Golden Rule Day ~ April 5th

The student is correct, but the teacher fails.  She apparently does not know that the Golden Rule is a universal principle shared by nearly all cultural, spiritual, religious, and secular traditions on earth.  She may know only one of these versions in the Christian New Testament.

• Matthew 7:12 ~ "In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the law and the prophets."
• Mark 12:31 ~ "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
• Luke 6:31 ~ "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

The Jewish scriptures are also in the front of her Bible, but the teacher doesn't seem to know that.  The Torah says:

• Leviticus 19:18 ~ "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
• Leviticus 19:34 ~ "You shall love the alien as yourself."

Islam also has a version of the Golden Rule.  Muslims find theirs in Surah 4:36 of the Qur'an and in the Hadith:

• Surah 4:36 ~ "Do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, the poor, the neighbor who is near of kin, the neighbor who is stranger, the companion by your side."
• Hadith ~ "As you would have people do to you, do to them; and what you dislike to be done to you, don't do to them."

The student has faithfully quoted from his holy book.  Yes, Hindus read the Golden Rule in the Mahabharata.

Mahabharata:  "Do not to others what ye do not wish done to yourself."

"The Golden Rule is not an option — it's the key to our common survival."

— Karen Armstrong

Click on this chart to enlarge it.

This chart shows that other religions and traditions teach the Golden Rule, too.  Let's celebrate it today by treating others — and the planet — as we would like to be treated.