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Almost all religions have some form of the golden rule

dfnj

Well-Known Member
Although most great religions claim their religion is the only path to salvation, I think all religions are trying to achieve the same goal. As far as I can tell, people just want to raise their children in piece and provide a better life for their children they they or their parents had. I think this is pretty much Universal all over the planet. We need to see our ourselves more as people of Earth and not so much the degrading labels we give each other to scapegoat our personal and social problems.

When studying Joseph Campbell was the first time I studied comparative mythology and comparative religion. Most of world's great religions all have very common and similar threads of truth. We all love the golden rule because as an idea it is probably the single greatest achievement of man to justify having morals in our behaviors. I thought it would be nice to point out a number of expressions of the golden rule in some of the world's great religious disciplines:

Baha’i Faith
Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.
Baha’u’llah, Gleanings

Buddhism
Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.
The Buddha, Udana-Varga 5.18

Christianity
In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
Jesus, Matthew 7:12

Confucianism
One word which sums up the basis of all good conduct … loving-kindness. Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.
Confucius Analects 15.23

Hinduism
This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.
Mahabharata 5:1517

Islam
Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.
The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith

Book 001, Number 0072:

It is arrested on the authority of Anas b. Malik that the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon
him) observed: one amongst you believes (truly) till one likes for his brother or for his neighbour
that which he loves for himself.

Jainism
One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated.
Mahavira, Sutrakritanga

Judaism
What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it.
Hillel, Talmud, Shabbath 31a

Native Spirituality
We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive.
Chief Dan George

Sikhism
I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all.
Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1299

Taoism
Regard your neighbour’s gain as your own gain and your neighbour’s loss as your own loss.
Lao Tzu, T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien, 213-218

Unitarianism
We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Unitarian principle

Zoroastrianism
Do not do unto others whatever is injurious to yourself.
Shayast-na-Shayast 13.29

It really doesn't matter which word or syllables you use for "God". We have more in common than the war propaganda would have us think!
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
No comments? It figures.
There's nothing special about religion in regards to these things.

You don't have to be religious in order to be good to other people and follow Sage advice.

I don't think anything you wrote is necessarily bad or wrong, just that it's not exclusive.
 

dfnj

Well-Known Member
There's nothing special about religion in regards to these things.

You don't have to be religious in order to be good to other people and follow Sage advice.

I don't think anything you wrote is necessarily bad or wrong, just that it's not exclusive.

Yeah, people love to label and scapegoat each other. I just thought it was interesting with all the labels and scapegoats people are really all just the same.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Yeah, people love to label and scapegoat each other. I just thought it was interesting with all the labels and scapegoats people are really all just the same.


I think the reason we all identify as different religions is that how we experience the "golden rule" is drastically different as well as the end result of practicing the universal rule. Loving another is bringing one to Christ in one religion as opposed to get rid of attachments such as god to another. The goal of one is to be one with god while another is to worship god apart from self as the main goal.

Loving each other sounds alike in concept. Context, not so much. Which do we look at: concept supported by context or context supported by content? It could be both but then you would have to get out if the "man's world" mentality that other religions don't have.
 

David1967

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Enjoyed reading the comparable quotes from the different religions. Thanks for providing them. There is that common thread that seems to run through them.
 

danieldemol

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Although most great religions claim their religion is the only path to salvation, I think all religions are trying to achieve the same goal. As far as I can tell, people just want to raise their children in piece and provide a better life for their children they they or their parents had. I think this is pretty much Universal all over the planet. We need to see our ourselves more as people of Earth and not so much the degrading labels we give each other to scapegoat our personal and social problems.

When studying Joseph Campbell was the first time I studied comparative mythology and comparative religion. Most of world's great religions all have very common and similar threads of truth. We all love the golden rule because as an idea it is probably the single greatest achievement of man to justify having morals in our behaviors. I thought it would be nice to point out a number of expressions of the golden rule in some of the world's great religious disciplines:

Baha’i Faith
Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.
Baha’u’llah, Gleanings

Buddhism
Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.
The Buddha, Udana-Varga 5.18

Christianity
In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
Jesus, Matthew 7:12

Confucianism
One word which sums up the basis of all good conduct … loving-kindness. Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.
Confucius Analects 15.23

Hinduism
This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.
Mahabharata 5:1517

Islam
Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.
The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith

Book 001, Number 0072:

It is arrested on the authority of Anas b. Malik that the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon
him) observed: one amongst you believes (truly) till one likes for his brother or for his neighbour
that which he loves for himself.

Jainism
One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated.
Mahavira, Sutrakritanga

Judaism
What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it.
Hillel, Talmud, Shabbath 31a

Native Spirituality
We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive.
Chief Dan George

Sikhism
I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all.
Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1299

Taoism
Regard your neighbour’s gain as your own gain and your neighbour’s loss as your own loss.
Lao Tzu, T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien, 213-218

Unitarianism
We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Unitarian principle

Zoroastrianism
Do not do unto others whatever is injurious to yourself.
Shayast-na-Shayast 13.29

It really doesn't matter which word or syllables you use for "God". We have more in common than the war propaganda would have us think!
Great quotes, I agree totally :)
 

Liu

Well-Known Member
I don't think we have any form of the golden rule in Satanism at large.
But that's because we leave questions of morality for the individual practitioner to decide.
And if they come to the conclusion that the golden rule is part of their personal morality, then it is - if not, then it isn't.

Some groups however do have moral codes. From those I remember atm, something slightly resembling the golden rule can be found in the 1st of the Tenets of The Satanic Temple:
"One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason."

That group is far from the most typical organization of Satanists, but I think I saw similar guidelines in writings by some of the other groups as well.

But it's far from universal, some rather recommend the opposite.
E.g. from the Statements by LaVey:
"4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates!
5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!"

In my opinion, morality in Satanism is about, what behaviour is most in alignment with your self? What serves you best, not just in terms of objective consequences but also in regards to your peace of mind?
And that can't be put in some form of universal rule because people are different and they'll be in many different situations throughout their lives, not all of which may fit the same simple rule.
 

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
Although most great religions claim their religion is the only path to salvation, I think all religions are trying to achieve the same goal.
The golden rule is an effective, if primitive, rule of thumb in guiding behavior towards a workable ethical code. So, of course it cropped up almost everywhere, and before people generally made a distinction between religion and culture.

So, while it might appear to be religious now, it's really an ancient bit of secular humanism.
Tom
 

Liu

Well-Known Member
IIRC it's earliest written form was something like 6000BC by the Chinese.
I'm a Humanist, I follow The Golden Rule, you'll find it on the BHA website, it has nothing to do with religion. Religions have just adopted it...usually with strings.
This. In most of the religions listed above I can easily think of parts of their holy writings that recommend behaviour not in alignment with the golden rule, so even if it does pop up there it in most cases is not the central rule.

But I'm not sure whether it really has nothing to do with religion. At least some people do seem to become more compassionate via spiritual practices (even if the opposite might more often be the case).

It doesn't seem to be working that way for me, but I have heard from other pantheists that their belief that they and the rest of the world are basically one and the same being would inherently lead to increased empathy.
 

Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
Most of world's great religions all have very common and similar threads of truth. We all love the golden rule because as an idea it is probably the single greatest achievement of man to justify having morals in our behaviors. I thought it would be nice to point out a number of expressions of the golden rule in some of the world's great religious disciplines:

That's excellent. Thank you for compiling an excellent set of quotes to emphasise the point.

If we can not treat others with respect and dignity, and instead we want to argue one metaphysical truth over another, what are we about?
 

It Aint Necessarily So

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Although most great religions claim their religion is the only path to salvation, I think all religions are trying to achieve the same goal.

The Golden Rule is pretty universal and certainly not confined to religions. It is the central tenet of the rational ethics of humanism, where reason is applied to empathy, and the principle goal is to enable and enhance as many lives as possible.

Also, saying the words is the easy part. Rendering such precepts in one's daily life is another.

And for me, that is the measure of the effectiveness of an ideology: How does it impact those that call it their own. Are they better people for it?

I find that political orientation, not religious affiliation, determines the degree to which one is willing to embrace the Golden Rule, at least in the context of the culture I'm most familiar with - America during my lifetime.
 
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SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
One might perceive the Golden Rule (also known as the Law of Reciprocity) as being exclusively 'good.'

As I see it, there is a potential problem with the Golden Rule. As written, doesn't it justify just about anything one would want to do to another?

Example: One has a rape fetish and gets off of being raped. Doesn't the Golden Rule justify that person raping someone else?

Thoughts?
 

It Aint Necessarily So

Veteran Member
Premium Member
One might perceive the Golden Rule (also known as the Law of Reciprocity) as being exclusively 'good.'

As I see it, there is a potential problem with the Golden Rule. As written, doesn't it justify just about anything one would want to do to another?

Example: One has a rape fetish and gets off of being raped. Doesn't the Golden Rule justify that person raping someone else?

Thoughts?

This defect has been noted and discussed elsewhere, where it has been addressed by a few variants on the Golden Rule - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

One is, "Don't do unto others what you would not want done to you." This has the same problem. What if the other guy wants it?

Another, sometimes called the Platinum Rule, is "Do unto others as they would have done unto themselves."

Then there's the "He asked for it" variation - "As you treat others, so shall you be treated" This is completely different in spirit from any of the others. It basically says that how you treat others justifies them treating you in kind.
 

Jumi

Well-Known Member
One might perceive the Golden Rule (also known as the Law of Reciprocity) as being exclusively 'good.'

As I see it, there is a potential problem with the Golden Rule. As written, doesn't it justify just about anything one would want to do to another?

Example: One has a rape fetish and gets off of being raped. Doesn't the Golden Rule justify that person raping someone else?

Thoughts?
The Confucian version at least avoids this problem with the loving-kindness concept.
 

Jumi

Well-Known Member
Regarding Lao-Tze being author of what is written above, it's not in Lao-Tze's book, but one by a Confucian scholar writing as him.
 
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