9) Religious Commandments

Peace vs. War

In order to take responsibility for my actions in Life, I have decided that I am Pro-Peace. Those that are Pro-War will pursue policies that value War and belittle Peace. Those in between either settle for the most convenient side, or will strive to maintain neutrality. To be Pro-Peace I can still be a Peaceful Warrior and do not have to be a Pacifist. The good teachings of all major religions have many of the same lessons, which I believe in.

Hebrew, Pagan, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, & Hindu all have aspects of Golden Rule:

“Thou shall do unto others, as thou shall have done unto you”.

The Golden Rule is a fundamental moral value which simply means "treat others as you would like to be treated." It is also known as the Greatest Commandment, Wheel of Karma, Wheel of Dharma, the Ethic of Reciprocity, Doctrine of Reciprocal Maintenance, and many other titles. It is arguably the most essential basis for the modern concept of human rights.

Ethical teachings interpret the Golden Rule as mutual respect for one's ‘neighbor’. A key element of the golden rule is that a person attempting to live by this rule treats all people, not just members of his or her in-group with consideration. The golden rule, with roots in a wide range of world cultures, is well suited to be a standard to which different cultures could appeal in resolving conflicts. Principal philosophers and religious figures have stated it in different ways.

Greek philosophy

"Do not to your neighbor what you would take ill from him." - Pittacus

"Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing." - Thales

"What you wish them to be to you, such be also to them." - Sextus the Pythagorean

"Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others." - Isocrates

"What you avoid suffering yourself, seek not to impose on others." - Epictetus

Buddhism

“Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” (Udana-Varga 5:18)

“Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.”

“One who seeks happiness, but oppresses other beings with violence who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter.” “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” - Dalai Lama

Baha'i

"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 prefers his brother before himself." "And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbor that which thou choosest for thyself." - Baha'u'llah.

Zoroastrian

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

Taoism

“The Sage makes them self of the people.” - Tao Te Ching 49

Confucianism

“Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.” - Analects XV.24

Christianity

"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." "But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." - Leviticus 19:18; 19:34

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you; for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 7:12

“Love Your Enemies. If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes your coat, don't hold back your shirt. Give to everyone who asks from you, and takes away your things; don't ask for them back. Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them. If you only do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. Be merciful, as your Father is merciful." - Luke 6:27-10:28

Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan, making it clear that "your neighbor" means any other person. It is important to note that Samaritans were despised by the story's target audience, the Jews. The Samaritans were also largely taught by their interpretation of history to hate Jews. Thus the parable, as told originally, had a significant theme of non-discrimination and interracial harmony.

Wiccan

Wicca is a pagan nature-based religion renewed in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant, who at the time called it Witchcraft and its adherents the Wica. The religion, of which he was an initiate, was a modern survival of an old witchcraft religion which had existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the pre-Christian paganism of Europe. It is part of a larger Neo-Pagan rebirth of religious freedom after centuries of repression, inquisitions, witch hunts, witch trials, and witch burnings.

Various pagan lineages or traditions have since branched out since witchcraft no longer must be kept underground or secret. Each lineage has distinct beliefs, rituals, and practices, and many remain secretive and require that members be initiated. Other traditions have also formed independently, including a growing movement of eclectic pagans who do not believe that any doctrine or traditional initiation is necessary in order to worship Nature gods, the Elements of Nature, or practice Magic.

“An it harm none, do what ye will.” - Wiccan Rede

As a Celtic Wiccan pagan, I believe in the Wiccan Rede as a declaration of the freedom to act, along with the necessity of taking responsibility for what follows from one's actions and minimizing harm to oneself and others. Another Wiccan moral that is related to Hindu Karma and the Golden Rule, is the Law of Threefold Return which holds that whatever benevolent or malevolent actions a person performs will return to that person with triple force.

Critics of differing tastes suggest that if your values are not shared with others, the way you want to be treated will not be the way they want to be treated. For example, it has been said that a sadist is just a masochist who follows the Golden Rule. Another often used example of this inconsistency is that of the man walking into a bar looking for a fight. When the belligerent man finds a willing combatant, there may be someone else who wants to stop the fight, even though both parties are willing. Ultimately if all sides use aggression to enforce the Golden Rule, there is either a Mexican-stand-off or all sides will be severely hurt, if not killed. My argument is that I cannot be the ‘belligerent man who walks into a bar seeking to fight’ anymore; and I encourage anyone who does not want harm done to them because they have done harm to others, to do the same.

Immanuel Kant famously criticized the Golden Rule for not being sensitive to differences of situation, noting that a prisoner duly convicted of a crime could appeal to the Golden Rule while asking the judge to release him, pointing out that the judge would not want anyone else to send him to prison, so he should not do so to others. Kant did however develop a commandment of his own; “Act always in such a way that you would want your actions to become a universal law.”

G.I. Gurdjieff developed his “Doctrine of Reciprocal Maintenance”, and I have willingly studied this at the Claymont Community in Charles Town, WV. Claymont was founded by Bennett, a follower of Gurdjieff. I attended elementary school and volunteered there.

The passive version of the Golden Rule, "Do no harm," is sometimes called The Silver Rule. "Do not do to others as you would not have them do to you," has been championed by Hippocrates, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King alike as a way to compensate for the Golden Rule's shortcomings. To many people this satisfies the perception of action flaw.

"Declare the past, diagnose the present, foretell the future; practice these acts. As to diseases: help, or at least do no harm." - Hippocratic Oath (Epidemics, Bk. I, Sect. XI)

The Babylonian Code of Hammurabi contains the mantra “An Eye for An Eye” which was an attempt to restrain vengeance to a fair law exemplifying the Golden Rule.

An amoral rejection of these moral precepts is "Whoever has the gold makes the rules.” Then I say we should not place value in yellow rocks above Love. My objections are firmly rooted in ancestral teachings from ancient sages throughout time. The wisest of veterans are those that ultimately prefer using plows rather than swords.