Common Ground and Unity

How the Golden Rule Gets Set Aside

The Golden Rule, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is a fundamental principle guiding human interaction upheld by all major religious traditions, new and old. It is the norm that says monomorality, one morality, applies to all, friend and foe alike. It is here we will find common ground, even with those who appear to have interests different from our own.

 

The founders of every major world religion—among them Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Confucius, and Muhammad—all taught that following The Golden Rule is the surest way for mankind to fulfill its most cherished ideals.

                        —Jeffrey Moses, Oneness: Great Principles Shared By All Religions

 

While different words are used in some traditions, the common thread is this: how we want to be treated is the measure for how we treat others.

 

• In the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, it is in extending love and kindness to others that one accrues good karma. 
• In the Jewish faith, obedience to the Golden Rule means not mere external observance, but living the substance of the commandment. 
• In the Muslim faith, to know a loving God, one must surrender and live in the spirit of that love. 
• In the Baha'i faith, it is taught that the welfare of the parts depends on the welfare of the whole, thus all must be met with love. 
• In the native and aboriginal traditions, this same rule is fundamental, for they honor the oneness of all creation. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commanded us to step into the world of monomorality when He said:

 

Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much. If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even the heathen do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

 

The Golden Rule is a succinct, all-embracing description of how we are to be in relationship with others—other people, other groups, and other nations. It is how we bring the highest expression of spiritual thought into action.

 

We ask you to practice this principle by looking for opportunities to foster and support positive public policies. This is a practical, concrete way to apply the Golden Rule to our laws and in our government.  And we urge you to oppose laws that are clearly grounded in dual morality, for these negate the Golden Rule.

 

 

Christianity	All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.  Jesus, Matthew 7:12
Hinduism	This is the sum of duty; do naught onto others what you would not have them do unto you.    Mahabharata 5:1517
Buddhism	Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find harmful.  The Buddha,Udana-Varga 5.1
Confucianism	Do not do to others what you would not like done to yourself. Then there will be no resentment against you, either in the family or in the state. Analects 12:2
Judaism	What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellowman. This is the entireLaw; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it. Talmud, Shabbath 31a
Islam	Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself. The Prophet Muhammad, 13th of the 40 Hadiths of Nawawi
Taoism	Regard your neighbors gain as your gain, and your neighbors loss as your own loss.  Lao Tzu, Tai  Shang Kan Yin Pien, 213-218
Bahai 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
Jainism	One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated. Mahavira, Sutrakritanga
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, pg. 1299
Zoroastrianism	Do not do unto others whatever is injurious to yourself. Shayast-na-Shayast 13.29

 

Thanks to John Milan and Paul McKenna for compiling much of the content of this chart.

 

How the Golden Rule Gets Set Aside

 

While all major religions share the value of treating others as we want to be treated, often this is not what we do. We easily slip into dual morality, and here are just a few of the many tactics that we use to do this:

 

• Replace Substance With Form. We give precedence to form, such as specific doctrines and different rituals that separate one religious organization from another, over the substance of the Golden Rule. In this way, the shared value of the Golden Rule becomes obscured, and we feel justified in harming or hating those who do not practice our religious forms (see Sylvia's Story). It is important that substance and form be carefully distinguished.

• Put It In "Proper Context." We put the Golden Rule in "proper context," i.e., justify our dual morality by claiming the Golden Rule is not to be taken literally. For example, Augustine asserted that when Jesus said, "Turn the other cheek," it was pivotal that Jesus had identified the right cheek. Augustine argued that, because most people are right-handed and thus would tend to strike people on their left cheek, precepts such as this one taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount pertain only to the inward disposition of the heart, not to actions taken in the sight of men. This enabled Augustine to argue that the Sermon on the Mount had limited application.

• Higher-Lower Categories. We separate people into higher and lower status, and then claim that the Golden Rule need only be observed by the higher category. For example, we judge priests and preachers harshly when they engage in violence that breaks the Golden Rule, but we often sanction the same actions when done by their parishioners.

• Inner-Outer Worlds. We treat the inner, or spiritual, world different from the outer world, which some call the "real" world. Then we apply the Golden Rule only to the inner world. We hold that precepts such as patience, benevolence, and forgiveness should apply to the inward disposition of the heart and soul. But in our outward actions in the "real" world, we sanction using violence toward others, destroying the property of others, etc., on the grounds we are merely seek to protect those whom we love or have a duty to protect.

 

• The Good Will Excuse. We justify violating the Golden Rule by seeing ourselves motivated to do so by good will. Seeing the world separated into "good versus evil," we claim to be doing "good" when we harm those we see as "evil." We are thus justified in doing harm, because it is for the good purpose of ridding the world of evil. 

 

• The Government Exception. We excuse government from the mandate of the Golden Rule on the grounds it would violate "realism" to include it. For example, we legitimize killing when done at the behest of the government, but criminalize killing when done by individuals without government sanction. Thus the death penalty, killing in war, and assassinations carried out by the CIA, are seen as a legitimate deterrence or means to impose control, although they all violate the Golden Rule.

The exceptions we have created to the Golden Rule are so pervasive, that the thought of applying the Golden Rule literally is easily dismissed. When this happens, it ends up being a nice sermon for a religious gathering, and little else.