This is another entry for my Spiritual Musings in a Physical World. Are we truly our brother’s keeper? If so, what does it mean?
Genesis
It seems that sibling rivalry is not new. Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. Supposedly, Cain was jealous of Able because GOD favored his brother. Cain was a farmer and Abel a shepherd, and GOD apparently liked lamb over zucchini. Cain handled that little problem by killing his brother in a jealous fit. GOD asked Cain where Abel was, but Cain came back with a rather passive aggressive reply, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
It was the wrong reply to give to the Creator and Cain was immediately banished from his family. I was always bothered by this story. Why would GOD purposely favor one of his creatures over another, knowing that it would cause a rift? This doesn’t sound like something an all-knowing, all-loving, entity would do, and yet, this is one of the stories in Genesis.
The good news is that GOD did not kill Cain, although the bible says “An eye for an eye.” GOD put a mark on Cain’s forehead as a warning to other tribes not to harm Cain. I think this is such an important part of the story. GOD did not kill the man who committed murder. From what we can gather from this tale is that Adam and Eve had other children to carry on their genes, and Cain apparently found new friends among the other tribes living on Earth.
Jesus
Many eons later, the son of GOD came to Earth to tear down the old laws and replace them with new ones, “Love one another as I have loved you,” Jesus said, and it shook the very foundations of intolerance. His message of love, forgiveness, along with his command to care for the refugee, poor and widows was radical thinking that went against the plans of the powerful people of his time. They treated his speech and actions as an act of treason, Jesus was crucified, but his message survived.
Today
Our world is on the brink of self-destruction. Many of the rich and powerful are behaving badly. Corporations are creating working conditions that harm their workers and strip away benefits that were legally earned. Insurance companies are refusing to pay for health care even after people have paid a pretty penny for the protection. We have Senators who want to end programs that help the poor, especially poor children. Corporations use loopholes in the law to destroy the environment causing a global catastrophe. Churches use the name of GOD to control others who think differently than they do. Shameful!
GOD was never about religion, but he did give examples of how we should behave. I don’t believe in organized religion, but I do believe in GOD. So when I hear the candidates claiming that we are not our brother’s keepers, I laugh. They are fools, or worse…they follow the fallen angel.
Conclusion
We were all divine and powerful souls until we inhabited this body. When we die, we will return to our original form, but we may not be welcomed home if we don’t change our ways.
We all live on this blue marble called Earth. Until we can go to other planets, we are stuck here. So, let’s take care of what we have. We are all one race. We are all human. We will not survive if we refuse to work together. We need to get over our differences.
No one who tells you to dehumanize another human is speaking for GOD. It doesn’t matter the person’s color, religion, country of birth, financial status, or sexual identity. All are equal on this planet. All are entitled to live and work productively for the betterment of the human race. To achieve this status, we must be accountable to each other. We must protect each other. To survive and evolve on this planet, we must be givers, and not takers.
So are we our brother’s keeper? Yes, I survive when my fellow humans survive
gilbertspeaks 
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