As soon as it looks like the PC's are starting to get it ......

In my post asking about ideas for bumper stickers an anonymous poster in the comment section was dismayed about the idea of posibly having bumper stickers made up that would read .....

Live the Golden Rule
Not by Islamic Rule!
www.faithfreedom.org

and stated...." How about "I'm a bigot posing as a human being?"

"Or my church wants to bully your faith?"

Before you condemn an entire religious group based on the reprehensible behavior of some of its members, try stepping out of your house and out into the world where the rest of us live.And no, I am NOT a Muslim. In fact, I'm an agnostic and people of ANY religion using their religion for harm offends the hell out of me!!!"

It is interesting that this person assumed that I had some kind of religious agenda of my own. They thought that their trump card would be that they are agnostic. If they are truly agnostic, and open minded about the possibility of there being something out there, I would hope that they would be doing research on the various belief systems. (Maybe I am wrong, but it seemed that this person may have had their own hidden agenda of hatred against one or more religions, to have had such an adverse reaction to the mere mention of the Golden Rule) Anyway as an agnostic, which they claim to be , I would hope that they are familiar with humanism.....

Ali Sani has a great article in www.faithfreedom.org on the Golden Rule as it applies to humanism and most belief systems. The Golden Rule is not just a Christian concept, but is actually found in most belief systems, it is a universal principle. See the full article at :

http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina50428.htm

The following is but an excerpt:

"I respect people's choices to believe in any religion they like. I do not agree with the premises of any religion; however I have no right to tell people what they should believe. My fight is not against faith, it is against hate. The reason I am against Islam is not because it is a religion but because it is a political ideology of imperialism and domination in the guise of religion.

I told him that I am a freethinker. I doubt, investigate and try to find the truth by weighing the facts. My motto can be summed up in Buddha's words: Doubt everything, find your own light. It is not that I see all religions as totally wrong. I see truth and beauty in many religions in various degrees. The only religion that is bereft of truth and beauty is Islam. I cherry-pick the good things in all the religions and philosophies, choose the best and leave the rest. I think all religions are manmade, but this does not mean they are bad. Some parts of them are very good. Although I do not think they are divine guidance, I think one can find pearls of wisdom in many of them. The only religion that no pearls is Islam. Other religions are manmade – that is why they are a mix bag of good and bad. But Islam is made by a psychopath. It is only deception. This is the difference.

To my surprise, once this Muslim learned that I am a practitioner of the Golden Rule, he launched his attack at the Golden Rule and in a rebuttal that he titled The Golden Rule: Cult of Ali Sina he wrote:

Mr. Sina said that he will be making the allegations against Prophet Muhammad (SAW) on the basis that the Prophet (SAW) has violated the Golden Rule. As he says Islam contradicts the Golden Rule; the rule is hiscriterion and yard stick. Therefore, Mr. Sina has to prove the legitimacy of the Golden Rule otherwise it is a mere assumption. In the absence of proof, Mr. Sina would be violating his first rule which he stated earlier: he must be able to prove that assumption or withdraw it!

I already knew that Islam is contrary to the Golden Rule and in fact this is precisely why I oppose it. But I did not expect a Muslim admit to it and defy this universal principle so openly. The fact that this Muslim called the Golden Rule, Cult of Ali Sina makes me think that he had never heard of this basic human principle.

Muslims are masters of deception and they strive to portray their religion as the summum bonum and their prophet as the champion of righteousness. This Muslim, however, was foolishly honest enough to tell the truth and instead of claiming Islam is a fair and just religion, he attacked the Golden Rule and called it a cult.

I responded that I do not have to prove the legitimacy of the Golden Rule. I don't think I have to prove day is bright and night is dark to a seeing person, and to a blind, that won't make any difference. The Golden Rule is a universal principle and it is self evident. We must not measure the validity of the Golden Rule with what Muhammad said, but rather we must establish the legitimacy of his claim by the yardstick of the Golden Rule.

We humans instinctively measure every right and wrong with the yardstick of the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is the shared belief of all mankind and a self evident principle. The essence of the Golden Rule is: Do onto others as you would wish them do onto you. It is through this principle that we know stealing is bad, murder is bad, rape is bad, cheating is bad, and kindness is good, generosity is good, forgiveness is good etc.

Some cynics say the Golden Rule is flawed. For example a masochist who likes to be mistreated, by applying the Golden Rule will abuse others who do not like it. This is obviously a misunderstanding of the concept of the Golden Rule. A much more accurate definition of the Golden Rule is: Treat others with the same consideration and respect that you wish to be treated. It does not mean do to others exactly what you like to be done to you. For example, if you like peanut butter, it does not mean you should feed it to someone who is allergic to it, which can kill him. It does not mean you should take your wife who likes concerts, to a basketball game because you like basketball or invite your Hindu friend to a barbeque because you are a meat lover when you know he is vegetarian.

Various religions and doctrines have expressed this simple concept in a variety of ways. The following is a brief list of them in alphabetical order.

Bahá'í Faith: "Choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself." Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

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: for this is the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12, King James Version.

"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Luke 6:31, King James Version.

"...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

"Ze-Gong asked, 'Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?' Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'xu' -- reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'" Doctrine of the Mean 13.3

"Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence." Mencius VII.A.4

Ancient Egyptian: "Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do." The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, 109 - 110 Translated by R.B. Parkinson. The original dates to 1970 to 1640 BCE and may be the earliest version ever written.

Hinduism: "This is the sum of the Dharma [duty]: do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you." Mahabharata 5:1517

Humanism: "(5) Humanists acknowledge human interdependence, the need for mutual respect and the kinship of all humanity."

"Don't do things you wouldn't want to have done to you, British Humanist Society.

Jainism: "In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self." Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara

"A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated. "Sutrakritanga 1.11.33

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.

"And what you hate, do not do to any one." Tobit 4:15

Native American Spirituality:
"All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One." Black Elk

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: "Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone." Guru Arjan Devji 259

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.

Wicca: "An it harm no one, do what thou wilt" (i.e. do what ever you will, as long as it harms nobody, including yourself). One's will is to be carefully thought out in advance of action. This is called 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

"Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others." Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29

Several philosophers have also expressed the same concept in different words:

Epictetus: "What you would avoid suffering yourself, seek not to impose on others." (circa 100 CE)

Plato: "May I do to others as I would that they should do unto me." ( Greece ; 4th century BCE)

Socrates: "Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you." ( Greece ; 5th century BCE)

Seneca: "Treat your inferiors as you would be treated by your superiors," Epistle 47:11 ( Rome ; 1st century CE)

(source: http://www.religioustolerance.org/reciproc.htm)

......... Read the whole article!

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