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from The Esoteric Basis of Christianity, by Wm. Kingsland. A Paper read before the Blavatsky Lodge of the Theosophical Society, Theosophical Publishing Society, London, 1891.

Theosophy and Christian Doctrine

"Theosophy claims to be the truth underlying all religions in their exoteric or popular form; and it claims this in virtue of its being a presentation or interpretation of a very ancient system known as the Secret Doctrine, or ancient Wisdom Religion. The world has never been without its Initiates, who have preserved the esoteric knowledge which has assumed many exoteric forms in all ages. This esoteric knowledge, however, has always been guarded with the greatest care, and preserved a profound secret, for reasons which have been fully dealt with elsewhere. I need merely instance here the instruction of Jesus to his disciples, not to cast their pearls before swine; and also the statement of St. Paul (I. Cor., iii., I) that he was only able to feed his converts with milk, not with meat. The "Wisdom in a Mystery" has been reserved, as St. Paul says (I. Cor.,ii.,6), for the perfect of full-grown, for those who have attained to spiritual manhood: something which is altogether different from, and not coincident with, physical or intellectual manhood." p.3

"It is well known that the claim which has been made by the Church, from its earliest traditions down to our present day, on behalf of Christian doctrine, has been that of a special divine revelation by a personal God. Beginning with the first chapter of Genesis, and ending with the last verse of Revelation, was are asked to believe that the collection of ancient writings known as the Bible has been specifically prepared and inspired by this personal God, as a record of his dealings with, and his will towards, the creatures he originally created." p.4


"Let me point out here the great mistake which is made by all religionists and sectarians with regard to what they call the truth of their own particular doctrines. A doctrine is simply a formulated statement of a principle; and since the human mind is only capable of dealing with that which is relative, is only capable of formulating principles which are relative to its limited and finite consciousness; and since every mind differs in some degree in its powers of observation and intuition; what is called the truth of a doctrine is merely a term for its relativity, or the relation which it bears to the individual mind at a certain stage of its experience or evolution. Uniformity of doctrine and belief is impossible, except in a world where every individual is at the same level or point of evolution, and all progressing, or may be retrogressing, at the same rate.

The mistake which is made by the individual, the sect, or the Church, (and Theosophists need to be warned against this quite as much as others) is in supposing that which is true to them, or true of their own experience, must be true for all the rest of humanity. It is this constant tendency to individualize and restrict, which gives rise to dogmatism, hatred, bigotry, and all the uncharitableness of sectarian religion..." p. 6


"...The test of truth therefore is its universality; it must harmonize all known phenomena, and every factor in human experience; and if we find any set of doctrines dealing merely with a limited portion, and inapplicable to the rest, we have to reject them for wider and deeper principles. Ideas which are absolutely absurd to those who have a wider range of experience, are often "gospel truth" to lesser minds. The distinction between the untutored savage and the member of a civilized community is a very marked one in this respect, but where are we to draw a line, where fix upon a limit, where find the individual who stands at the furthest point of human progress?...The ideas of the most advanced philosopher of today, will one day be regarded as we now regard the primitive ideas of the savage.." p. 7


"...These [scientists] have made up their minds that there cannot be anything supernatural or superhuman, and they define these as anything which lies outside the range of their own particular experience.

The Christian makes exactly the same mistake in the opposite direction. He has made up his mind that his Bible is superhuman and revealed, and not only so, but that there is no other record in the world which can make a similar claim, or can be compared in any respect with this book; and starting from this principle he is compelled to reject all other records, religions, and experience as false and mischievous..." p. 10


"The Church gives us no alternative but to accept or reject its dogmas. There is no inner or spiritual meaning in its teachings apart from their literal acceptation. There is no Esoteric Christianity in the Church, we must go elsewhere for it; and it is Theosophy which now proclaims it." p.13


"...The Bible as we now have it is a collection of a number of scattered records, selected from a great many more of a similar character. There is no reason for regarding those which have been selected as of greater value or inspiration that those which have been left out. Not only is this so, but we have in other languages, and coming down to us from nations antedating the Jewish race, similar records, dealing with the creation of the world and the relation of man to the universe, in a totally different way, though still to all appearances historically.

Now these accounts cannot all be true; they are on the face of them quite at variance with each other. Either the Bible is true as history -- I am referring now to the account in Genesis -- and all others false, or the Bible is false and the others true; or there is a third alternative, that they are all allegorical...We must call to our aid the result of literary research into ancient civilizations, customs, religions, and symbology; and by careful comparison we shall soon discover the key which we require. For there is a great mass of research and literature available for those who really desire to get at the truth.

And when we do this we shall find that the collection of writings known as the Bible, constitutes but one of a number of records which are all derived from, and based upon one unifying system, known at times as the Ancient Wisdom Religion, or the Secret Doctrine. We shall find that these teachings were always symbolical and mythological; that they have been given out from time to time, and from age to age, in a form appropriate to the particular nation or age for whom they were written; and that they are usually based upon some actual historical narrative, which thus gave a colour of literal truth to them. As in our childhood we demand fairy stories, and delight in fancies, so in the spiritual childhood of a man, of a nation, or a race, there is much which naturally takes the form of allegory. But these allegories are not the invention of primitive man, anymore than children invent their own fairy tales. They were put forward by the divine hierarchy of Initiates, as the only available method of presenting truths which as yet could not be grasped in any other form."

And as it was with the early Initiates from whom all the sacred records were originally derived, so it has been with all the great teachers of whom we have historical records. Confucius and Buddha; Moses, Jesus, and Paul; one and all have had to teach in accordance with the capacity of their hearers; veiling the deeper spiritual truth in a form which was comprehensible to the people they addressed. Yet they have all indicated plainly that there was a spiritual truth underlying the form in which they taught; they have all had their esoteric doctrine, and their initiated disciples.

And this esoteric doctrine is the same all the world over, and in all ages; for it is the spiritual truth of man's relation to the universe, the spiritual mystery of his life and consciousness, and can only be discerned and understood by those who have risen above the illusions of time and sense, of matter and form. Let those who deny the existence of this esoteric truth explain what St. Paul means when he tells the Corinthians: "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it; nay, not even now are ye able; for ye are yet carnal." (I. Cor. iii., I.)" p.14-16

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