Theos-Talk Archives (October 1996 Message tl00558)

Dr. A.M.Bain wrote:
>
> Was it because the 19th century writers really did see a hierarchy
> dominated by white males as the "natural order" of things?  If they did,
> we might have to wonder just how much of the "core" theosophical
> writings are suspect in their assertion of eternal truths - unless of
> course this form of domination or control IS the natural order of
> things.

	It is my contention that there are concepts that are so ingrained into
a culture that those who belong to the culture don't even realize that
they are there. Even within the TS; when someone states that the TS has
no dogma, and I reply, "Yes it does: it assumes that there IS a
brotherhood of humanity", I am frequently rebuffed, "That's not a dogma,
that's the truth!". Or they accuse me of not believing in it (an
unfortunate tendency of far too many people is to equate defending a
(dis)belief with holding that (dis)belief). The gender non-neutral
language (in my opinion, from my studies) is almost certainly due to the
fact that virtually nobody even had the concept of pronouns sustaining
inequality at that time.

	Bart