The Principle of Brotherhood
What is brotherhood and the principle behind it?
Who do you suppose the Brotherhood of Light calls its members (females included, of course)?
Why is the recognition of the brotherhood of all humanity a key ingredient to bring peace on earth and goodwill to all humankind?
Brotherhood is the recognition that we all came from the same source, which is God. Each of us are the offspring of God and made in His image. Because of this family relation we have to each other we can and should see the same divinity in our brother that we see in ourselves. True brotherhood though is a two-way street. It can only exist in fullness when the two become one by recognizing their true relationship with each other.
The principle is thus the mutual recognition of coming from the same source and giving the same potential for growth.
Brotherhood seen in one direction is helpful, but true peace on earth cannot be had until the principle is returned. One of the missions of disciples over the next couple hundred years will be to teach the principle of brotherhood. This will be done by emphasizing the teachings of brotherhood found in every religion. If the religious ones of the world just live up to the teachings of their various prophets, then real two-way brotherhood can become a reality.
The reason that all (both male and female) are called brothers by DK, who represents the Brotherhood of Light, goes beyond the fact that they are in a sending situation relative to us.
The reason for this is found in the words of Jesus:
46 “While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
47 “Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
48 “But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49 “And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50 “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Matt 12:46-50
Here Jesus was trying to emphasize the unity behind all human life. A person is not a brother because he is a member of your physical family, but we are all part of a universal family and in a deeper sense all are family, if we could see it.
The real reason that the two terms brotherhood and sisterhood are not used to differentiate is because differentiation is not desired. Two “hoods” would tell us that the are two competing family relations, possibly competing with each other for superiority. To avoid this division one term is used,
So why was brotherhood selected instead of sisterhood?
The answer is this. Sisterhood refers only to the female gender whereas brotherhood refers, in the esoteric sense, to a relationship that applies to both sexes. True brotherhood is the recognition that we are in the same spiritual family no matter what sex we are.
DK even crosses the species barrier with the word and calls our pets “our little brothers.” I found that to be a very endearing phrase.
Question: How responsible are young children for their actions and do they accumulate karma?
DK taught that the child becomes self-aware at age 7 and Joseph Smith taught that he becomes accountable at age 8. Whatever the case it is around this age that the child recognizes right and wrong and feels responsible for his decisions.
Even though a child becomes accountable around this age he still needs a lot of guidance so he can obtain a sure footing in life. A twelve-year-old is wiser than an eight-year-old and a 16-year-old is more enlightened than a 12-year-old. The entity progresses until around the age of 21 where he gains back the basic intelligence from his previous life.
It is true that others who are negative influences share the blame for bad decisions of others, especially young people, but the one who makes the bad decision still bears the brunt of the responsibility. Each of us has to learn to be able to live in a negative environment and yet still tread the path of light unwaveringly.
Anyone who is past the age of accountability will incur karma if he hurts another person. The buck stops at the decision maker. Even so I believe that in some cases for young people the karma of a negative act is often a shared responsibility between a person who set a bad example and the youth himself. After the age of 21 we are more likely to be fully responsible for our actions.
As to dealing with a problem or even dangerous child goes, one must examine the situation on a case-by-case basis.
There are several things usually applicable.
[1] Teach and show them love and acceptance.
[2] Give them the discipline needed to steer them in the right direction.
[3] Get professional counseling when possible.
[4] There are numerous books dealing with this subject. Keep reading them until you get the problem under control.
“The universe is not hostile, nor yet is it friendly. It is simply indifferent.” — J. H. Holmes
May 8, 2008
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