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.
In the Masnavi of Islam it is said, “Kill thy neighbor as thyself”
According to the Bible, there are things more important to God than this world being made better. So much evil goes on here that if God’s chief goal was to improve the world He’d have to destroy it and us.
What God’s Word teaches us is that what happens in this world determines what happens in the next. The wheat and tares both grow here, and at the time of Judgment, the wheat will be kept while the tares are cast away.
God’s Word also teaches us that religious actions and good works in themselves mean absolutely nothing to Him. What matter to God is the heart they come from, and its motives. The troubling thing is, though, is that the Bible says our hearts are so evil that we’re deceived to see our motives as pure when they’re not. (Cont’d)
And while many religions, created by man, have some version of the Golden Rule, that really doesn’t mean what it seems to. The Bible says God put His laws in our hearts, and even more importantly, He created us in His image for the purpose of us to have relationship with Him and each other. If we value others at all, we won’t think we should treat others how we wouldn’t want to be treated.
There are a lot of problems with that, though. People can’t always decide what’s good and bad treatment. For instance, abortion. And then many times they can’t see the situation clearly because humans are both sinners and limited in understanding. We can also lack the moral strength to do right when we want to, or just want something else more. (Cont’d)
The Bible says that “there is a way that seems right to a man but it leads to death,” and that without God leading us, “every man does what’s right in his own eyes,” which always leads to us going off the right path somewhere.
The Golden Rule in Christianity, then, also requires people to depend on God to find out what’s true and good. He gives us the Bible to teach us, and then His guidance through things like prayer and the words of other believers.
And performing the Golden Rule shouldn’t lead to the chief sin of Satan, pride. Doing right has a great many benefits, and God has suffered long with us to make us able to do good. Giving to charity, if out of pride, can lead to people feeling they have a license to sin a little, convinced God needs them, and they’re so good they don’t need His mercy and forgiveness.
It's not a religion.
The story of the Good Samaritan is an example of a person living by the Golden Rule.
The point is that if people around the world, whoever they might be, acted with respect and kindness towards others, (as described in the article), there would be far less mayhem and slaughter going on in the world.
And I don’t think anyone can say that would not be a good thing.
Regarding your point about some people thinking, for instance, that other people should be allowed to have abortions because they want them, that is a good point. There have to be moral absolutes accepted, and since all religions basically have the same moral absolutes*, if people actually followed their scriptures (as faulty as many of them may be in various peoples’ estimations), at least they all hold to the same basic moral absolutes.
*I leave Islam out of this because it is vicious from the get-go.
People consider it a religion; depending on one’s definition. If people as above define religion as “any belief people hold” such as Satanism, leftist doctrine, etc - then Islam would be a “religion”.
If people mean “a belief in God with systematic teachings and practices” then....they claim to believe in God, but their understanding, their book, their traditions and their ongoing history of butchery show that they know nothing about God, and use Islam as a political tool of tyranny and slaughter and conquest. So in that way of looking, it is not a religion.
The only Golden Rule I see being enforced these days is “He who has the gold makes the rules.”
And that is why everything all over the world is FUBAR.
As we understand religions and political beliefs, Islam is not a religion but a political system wrapped in a fig leaf of religion. Sharia law is incompatible with our constitution.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.