John Coats

John BS Coats ( born July 8, 1906 in Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland, † December 26, 1979 in Chennai, India) was a Scottish theosophist, President of the Theosophical Society Adyar ( Adyar -TG) and bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church ( LKK ). Frequently his name is shortened to JBS Coats.

Life and work

Childhood, youth, career and marriage

Coats was born on 8 July 1906 in Ayr, at Sundrum Castle, where he spent his childhood. The Baptist Family Coats was the owner of J. & P. Coats, Ltd.. (now Coats Ltd. ), even then the world's largest sewing thread with more than 50,000 employees. After basic and Outgoing school, he attended Eton College from 1918-1924. There followed a 18- month language course in France, then the entry into the family business and two years working for the company in Glasgow. Subsequently, the Group sold him for three years in his Vienna office one, here he learned the German language. As his desire to work in the UK to be able to again, was not complied with because there are too many family members were already busy, he left the company. Back in England, he began on the London Stock Exchange to work. In October 1933 he married Betsan Coats, from his marriage had three children.

In the Adyar -TG

In London Coats came in October 1932, the local Lodge of the Theosophical Society Adyar in ( Adyar -TG), later followed his wife. In the London lodge he learned next to Alice Bailey, and Rukmini Devi Arundale Curuppumullage Jinarajadasa also know George Arundale, with whom he shared a lifelong friendship. From 1935 he worked strengthened for the Adyar -TG, traveled for many countries became involved in the World Federation of Young Theosophists, which he was President for some time, and took over in Adyar administrative tasks. The end of 1938 he returned to England in 1941 was elected general secretary of the Adyar -TG the English section, this function held until 1946 and then was invited to the USA, where he worked for several years. The period after 1949 led Coats again in numerous countries on several continents, where he visited lodges and worked for Theosophy. In the 1950s, he also became the bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church ( LKK ), a spin-off of the English Old Catholicism consecrated. From 1953 he was Secretary of the European Federation of Adyar -TG and elected its President in 1959, in this capacity he remained until 1968. Again, she traveled around the world for the Adyar -TG and after the death of Sri Ram Nilakanta, on 8 April. , 1973, he applied for the post of President. Finally, he was elected and was from October 11, 1973 President of the Adyar -TG.

As President

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the existence of the Theosophical Society (TG ) is a theosophical congress took place in 1975 in New York, attended by Theosophists from all over the world and all directions. As the first president of the Adyar -TG, since the great split in the TG on 28 April 1895 in the Adyar -TG on the one hand and the Theosophical Society in America on the other hand, Coats found this words of reconciliation and offered a cooperation from the Adyar -TG on. He also admitted here that it would not have been right at the time of Henry Steel Olcott and especially Annie Besant, William Quan Judge to accuse several offenses in connection with the Judge Case against Theosophy, which had indeed had the division result. He also accepted this Judge as co-founder of TG, which had always been hushed since the split from the Adyar -TG. At the same time he said to the opening of the archives at Adyar in order to reappraise the past can. In fact, it came in the next few years to a relaxation between the competing TG 's and some Separating could be worked through. But everything went very slowly and some were thwarted by the " hardliners ", also found the release of secret documents instead of only to a limited extent, not least through the work of Radha Burnier, which at that time head of the Adyar Library held and this action opposed to standing. Coats himself took not hard enough by to meet this delay, and finally he died on 26 December 1979 before his purpose could bear fruit and an approximation could have taken place. Burnier, as his successor, continued the started Easing discontinued.

Death, succession and obituary

John Coats died on December 26, 1979 in Chennai at the age of 73. The burning of his body was held on the grounds of the Adyar -TG. As his successor Radha Burnier was chosen. Although his attempt to deal with the past and bring together the different TG 's ultimately could be realized only to a small extent, Coats is still today by some, according to Olcott, seen as the second " great " President of the Adyar -TG.