The movement will continue to evolve and as the movement keeps focused on the teachings and the living in the Spirit, progress will continue in the movement and it will prosper best by organizations activated by service motive to our world.
The organizations you’re talking about Bradly are service motivated. They aren’t in the business of financial gain to my knowledge. People formed them for a purpose or several purposes and people, wisely or unwisely, rule them. They are not divine nor are the people who lead them. Hopefully though, the various leaders demonstrate wisdom, insight, and foresight, as they decide what direction to take their organization. Recall that the quantity of wise leadership in a population has never exceeded one per cent of them. (81:6.42) I venture the guess that the 1%ers tipped the scale in favor of not moving forward with organizational unity. Maybe it was too much to ask – to ask people to disown the past.
154:6.8 Mary and Jesus’ brothers thought that Jesus did not understand them, that he had lost interest in them, little realizing that it was they who failed to understand Jesus. Jesus fully understood how difficult it is for men to break with their past. He knew how human beings are swayed by the preacher’s eloquence, and how the conscience responds to emotional appeal as the mind does to logic and reason, but he also knew how far more difficult it is to persuade men to disown the past.
But I am hopeful.
4:1.4 There is no limitation of the forces and personalities which the Father may use to uphold his purpose and sustain his creatures. “The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” “Behold, he who keeps us shall neither slumber nor sleep.” “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God,” “for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers.”
Greetings Mara!! I find the movement at an interesting intersection today and the unity initiative responses seem to bear it out – there are those with long memories which foster a certain mistrust based on long ago events and those who are anxious, perhaps even impatient, with the evolutionary process who seem intent on re-forming a singular organization entity or a rebuilding of the scrambled egg of the onetime Brotherhood. There was a rather peculiar and very specific event that occurred with a leader of the Brotherhood followed some time later with a Foundation Trustee (don’t know that the two were even really related and over a decade in between the two events). The first delivered some division within the Brotherhood itself and the second delivered a great battle of wills and resentments between the Brotherhood and the Foundation (actually between some/many in the Brotherhood and a particular Trustee). Then came the channelers which caused general chaos, confusion, and much distress within the Fellowship….and remain a caustic source of confusion for some today.
Some seem to hold onto the past and others want to dismiss it or ignore it….but from my experience in the very midst of all of these issues, I find reason to think that such human muddling forced everyone who serves to focus on that primary purpose of original formation – text preservation, book publishing and dissemination, translations of the Revelation, readership services, educational opportunities, personal connectivity of the readership, socialization, and organization building….and this was done by those who witnessed and participated in the trials, tribulations, and failures from 1975-1995….that’s called experience!!!! Idealism may fail time to time, but experience can bring wisdom….and so it did and has for many. I find experiential symmetry and progress in the results of those prior challenges and errors made by some in the past. I also know that there is far more people serving dissemination today than ever before with far more resources and organizational strength and utility with a rapidly growing readership!! Hooray! Error resulted in better priorities and choices…if less uniformity and for a season, less unity for some. But hardly all or even most.
I think it a mistake to dismiss or ignore the painful lessons learned by past errors….the past will be repeated if it is not learned how better to proceed by the errors already made. I also think it a mistake to hold onto old resentments….and believe me, I had some!! Disappointment crushes some while others gain focus, determination, and strength. The uncertainties of the future frighten those same ones, who so often wish to reform the past (as if that could ever happen). The Treatise and The Michael Plan both look to and lament the past IMO. But truly, those who serve today should, and mostly are, looking forward at all the work at hand and the opportunity for servants to step up and serve, and the certain future of our world’s epochal transformations to come. There simply is no time for disappointment, resentment, or trepidation toward uncertainty today.
Those who strive with a sincere heart to bring the Revelation to the world serve a much bigger cause and movement than our own personal preferences should concern themselves with. Mistakes were made. Mistakes are still made. Mistakes will yet be made. This is the nature of evolutionary progress. The accusations and demands of the Treatise are not helpful to those who look forward toward challenge and opportunity….and change. No one may go back. Who would really want to? This is a marvelous time in the history of this so recent gift to our world…only a mortal mind could dare to hide in the shadows of yesterday’s disappointments rather than relish the light of the truth and progress in the movement today.
It is my understanding that unity is an important objective shared by all the organizations. But each has developed its own particular culture and priorities to disseminate. Such structures cannot simply be smashed together to bring instant unification. And might not ever do so….I don’t know….and don’t particularly care. But there can be no doubt as to the growing harmony, cooperation, dialogue, and mutual respect by the leadership of those organizations. Unity may not result in re-unification….two very different things indeed. Which I wonder is more important to those who cry out for the reconstruction of the past? For it appears that such shrill voices from outside any of those organizations seem hell bent on disunity and disharmony and the opportunity to profit by chaos…even if their claims were not tormented and twisted contradictions of the gift we have been given. Insane voices demanding insane responses…or so I see it!
I believe time is on our side. And the organizations will prosper which serve with sincerity and integrity of the leadership, volunteers, members, and the global readership which responds to the teachings themselves. Peace and blessings to all who so serve!
= )
"Live loyally today—grow—and tomorrow will attend to itself. The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live loyally each moment as a tadpole."
