact will remain that I did not procure them from her but from earlier sources from which she apparently also drew her information, as she has done with these five quotes.
In my follow up book
Suns of God, I quote Blavatsky a total of three times:
Quote:
"...the name Buddha comes from Budha, 'Wisdom, divine intelligence.'" (SOG, 336)
Quote:
"One is completely overwhelmed with astonishment upon reading Dr. Lundy's Monumental Christianity. It would be difficult to say whether an admiration for the author's erudition, or amazement at his serene and unparalleled sophistry, is stronger. He has gathered a world of facts which prove that the religions, far more ancient than Christianity, of Christna, Buddha, and Osiris, had anticipated even its minutest symbols. His materials come from no forged papyri, no interpolated Gospels, but from sculptures on the walls of ancient temples, from monuments, inscriptions, and other archaic relics, only mutilated by the hammers of iconoclasts, the cannon of fanatics, and the effects of time. He shows us Christna and Apollo as good shepherds; Christian holding the cruciform chank [crook] and the chakra [wheel], and Christna 'crucified in space,' as he calls it... Of this figure--borrowed by Dr. Lundy from Moor's Hindu Pantheon--it may be truly said that it is calculated to petrify a Christian with astonishment, for it is the crucified Christ of Romish art to the last degree of resemblance.
"As it is, Dr. Lundy contradicts Moor, and maintains that this figure is that of Wittoba, one of the avatars of Vishnu, hence Christna, and anterior to Christianity, which is a fact not very easily put down. And yet although he finds it prophetic of Christianity, he thinks it has no relation whatever to Christ!" (SOG, 249)
I also quoted Blavatsky as an observer of the brouhaha over Sir William Jones's
Asiatic Researches regarding the apparent hoax perpetrated against Colonel Francis Wilford by Brahmin priests, in which she carefully cites all of material from which she draws her commentary, including not only Jones but also comparative religion scholar Dr. Max Muller, who likewise commented upon the drama shortly before Blavatsky wrote her analysis. (SOG, 209-210) Blavatsky's clear testimony regarding this important debacle is factual and highly valuable.
As in
The Christ Conspiracy, in these three quotes from Blavatsky in
Suns of God there is nothing here remotely resembling any religious beliefs or doctrine having to do with the Theosophical movement. None of my other works utilize Blavatsky at all, and it is obvious that my work does not rely on her to any extent whatsoever.
Blavatsky an evemeristMoreover, to my knowledge Blavatsky was an evemerist, which means she believed Christ to have been a "real person," in this case an "enlightened master" of some sort. In the meantime, I am a mythicist whose studied opinion is that the figure of "Jesus Christ" in the New Testament represents a compilation of characters, mythical and historical, rather than a single historical person.
Hence, Blavatsky and I utterly disagree in our main premises - we are not alike at all, and the comparison between us is completely fallacious. In this regard, as demonstrated in my ebook
Jesus as the Sun throughout History, in no way, shape or form did Blavatsky originate the comparison of Christ with the day star. Indeed, the identification of Jesus with the solar divinity originates in the Bible itself, at Malachi 4:2, in which the coming messiah is rendered the "Sun of Righteousness."
Because I have not studied Blavatsky's organization at all, I do not know its doctrines other than what I just stated, but I do know that my work is being misrepresented by those attempting to smear, libel and slander me in order to shore up their faith at all costs, including lying, thus breaking the Ninth Commandment:
Quote:
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." (Exodus 20:16)
The origin of 'theosophy'I cannot tell you what "Theosophy" meant to Blavatsky, et al., because I do not know and am not interested in it at all. I
can tell you that the term "theosophy" did not originate with Blavatsky but dates back to antiquity, in the Greek word
theosophia. We find Latin literature from the 17th century using this term "
Theosophia," such as by Joannis Perigaud. There are
many other books in various languages published before 1850 - before Blavatsky - that use the word
theosophia. Again, the term has been used since antiquity:
Quote:
The word "
theosophia" appeared in both Greek and Latin in the works of early church fathers as a synonym for "theology"
This word
theosophia simply means "wisdom of God." Hence, it is possible for anyone who seeks the wisdom of God to be labeled a "Theosophist," including Christians, as we can see.
All these people are Theosophists?Also, if quoting or mentioning a person means that we subscribe to that individual's ideology or are members of his or her group, faction, clique or cult, then all Christians who quote the Koran or discuss Mohammed in reality must be Muslims. In addition, in the case of Blavatsky, the following scholars, scientists and other prominent figures must be deemed "Theosophists," according to such faulty logic, since they quoted, mentioned, knew or were influenced by her:
General Abner Doubleday, founder of baseball. According to Block, Doubleday was a "prominent member" and one of the "early officers" of the Theosophical Society. (Block, 35)
Lewis Carroll
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Albert Einstein (Amico, 81)
Thomas Edison. According to Block, Edison was a member of the Theosophical Society. (Block, 297)
Dr. Garrett G. Fagan, associate professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and History (Fagan, 44, 118, 348)
Dr. Kenneth L. Feder, professor of Anthropology at Central Connecticut State University (Feder, 218)
Kahlil Gibran
Gandhi
Dr. Jane Goodall
Dr. Erik Hornung, professor emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Basel, (Hornung, 116, 121, 142, 143, 144, 145, 147, 151, 183)
Henry Miller (Miller, 164)
Maurice Maeterlinck, Nobel Prize laureate (Carter, 30)
Maria Montessori (1870 –1952)
Elvis Presley
Dr. Michael Shermer (Shermer, 11, 31, 205, 219, 245, 307)
Dr. Charles D. Smith, professor of Near Eastern Studies, University of Arizona (Smith, 127)
D.T. Suzuki
Kurt Vonnegut
Henry Wallace (1888 –1965), Vice President of the United States
Adding to this list, Dr. James J. Preston, professor of Anthropology and chairman of Religious Studies at the State University of New York (Amico, 80-81), cites the following individuals as having been influenced by Blavatsky:
L. Frank Baum
Joseph Campbell
T.S. Elliot
E.M Forster
Sigmund Freud
Paul Gauguin
James Joyce
Carl Jung
D.H. Lawrence
Jack London
Gustav Mahler
Jean Sibelius
Thornton Wilder
William Butler Yeats
While a number of these individuals clearly
were Theosophists, as known members of Blavatsky's Theosophical Society, many others were not, even if known to have been influenced by her work or that of the Theosophical Society. Some, obviously, have nothing whatsoever to do with Blavatsky's Theosophy, merely mentioning her, quoting her, writing biographical material concerning her or, indeed, debunking her.
To lump all these individuals together under the label of "Theosophists" would represent egregiously poor scholarship. Yet, such egregiousness is what is precisely the case with the unscholarly and unscientific tactics used by Christian apologists and others.SourcesAmico, Eleanor B., ed.,
Reader's Guide to Women's Studies, Routledge, 1997.
Block, David,
Baseball before we knew it, University of Nebraska, 2005.
Carter, Steven R.,
James Jones: An American Literary Orientalist Master, University of Illinois, 1998.
Fagan, Garrett G., ed.,
Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public, Routledge, 2006.
Feder, Kenneth L.,
Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology, McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Hall, G. Stanley, ed.,
The American Journal of Religious Psychology and Education, I, Louis N. Wilson, MA, 1905.
Howitt, William,
The History of the Supernatural in All Ages and Nations, II, Longman, Green, 1863.
Hornung, Erik,
The Secret Lore of Egypt, tr. David Lorton, Cornell University Press, 2002.
Miller, Henry,
The Air-Conditioned Nightmare, New Directions, 1970.
Reber, George,
Therapeutae: St. John Never in Asia Minor (1872), Kessinger, 2003.
Shermer, Michael,
The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience, I, ABC-CLIO, 2002.
Smith, Charles D.,
Islam and the Search for Social Order in Modern Egypt, State University of New York Press, 1983.
Taylor, J. Glen,
Biblical Archaeological Evidence for Sun Worship in Ancient Israel, Sheffield Academic Press, 1993.
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