Posted on 04/06/2014 1:44:23 PM PDT by little jeremiah
The idea of practicing virtue to help and respect others is not absent from any part of the world. It is a basic law found everywhere. Therefore, no one has an excuse to not follow it. If we ever expect to have peace in the world, this is certainly where we can begin.
The importance of this was well stated by Mohandas Gandhi: "To injure a single human being is to injure those divine powers within us, and thus the harm reaches not only that one human being, but with him the whole world."
This makes it clear that whatever disrespect or harm we show to others (providing they have no criminal intent) is not isolated, but has its effects far and wide, and can do as much inner harm to us as we do to others. In other words, by following the Golden Rule we help ourselves as much as those we meet.
One of the earliest references to the Golden Rule is found in India in the Mahabharata (13th Parva), which states, "This is the sum of all true righteousness--Treat others as thou would’st thyself be treated. Do nothing to thy neighbor, which hereafter thou would’st not have thy neighbor do to thee. In causing pleasure or in giving pain, in doing good or injury to others, in granting or refusing a request, a man obtains a proper rule of action by looking on his neighbor as himself."
The Manu-samhita (2.161) also explains, "Wound not others, do no one injury by thought or deed, utter no word to pain thy fellow creatures."
From the Middle-East, in Judaism we find in the Talmud, "What is hurtful to yourself do not to your fellow man. That is the Torah and the remainder is but commentary. Go learn it." Leviticus (19.17-18) explains, "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart. . . Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge. . . but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
Similar expressions are found amongst the Christians in Matthew (7.12) and Luke (6.31) which explain, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets."
I Thessalonians (5.15) states, "See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men." And Hebrews (13.1) says: "Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
The most important of all Christian principles is found in Matthew (22.37-40): "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Furthermore, the words of Jesus explain in John (13.34-5): "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
From the Orient, in the Analects (15.23) of Confucianism, it states, "Tzu Kung asked saying: Is there any one maxim which ought to be acted upon throughout one’s whole life? The Master replied: Surely the maxim of reciprocity is such: Do not unto others what you would not they should do unto you."
Also in the Analects (6.28) we find, "The man of moral virtue, wishing to stand firm himself, will lend firmness unto others; wishing himself to be enlightened, he will enlighten others. To be able to do to others as we would be done by--this is the true domain of moral virtue."
In the Jain religion we find more references to the Golden Rule. In the Yogashastra (2.20) it states, "In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, regard all creatures as you regard your own self, and do not injure others with that which would injure yourself." Also (2.37), "Viler than unbelievers are those cruel ones who make the law that teaches killing."
In Buddhism, the Udanavarya (5.18) simply states, "Hurt not others with that which pains yourself."
In the Masnavi of Islam it is said, "If every one saw his own faults first, how should he be neglectful of correcting himself. These people are thoughtless as to, and unacquainted with themselves; and consequently they speak of the faults of one another."
So in every part of the world and in every religion there are references relating the need to respect one another and treat others as you would like to be treated. Yet, from this we can see that most religions, or the people in them, cannot even practice what they preach. What a difference there would be in the world if everyone immediately began to practice what they preach from their own doctrine. All the wars around the world that are based on the desire to conquer and convert could end. What a pity that such is not likely to happen. All the more reason to study the above quotations.
I was under the impression that muslins were adhering to the GOLDEN RAIN rule.
Islam contains a version of the golden rule But it also tells its adherents to seize everybody else’s lands ( by armed or immigrant invasions) and to then subjugate or kill them. Unfortunately, the whole world suffers because this “ later” part of the Koran is so well followed by so many Moslems. The golden rule stuff got superseded in the Islam of all these millions of islamoNazi jihadist terrorists and their even larger population of coreligionist supporters. It avails us not one iota to cite the “ earlier” parts of their book that so many Moslems don’t follow and have no intention of ever following.
There’s a moment in The Life of Muhammad in which he picks up a handful of sand and lets the wind blow it whichever way, and he tells his followers, that events are guided by the will of allah, as is the flow of the sand.
Thus it followed when asked about 9/11, a muslim cleric was able to reply, had allah not willed it, he would have prevented the aircraft from striking the towers.
And that’s the golden rule of islam. It also applies when little girls three years old are raped or decapitated.
Not in Anton LaVey’s Satanism.
“If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat them cruelly and without mercy.”
Well, Old Buddha was a man and I'm sure that he meant well But I pray for his disciples lest they wind up in hell And I'm sure that old Mohammed thought he knew the way But it won't be Hare Krishna we stand before on The Judgment Day. No, it won't be old Buddha that's sitting on the throne And it won't be old Mohammed that's calling us Home And it won't be Hare Krishna that plays that trumpet tune And we're going to see The Son not Reverend Moon! Well, I don't hate anybody so please don't take me wrong But there really is a message *in* this simple song You see there's only one way Jesus if eternal life is your goal Meditation of the mind won't save your soul. No, it won't be old Buddha that's sitting on the throne And it won't be old Mohammed that's calling us Home And it won't be Hare Krishna that plays that trumpet tune And we're going to see The Son, not Reverend Moon! Well, you can call yourself a Baptist and not be born again A Presbyterian or a Methodist and still die in your sin You can even be Charismatic shout and dance and jump a few But if you hate your brother you wont be one of The Chosen Few. Cause it won't be a Baptist that's sitting on The Throne A Presbyterian or a Methodist that's calling us Home And it won't be a Charismatic that plays that trumpet tune So let's all just live for Jesus 'cause He's coming back real soon.
Or nine month old babies are accused of murder.http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-26887186
not in Islam it aint
It just doesn’t happen to be in Christianity...
The author does know the real import of Islam, he wrote a book called “Crimes Against India” which was so horrific I could only read 5 pages at a time.
Satanism isn’t a religion, if by religion one means a belief in God. It’s a fake belief system based on lies and evil.
Except the cult religion of the Left.
I think it's sometimes a mistake to dismiss godless belief systems as being non-religious.
The idea that religion requires a god entity lets leftists get away with imposing their dogma on everyone else by simply refraining from saying "God tells us that...", or "God says..."
A more broad definition of religion would would allow first amendment challenges to leftist's ideological control of public education.
I am so confused. Islam?
Is there a golden beheading sword in there somewhere?
There are different definitions of the word “religion”. For the purposes of this article, the author obviously means “belief in God”, although Buddhism and Confucianism are not monotheistic, but sort of quasi-religious ethical and moral teachings.
If “belief in anything” means “religion”, obviously this article does not address that definition.
Apparently the author is trying to say that if Moslems at least followed that one little part of the Koran, they’d be nicer. But from other things he’s written, I know that he sees what Islam is.
I’m not trying to do a comparative religion topic here, I just was sent this article in an email a couple of years ago and thought it a nice time to post it. The author’s point being that even those of various religions, even if not agreeing on many other tenets, all teach some variant of the Golden Rule, and if everyone followed their own teachings in that regard, the world would be infinitely better off.
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