New Testament definition of the “Goldenrule” (NKJV):
Matthew 7:12 (Sermon on the Mount):
“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Galatians 5:14:
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Revelation 19:13:
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Jesus Christ is The Word of God; therefore, Jesus Christ is the Goldenrule. If you “believe” in Jesus Christ then you “accept as true” the Goldenrule.
Also:
John 1:14:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
If Christ’s name was changed to “The Goldenrule,” then His instruction would be clear and to the point, in “one word,” because it would be the verb sense over the noun sense. If the next Pope became the Goldenrule, then it would not be a human being; therefore, it would be the final everlasting Pope; it would be “The Word of God.” The next time the Cardinals needed a question answered, they’d only have to see if it complies with the Goldenrule. The Goldenrule is not something we all naturally know, it is something that has to be taught (using many examples), reminded and embedded. “Saving face” is what rules today (ask George W. Bush, and the rest of them); but, if we could teach our youth, especially in high school, to bring to class, examples when they were in the wrong about something, then it would develop an all new kind of “pride.” As you can see (or will see), my writing is NOT for this generation; however, if the truth doesn’t start getting taught to our children / youth some day, then they will end up in the same “excuses” world we now live in. Today, most everyone practices the Goldenrule to “some” extent; but, everyone seems to still simply justify their evil (hurting “innocent” people) based on “if it’s to their advantage” (especially when it’s greatly to their advantage): doctors, manufacturers, politicians, etc. This is where the Biblical word “sacrifice” comes into play. But, it would be literally impossible to change the minds of today’s adults (with today’s Church embedded cop-outs); so, the greatest gift we can give our children is the truth about right from wrong, supported by intelligent, honest, and rationally consistent teachings. But the catch-22 is that no religious teacher today (especially someone powerful) is willing to be honest about Christ because they “need” to “save face.” But, I write anyway, because I have been called by God to do so, regardless. An honest religious leader would be saying right now that they don’t know what the Bible’s really about, because there are too many parables, metaphors and contradictions. In other words, “intelligence,” common sense, and full honesty still needs to be used to rationalize it all. That is, we all have to realize and admit that we’re all dumb and selfish, before we can start finding and identifying solutions – and that’s not going to happen (in my lifetime).
Romans 13:8-9:
[8]Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. [9]For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:36-40:
[36]“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” [37]Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ [38]“This is the first and great commandment. [39]“And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40]“On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
The logic of the matter is if people don’t believe in, respect and mostly fear God, the limiting mechanics of the mind won’t allow them to do the second instruction. Today’s problem is many people believe if they simply do the easy to accomplish “first” rule, then they don’t need to do the difficult / sacrificing “second” rule. Those are the ones, even over atheists, that God knows are really not His:
1 John 4: 20-21:
[20]If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? [21]And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
The instruction of the Goldenrule is not a miracle. It is the summed up instruction from God for what we are to follow. The miracles, crucifixion and such where designed to get everyone’s attention, so they would hear, and mostly “do” the single commandment instruction. By fully doing the Goldenrule, you not only rid yourself of sin and repaying afterlife sufferings, but you attain more riches for your afterlife. “Faith” in an afterlife is all God can presently tell you, simply because it is of the future. I can see that 1000 years of technological advancements in detecting much smaller than we can detect today can do it.
Also:
Luke 6:31-33 (Sermon on the Mount):
[31]“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. [32]“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. [33]“And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”
Matthew 5:44 (Sermon on the Mount):
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
Romans 12:10:
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.
Romans 12:16:
Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
Romans 12:19-20:
[19]Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. [20]Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; If he thirsts, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
The only logical way a person can forgive a hurtful wrong by another, is by the guarantee that the Lord will see (“repay”) to their equitable punishment, later in this life, or if not, in their afterlife (Deut. 32:35: Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time …). If you believe in God, then you should believe in this. Many Churches teach / contradict 99% otherwise, but if everyone believed in this (fair afterlife punishments), all anger and revenge would be subsided, “logically.” And, I don’t need to explain the multitude of problems that that would solve. Influence has to do with probably 99% of what everyone believes: The fact that hardly anyone forgives another who has truly and wrongfully hurt / damaged them, shows that today’s church contradictions vastly rule in the subconscious of everyone’s mind, making everyone think that if recompense does not get done in this life, then the person has gotten away with it, and that thought alone is what “causes” the escalation of revenge, violence, wars, etc. For example, if some guy raped and killed your wife and daughter, you would likely not forgive him. But, you could forgive him if you had faith in Jesus’ guarantee of fair afterlife punishment. Having faith that Jesus paid his penalty on the cross does not accomplish fair judgment. The reality of Catholic “confession” allows sinners a way to not have to pay restitution for their true wrongs. The Protestant’s tenet of “faith alone” even more allows the sinners a way out. There were many break-offs from the Catholic Church through the centuries, but the 16th century Protestants (today’s Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, etc.) is the only one that numbers to nearly 40% of all Christians today – it’s because they tell the sinners (hence the money) exactly what they want to hear – absolutely no other reason! They know exactly what to say and exactly what not to say, to bring in the money. Saying both the good thing and bad thing is actually worse then just saying the bad thing. For example, when an atheist says that there will be no penalty for their sins because there is no God, people that fear God will just disregard them; but, when a Church says you have to be good, then conveys you really don’t have to, because Christ paid your penalty, then people will attest that they are saying the good thing, but all the want-to-be sinners, who are smart enough to fear God, are taking advantage of the bad / contradicting / cop-out statement. (James 2:17: Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.) I believe that Bible contradictions (and there are many different kinds) is simply God’s way to “show” others (in the afterlife) who is really His and who is not, by seeing which contradiction an individual decides to (truly) follow. You see, everything in the universe, even the spiritual, is fallible; and, like our lives today, the Kingdom of Heaven is also a place of free-will; therefore, God must determine which contradiction one freely chooses in this life, to know who and who not to let in. By free-will with no pressure, when one chooses the cop-out choices over the Goldenrule choices one will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Jesus overruled “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” [Matt. 5:38-39] as one example, simply because God will repay in that fashion.) Hint: James 2:20: But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? and Luke 11:28: “… blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” If the majority of people were truly taught (with no contradictions) that the Lord guarantees eventual reimbursed suffering upon the true wrongdoers, then even atheists (one’s who do not believe it) would worry much more about hurting “innocent” people. Today, all they notice is the vast majority of Church goers who lie, cheat, revenge them, etc. A perpetrator / sinner will not like wronging someone when the perpetrator / sinner has knowledge that the person / victim believes that they need not seek or desire revenge, because they truly believe that the perpetrator / sinner will suffer equally in his / her afterlife, guaranteed by Jesus Christ. The reason why today’s sinners don’t worry (about God) when wronging others (and, if fact, get a game-winning thrill out of it) is because they know by overwhelming consensus that hardly anyone (any victim) truly believes in fair afterlife judgment, simply because the Church limits those readings by emphasizing the contradictory cop-outs, so to tell the rich want they want to hear. Matt. 7:15: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." Anyone who seeks or even desires vengeance, shows that they do not have full faith in fair afterlife punishment and Jesus Christ. Those who believe that our secular legal system is all we need are not seeing the entire picture: There are many wrongs one can do against someone that doesn’t violate secular law. And, secular law is limited to “catching” the person, and in “proving” the case: the secular system doesn’t always know who’s lying and who’s not. There are a multitude of major wrongs being done by people who enjoy hearing every Sunday that Jesus paid their penalties, indicating no fair afterlife judgment for them: like Doctors who overcharge insurance companies, and do unnecessary surgeries, which makes all the rest of us have to pay very high rates for health insurance; big corporations who save money by damaging the environment; manufacturers who are getting smarter and smarter on how to make their products fail before their time, etc. It’s only going to get worse as long as there is “faith alone.” There is absolutely no other solution: Those would simply not commit these crimes against the majority if they truly feared God. Sure, if you can get the (same sort of) people that work our justice system to throw ‘em in jail, then how are you going to stop the next guy? The correct overall religious teaching of fair afterlife judgment, with no cop-outs, is the ONLY way! Matt. 7:21-23: [21]“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. [22]Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ [23]And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Jesus definitely knew the future. Or, you can simply ask yourself, what is the best thing for the world: A religion that teaches wrongdoers to not feel guilty, or a religion that says you must practice the Goldenrule for salvation?
1 Corinthians 13:8:
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail.
This is telling that the “prophecies” (like Old Testament Biblical laws) that don’t comply with the Goldenrule “will fail.” Like stoning a woman to death for adultery, etc. (Lev. 20:10; Num. 15:35; Deut. 22:21,24; Ezek. 16:40; 23:47, etc.) This would also include “faith alone” practices. The best way to look at a punishment for a wrong is to see them as your very own blood related sister / brother, then determine how you would handle it based on that. If your very own blood related sister / brother “had to be” stopped from wronging others, then confining them to jail / prison without beatings, games, mental abuse, etc. would likely be your preference. I doubt adultery would ever justify imprisonment, especially in a free / fair society. And, you would not give them the death penalty, no matter how bad their crime was.
1 Corinthians 13:13:
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Philippians 2:4:
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
James 2:8-9:
[8]If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; [9]But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
“Transgressor” means to violate the law.
Leviticus 19:18:
‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.’
Tobit 4:15 (Apocrypha):
And what you hate, do not do to anyone.
John 13:34-35:
[34]“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [35]By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 15:17:
“These things I command you, that you love one another.”
1 John 3:11:
For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1 John 3:23:
And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
1 John 4:12:
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
Now, since “love” is such an arbitrary word now-a-days, just understand the meaning as the Goldenrule. Basically “love” means a desire to care about, or for, another person or thing. Now, who today has a “desire” to care for the happiness of a person that just wronged / damaged them? Nobody! So Churches today are not anywhere near embedding in people’s minds the true Gospel. Many will say they do, but when it comes down to the real (challenging) test, they don’t: Revelation 10:10 (allegorically): And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.” Today, the “little book” is in One Word [Goldenrule] and it is just as “bitter” to truly accomplish, especially with today’s Church teachings. To differ “love” from “like,” today’s “love” is much more extreme, strong or intense. Since Jesus’ “love” instruction is to be impartial (to include everyone), then it is not an “intense” or “covetous” (envious, jealous) love, as most definitions today must declare. Sure, today’s Churches will tell me they preach the Goldenrule; but contradictorily, they cause overruling bias thinking when they support the family, etc., which is the number one reason why people can not rationally comprehend the Goldenrule, and therefore find it difficult to desire the sacrifices needed to accomplish the Goldenrule, when it comes down to the actual (and most important) challenging tests. (I realize this is saying too much too soon.)
2 John 5:
And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another.
You see, it’s not getting taught correctly.
Matthew 25:34-46:
34"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' 41Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' 44Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
These are just a few of Jesus’ examples of the Goldenrule. I’m sure He could have filled a book as large as the Bible with more examples, but from this you should be able to understand His plan of Judgment.
Luke 11:27-28:
27And it happened, as He spoke these things, that
a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is
the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
28But He said, “More than that,
blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!”
Matthew 7:21-23:
21"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
The Didache 1:2:
“First, thou shalt love God who made thee; secondly, thy neighbor as thyself; and all things whatsoever thou wouldst not have done to thee, neither do thou to another.”
Etc.
Other Religions (it sounds like there is only one God):
Judaism:
Talmud, Shabbat 31a:
What is hateful to you, do not to your fellowman. That is the entire Law (Torah); all the rest is commentary.
Islam:
Sunnah, Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 13:
No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.
Since Allah is the one God of everything, then everyone in the world is a brother.
Mishkat-el-Masabih:
Do unto all men as you would they should unto you, and reject for others what you would reject for yourself.
The Farewell Sermon, by Muhammad (delivered before his death, A.D. 632):
Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you.
Buddhism:
Udana-Varga 5:18:
Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.
Hinduism:
Mahabharata 5:1517:
This is the sum of duty: do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you.
Panchatantra III.104:
Never do to others what would pain thyself.
Mencius Vii.A.4:
One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself.
Confucianism:
Analects 15:23:
Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you.
Doctrine of the Mean 13.3:
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.”
Taoism:
T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien:
Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain and your
neighbor' loss as your own loss.
Zoroastrianism:
Dadistan-I-dinik 94:5:
That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself.
Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29:
Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others.
Jainism:
Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara:
In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self.
Sikhism:
Guru Arjan Devji 259:
Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone.
Ancient Egyptian:
The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, 109-110 (1970-1640 BC):
Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do.
Native American:
The Great Law of Peace:
Respect for all life is the foundation.
The Shawnee:
Do not kill or injure your neighbor, for it is not him that you injure, you injure yourself. But do good to him, therefore add to his days of happiness as you add to your own. Do not wrong or hate your neighbor, for it is not him that you wrong, you wrong yourself. But love him, for Moneto loves him also as he loves you.
Socrates:
Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you.
Plato:
May I do to others as I would that they should do unto me.
Roman Pagan Religion:
The law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves.
Wicca (Neopagan Witchcraft):
Wiccan Rede:
An’ it harm none, do what you will.
Secular Humanism (atheists):
British Humanist Society:
Don’t do things you wouldn’t want to have done to you.
President Obama:
Notre Dame Commencement Speech, May 17, 2009:
For if there is one law that we can be most certain of, it is the law that binds people of all faiths and no faith together. It is no coincidence that it exists in Christianity and Judaism; in Islam and Hinduism; in Buddhism and humanism. It is, of course, the Golden Rule - the call to treat one another as we wish to be treated. The call to love. To serve. To do what we can to make a difference in the lives of those with whom we share the same brief moment on this Earth.
Traditional:
The popular Christian paraphrase:
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Dictionary.com, “golden rule”:
The biblical teaching that one should behave toward others as one would have others behave toward oneself.
The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 1996, “Golden Rule”:
A modern term (first attested in English in the seventeenth century as “golden law”) for a saying of Jesus regarded as of inestimable (“golden”) and universal importance ….
You see, in Jesus’ days, the concise one or two word summarization (of the entire law) did not exist.
http://www.joesessays.com/history/103.shtml:
The definition of the Golden Rule is that those with the gold make the rules. . . . Not!
And I like this one the best:
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.
The only way for salvation is the Goldenrule.
Anything else is a cop-out.