Religious Beliefs Governing Behavior Towards Other People

"The Golden Rule"Religious

 

Faith groups differ greatly in their concepts of deity, other beliefs and practices. But there is near unanimity of opinion among the world's various historical religions on how one person should treat another. Almost all religions have passages in their holy texts, or writings of their leaders, which promote the Ethic of Reciprocity. The most commonly known ethic of reciprocity in North America is the Golden Rule of Christianity:

Bahá'í: "Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not." "Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself." Baha'u'llah

Brahmanism: "This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you". Mahabharata, 5:1517

Buddhism: "a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?" Samyutta NIkaya v. 353 Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." Udana-Varga 5:18

Christianity: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." Matthew 7:12 "...and don't do what you hate...", Gospel of Thomas 6

Confucianism: "Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you" Analects 15:23 "Tse-kung asked, 'Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?' Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'shu' -- reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'" Doctrine of the Mean 13.3

Hinduism: "One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself" Mencius Vii.A.4 "This is the sum of duty: do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you." Mahabharata 5:1517

Islam: "Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself" Fourth Hadith of an-Nawawi 13

Jainism: "Therefore, neither does he [, a sage,] cause violence to others nor does he make others do so." Acarangasutra 5.101-2. "In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self." Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara

Judaism: "...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.", Leviticus 19:18 "What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary." Talmud, Shabbat 31a

Native American Spirituality: "Respect for all life is the foundation." The Great Law of Peace

Roman Pagan Religion: "The law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves."

Shinto: "The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form"

Sikhism: "Compassion-mercy and religion are the support of the entire world". Japji Sahib "Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone." Guru Arjan Devji 259

Sufism: "The basis of Sufism is consideration of the hearts and feelings of others. If you haven't the will to gladden someone's heart, then at least beware lest you hurt someone's heart, for on our path, no sin exists but this." Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Master of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order.

Taoism: "Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss." T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien. "I am good to the man who is good to me, likewise, I am also good to the bad man." Tao Te Ching

Wicca: "An it harm no one, do what thou wilt" (i.e. do what every you want to, as long as it harms nobody, including yourself). The Wiccan Rede

Yoruba: (Nigeria): "One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts."

Zoroastrianism: "That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself". Dadistan-i-dinik 94:5

Exceptions to the Golden Rule:

Any rule must be applied carefully, and with full knowledge of the likely consequences. Many of the above "golden rules" imply that there is some absolute standard on what is beneficial and what is harmful. Consider:

George Bernard Shaw, (1903): "Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same."

A lot of harm has been done historically, in the name of helping other people. Some examples:

Many individuals involved in the torture and murder of Witches during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance felt that their mission was to help both society and the Witches. The latter would be given a chance to renounce their beliefs and be executed before they recanted. This might give them access to Heaven rather than being sent to Hell for endless torture. Some suicidologists believe that the extremely high suicide rate among native people in North America is a direct result of the destruction of their aboriginal faith and other aspects of their society by Christian groups. Social programs that were originally designed to help the poor, can sometimes backfire and entrap the very people they intended to help. Before applying the golden rule, we should take care that we are really helping people, and not harming them.

This information was generously supplied by the Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance