Copyrighting Truth

2000-4-18 02:26:00

Craig writes:
"I don't find it odd that JJ's beliefs are not new. I have been a student of esoterica for many years and find some of what JJ teaches to be in harmony with what rings true to me, while some is new to me. The thing I do find odd, and certainly bothersome to me, is that JJ copyrights all of his Keys List stuff as if truth can be owned, especially when his truths are eclectic."

First, I will again state that a lot of the things I write do not come from any book that I am aware of. Blayne certainly stretched his imagination when he tried to prove that the early Mormon writers have covered my material. Few of them even had an elementary understanding of reincarnation.

Contrary to popular belief, there are new things under the sun and thank God for this. Who would want to go on recycling the past for all eternity?

I think I explained this before, but the reason I started putting a copyright notice under all that I write is that I noticed on Sterling's list there was a copyright notice at the bottom and it was not from Sterling, but Microsoft Corporation. That could mean that if Sterling posted some of my material and Bill Gates copyrighted it, and later decided that he wanted to own it instead of me that he could prevent me from using my own material.

Actually a similar experience happened to me as it did John W. I once wrote a parable and gave a copy to a friend of mine on the way to California. A couple years later I discovered that the parable was picked up by someone else and published and copyrighted in a nationally distributed book. Now I am in danger of being sued if I publish my own material. For this reason, I have not even shared the parable with the group - one of the best I have written.

As far as copyrighting truth...I think you know, Craig, that is not the idea. Did you copyright your own book? Did you see yourself as copyrighting truth??? I don't think so.