Critiques and controversies have accompanied Theosophy from its earliest days and have decisively shaped its self-understanding, public image, and institutional evolution. Allegations of fraud and plagiarism against H. P. Blavatsky, including the Society for Psychical Research’s Hodgson Report and claims that major works drew heavily on earlier esoteric sources, damaged the credibility of both founder and movement. These pressures encouraged Theosophists to defend their tradition by emphasizing the philosophical and symbolic dimensions of texts such as *The Secret Doctrine*, and by shifting attention away from spectacular psychic phenomena. At the same time, Christian theologians and academic orientalists challenged Theosophy’s syncretic use of Hindu and Buddhist ideas, criticizing it as superficial, misrepresentative, or a rival universal religion. Such opposition pushed Theosophical writers toward greater scholarly rigor and a more careful presentation of their relationship to Eastern traditions and to Christianity.

Internal controversies proved just as formative. Disputes over leadership, succession, and the “true” continuation of Blavatsky’s work led to enduring schisms and the emergence of distinct branches such as the Adyar Theosophical Society, the Theosophical Society (Pasadena), and the United Lodge of Theosophists. Each group claimed fidelity to “original” teachings and often defined itself in opposition to perceived deviations in doctrine or practice, thereby institutionalizing critique within the movement itself. Ethical scandals, particularly those surrounding C. W. Leadbeater’s alleged misconduct and his teachings on sexual purity, exposed tensions between charismatic authority and conventional morality. The resulting resignations, reinstatements, and factionalism forced Theosophical bodies to confront questions of governance, accountability, and the proper limits of occult instruction.

One of the most dramatic episodes was the Krishnamurti affair, in which Jiddu Krishnamurti was promoted as the vehicle of a coming World Teacher. Internal dissent and external suspicion grew around this messianic project, and when Krishnamurti eventually dissolved the Order of the Star and rejected the role assigned to him, the credibility of Theosophical prophetic claims suffered a severe blow. Membership and prestige declined, and the movement was compelled to retreat from grand expectations of a single savior-figure. In the wake of this crisis, greater emphasis fell on study, service, and comparative religion rather than on specific prophetic programs or centralized spiritual authority.

Broader cultural and academic critiques further influenced Theosophy’s trajectory. Charges of Orientalism and cultural appropriation highlighted the extent to which its portrayals of karma, reincarnation, and liberation were shaped by Western esoteric and philosophical assumptions, even as some Eastern reformers valued its defense of their traditions. Debates over teachings such as root-race theory underscored the potential for speculative cosmologies to be read as racially hierarchical, prompting later Theosophists to soften, reinterpret, or downplay such doctrines while foregrounding universalist and anti-discriminatory ideals. Over time, these converging pressures—external criticism, internal scandal, and doctrinal dispute—decentralized Theosophical authority, diversified its expressions, and helped transform it from a tightly organized esoteric society into a more diffuse influence within modern alternative spirituality.