King's Business - 1967-05

CULTS CRITIQUE by Betty Bruechert

T H E O S O P H Y

T wo w o m e n are responsible for in­ troducing and developing the cult of Theosophy in this country: Rus­ sian-born Helena Petrovna Blavat- sky (1831-1891) and the English di­ vorcee, Annie Besant (1847-1933). In 1873, Madame Blavatsky, aided by Colonel Olcott, founded the Theo- sophical Society in New York and published The Theosophist, neither of which met with much success. So in 1878 Madame Blavatsky jour­ neyed to India and sat at the feet of the Hindu and Buddhist mystics un­ til she absorbed their teachings to the full. She claimed communication with the Great White Brotherhood of Tibet but this was proven fraudu­ lent by the Society for Psychical Re­ search. When she returned to the U.S., she was hailed a true mystic. Her three books, The Secret Doc­ trine, Isis Unveiled and Key to Phi­ losophy are regarded as textbooks of the cult. At her death in 1891, her followers numbered around 100,- 000. Her most notable convert was Annie Besant, who formerly had been connected with various Social­ ist organizations in England which sometimes brought her into conflict with the law. In 1899, Mrs. Besant gave up her political life to lecture on Mrs. Blavatsky and Theosophy and, being an aggressive woman, and a forceful speaker, greatly advanced the cult in this country. Theosophy actually is but a West­ ern form of Hinduism, teaching pan­ theism and reincarnation, without any belief in a personal God. A stock quotation of the sect is: “All that is is God and God is all that is.” Mrs. Besant incorporated her own ac­ count of the life of Jesus into the creed: that He existed at least 100 years before the commonly accepted date; that He was reared and trained by the Essenes; that He became Christ but temporarily at His bap­ tism; that after the crucifixion He returned to teach His disciples East­ ern mysticism fifty years. Theoso- phists believe in a seven-fold body. One’s redemption consists in migrat­ ing from one body to another until perfection is attained. Suffering is always the result of sins in former lives and salvation is nirvana, cessa­ tion of one’s existence. In Theosophy there is no Heaven, no hope, no hap­ piness—only darkness and despair.

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New Men’s Residence Hall Ready in 1968

AdmtatfttM Office Dept. 5K7 MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE • 820 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago,» . »1610 Please send me high schooler's guide on curriculum planning.

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