Theos-Talk Archives (November 2002 Message tt00093)

Brian/Brigitte,

You wrote to me:

"I did notice Steve asked you: 'There is still one challlenge - more 
difficult than collecting preicpitaion stories - which has not been 
dealt with: how to argue from an unbiased perspective that the 
mahatma letters did contain the actual thoughts of the mahatmas and 
not those of the amanuensis chelas who produced them?' "

"Why don't you answer his question ?"

So Brigitte, are we playing THAT game AGAIN? :)

The question Steve asked is found at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theos-talk/message/8421

I quote the fuller text:

"Thanks for the precipitation stories. The Theosophical sources say 
that some of the letters were precipitated and that most were not. 
Your comments seem to fit in well with those statements."

"There is still one challlenge - more difficult than collecting 
preicpitaion stories - which has not been dealt with: how to argue 
from an unbiased perspective that the mahatma letters did contain the 
actual thoughts of the mahatmas and not those of the amanuensis 
chelas who produced them? Unfortunately, precipitation stories, 
however interesting, do not relieve us on this point because even if 
we grant that Blavatsky could produce a letter out of thin air, that 
does not constitute reason to believe the letter she produced did not 
contain her own thoughts rather than someone else's. I am not saying 
the problem cannot be solved, only that the stories do not solve it. 
So suppose someone like Paul Johnson or Brigitte Muehlegger were to 
suddenly profess belief in the mathatmas and precipitation but 
express doubt that the mahatmas wrote the letters, how could one 
answer that difficulty?"

This is certainly a good question by Steve. But I believe it is not 
an easy question to answer. I'm not saying it couldn't be adequately 
answered. I'm just saying it is a question that would require time 
and effort to adequately answer.

I certainly would not try to answer it off the top of my head in two 
or three paragraphs. 

I would have to first think about it, mull it over, etc. Then I 
would have to do some research and study to see if I could find 
relevant primary source material that might elucidate the question 
and the implications that the question raises, etc. etc.

In other words, not every question can be easily answered.

Brian/Brigitte, maybe you have some simple answer to Steve's 
question. If so, go for it!

Maybe some of us will pursue Steve's question and come up with some 
insights. I suspect that an adequate answer would require at least a 
2 or 3 page article. 

Daniel H. Caldwell
BLAVATSKY ARCHIVES
http://hpb.cc