It is okay to admire fraternities that have worked to make positive contributions to society. Civic and charitable groups have done that. What is abhorrent is the cycle and culture of violence as a result of bitter competitions between frats caused by and/or resulting in hatred, envy and jealousy. This culture starts from violent hazings and indoctrinations. And that is what fraternities must be concerned about and work to totally eradicate.
The good works of one frat could be the object of envy and hatred by the other and so the cycle of violence continues especially when these groups have bitter and bloody rivalry or fight for supremacy all these years. A lesson from what happened to Cain and Abel has to be reflected upon here.
I have seen quite a number of these efforts of frats to have positive projects in the past while I was still in UP Diliman. Sad to say, what destroys their good image is the shallowness of their purpose because if these good deeds were only done to make the group look good to entice more prospective recruits to join without totally forgetting all past conflicts and hatred or forgiving their enemies, then all these good works will be for nothing and thus likened to a dream castle built on sand.
One cannot be proud to proclaim to the whole world of having done good to others while the families of their victims and enemies continue to grieve especially with the thought that the culture of violence wasn't successfully eradicated all these years. The deaths, as recorded in UP and elsewhere especially in Mandaue City, could attest to that. And this is not a dirt to be swept under the carpet while guests come to party and celebrate the good deeds.
What fratmen must do is to go back to the basics of their faith, especially Christians, because it is written that we have to forgive and love our enemies.
There is hope. There is faith. There is love.
The question is, can a Christian fratman, for example, allow his frat brothers to attack, maim and kill fellow Christians belonging to a rival frat just because he has sworn allegiance and loyalty to his fraternity? Can a true Christian and believer in God the Father Almighty allow himself to be part of these groups that sow terror in and out of school and university campuses?
Shallow cosmetics will surely fade one day and reveal the rottenness inside if these groups will just be concerned about what will make them look good from the outside without working for real, genuine change...especially if they forget the statutes of God the Father Almighty.
If fraternities, because they are so organized, disciplined and have common noble principles to serve God Almighty, country, family and fraternity, were successful in policing their ranks and living-up to their ideals, then our country will have a lot lesser criminality, corruption and all forms of moral decay and most especially less spiritual blindness. They must also understand that fratmen belonging to other frats are their countrymen too belonging to the same faith and to whom they pledged to serve.
If the prerequisites of joining these groups could be elevated from merely barbaric and violent means of gaining a person's loyalty to living up to the requirements of a true believer in God the Father Almighty then there is no need of physical hazing or initiation. Instead, the fratman must become a lifetime neophyte in the spiritual and moral gauntlet that is life and fighting to endure till the end against all forms of evils such as corruption, drug addiction, immorality, bigotry, adultery, etc., etc., etc. as a true believer in God the Almighty Father.
It is written "spare the rod and spoil the child." The Holy Scriptures is full of lessons to be had for parents to mold their sons into better men of God the Almighty Father. Therefore there is no need for a paddle to spoil the man!
With the ongoing and sometimes dormant bloody conflicts between frats, there seems to be no sign of a way out of this mess. But it is written, "God the Father Almighty will make a way when there seems to be no way" And to find the way is to...
SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU.
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