DOCSLIB.ORG

The Golden Rule in Islam: Ethics of Reciprocity in Islamic Traditions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Golden Rule in Islam: Ethics of Reciprocity in Islamic Traditions The Golden Rule in Islam: Ethics of Reciprocity in Islamic Traditions Justin Parrott, MLIS Supervised by Prof. Gary Bunt Submitted in partial fulfilment for the award of the degree of Masters of Research in Islamic Studies University of Wales Trinity Saint David 2018 1 Abstract The ethics of reciprocity, known as the “golden rule,” is any moral dictum that encourages people to treat others the way they would like to be treated. The principle exists in the sacred texts of the world’s religions as well as the writings of secular philosophers. Due to its ubiquity in many contexts, it has become an important focal point for interfaith dialogue and the development of international human rights norms. Islam, as a world religion with over one billion followers, has an important role to play in facilitating dialogue and cooperation with other groups in the modern world. The golden rule in Islamic traditions has been explicitly invoked by numerous Muslim leaders and organizations towards this end. This study examines the phenomenological appearance of the golden rule in Islamic texts and modern interfaith dialogue with Muslims. Sources include the Qur’ān, Ḥadīth traditions, exegetical commentaries, extracanonical or apocryphal literature, and contemporary works. Sections are organised by genre of literature and are loosely chronological. Key interpretive points from the classical period are related to modern interfaith initiatives and universal human rights, with a view of demonstrating the ways in which the classical heritage informs the experiences of Muslims today. 2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 4 a. What is the Golden Rule? 4 b. The Golden Rule in Islam 8 c. Methodology and scope 10 2. The Golden Rule in the Qur’ān 12 3. The Golden Rule in the Sunnah and Ḥadīth traditions 26 a. Anas ibn Mālik 27 b. Abū Hurayrah 39 c. ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr 46 d. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib 49 e. Other Ḥadīth traditions 51 4. The Golden Rule in Extracanonical Traditions 59 a. Weak Ḥadīth traditions 59 b. Historical reports from companions and successors 60 c. Sufi traditions 63 d. Shi’ite traditions 66 e. Isrāʼīlīyāt traditions 68 f. Legal traditions 71 5. The Golden Rule in Modern Islam 75 a. Modern commentaries and interpretations 75 b. Interfaith dialogue 80 c. Universal human rights 82 6. Conclusion 91 7. Bibliography 93 بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful 3 1. Introduction 1a. What is the Golden Rule? The ethics of reciprocity, known as the “golden rule,” is any moral dictum that encourages people to treat others the way they would like to be treated. The rule appears in a variety of forms and contexts, in different religions, philosophies, and peoples widely separated by time, place, and language, to the degree that it appears to be a nearly universal maxim among humankind.1 It has a central role in theistic religious ethics as well as some secular philosophies; it is justified on the basis of scriptural authority or reason or both. It is expressed in both positive formulations (“do unto others…”) and negative formulations (“do not do unto others…”). The rule often appears as a summarising principle of good conduct, perhaps as the supreme moral principle of right action between human beings. Though not always understood literally, as it has its own caveats and relationships with other moral imperatives, it generally functions as a method of moral reasoning in a process of emotional and spiritual development. Yet despite the different formulations, wordings, and contexts in which the rule appears across religions and traditions, Jeffery Wattles asserts that there is enough continuity in meaning and application to justify describing the ethics of reciprocity as the golden rule.2 For the purposes of this study, we will refer to the ethics of reciprocity in Islamic texts as Islam’s version of the golden rule. Moral reasoning with the golden rule, under the guidance of one’s conscience, does not exist in a vacuum. It requires complementary principles or values, consideration of context, and a maturity of thought to operate in a workable manner. Literal and fallacious applications of the rule can lead to absurd results, as pointed out by many of the golden rule’s critics. For example, a monkey would prefer to stay out of the water for his own comfort, while a fish requires staying in the water to survive. If the monkey literally treats the fish as he would like to be treated, and thus removes it from the water, he would end up needlessly killing the fish; an obvious ethical violation.3 It was this kind 1 Joyce Oramel Hertzler, "On Golden Rules," The International Journal of Ethics 44, no. 4 (1934): 418. 2 Jeffrey Wattles, The Golden Rule (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996), 5. 3 Harry J. Gensler, Ethics and the Golden Rule (New York: Routledge, 2013), 3. 4 of simplistic use of the golden rule that George Bernard Shaw criticised through the character of John Tanner, “Do not do unto others as you would that they do unto you. Their tastes may be different… The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.”4 The potential for the golden rule – left underdeveloped or unqualified – to result in preposterous moral conclusions has led to its dismissal as a serious guiding principle by a number of philosophers. To abandon the rule entirely based upon such simplified characterizations, however, would be a serious mistake. Harry J. Gensler, building upon the work of Wattles and others, attempts to formulate the rule in terms that dispel its common criticisms: “Treat others only as you consent to being treated in the same situation.”5 Context matters in the process of moral reasoning; what the rule demands is not literal adherence as much as it is ethical consistency and the equal dignity of human beings on par with each other as the first principle from which a course of action is deliberated. Moreover, application of the rule ought to be informed by an array of principles, values, and virtues that are manifestations of the rule in action. For this reason, writers throughout history have used the rule “as a hub around which to gather great themes.”6 Notions of justice, love, compassion, and other virtues have all been related to the rule by various authors and traditions. Accounting for all of these considerations and responding to common objections, both Wattles and Gensler have convincingly defended the golden rule from its detractors and have presented it as a viable first principle for a modern moral philosophy. Viewed in light of their scholarship, we can appreciate why so many religions and philosophies have incorporated the rule as one of their central maxims. It is a simple, intuitive idea from which more refined ethical concepts, like universal human rights, can be derived and developed in a process of thoughtful conscience-based reasoning. The simplicity of the rule makes it comprehensible at any level of education; the far-reaching implications of the rule make it relevant to issues at the highest levels of society and the existential human condition. It has the potential to serve as an immediate point of 4 Bernard Shaw, Nine Plays (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co, 1944), 731. 5 Gensler, Ethics and the Golden Rule, 2. 6 Wattles, The Golden Rule, 28. 5 connection, and agreement in principle, between people whose traditions might otherwise appear superficially antithetical to each other. The book of Leviticus, a sacred text for Jews and Christians, states the golden rule as God’s command to be a good neighbour: You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbour, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord.7 As Leviticus is a core text in the Rabbinic tradition of Judaism, this verse was recognised in commentaries as central to understanding the Torah as a whole. This sentiment was expressed by Rabbi Hillel (d. 10) in a story rather well-known in some interfaith circles: On another occasion it happened that a certain heathen came before Shammai and said to him, ‘Make me a proselyte, on condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.’ Thereupon he repulsed him with the builder's cubit which was in his hand. When he went before Hillel, he said to him, ‘What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbour: that is the whole Torah, while the rest is the commentary thereof; go and learn it.’8 The axiomatic nature of the golden rule would continue in the Christian tradition as well, even as the early dissident Jewish sect gradually transformed into a global movement, a new and distinct religion with its own scriptures adding to the Torah and other Jewish texts. In the Gospel according to Matthew, one of the New Testament’s core texts, Jesus of Nazareth tells his disciples, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”9 The golden rule of Christianity centres on the theme of selfless love, or agape (ἀγάπη), meaning “affection, good-will, love, benevolence.”10 It is understood to be love for one’s neighbour and enemies, “Love your 7 Leviticus 19:17-18; Michael D. Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, and Pheme Perkins, The New Oxford Annotated Bible: With the Apocrypha (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), 171. 8Isidore Epstein and Maurice Simon, Hebrew-English Edition of the Babylonian Talmud (London: Soncino Press, 1960), v.3 folio 31a.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hadith and Its Principles in the Early Days of Islam
    HADITH AND ITS PRINCIPLES IN THE EARLY DAYS OF ISLAM A CRITICAL STUDY OF A WESTERN APPROACH FATHIDDIN BEYANOUNI DEPARTMENT OF ARABIC AND ISLAMIC STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW Thesis submitted for the degree of Ph.D. in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Glasgow 1994. © Fathiddin Beyanouni, 1994. ProQuest Number: 11007846 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11007846 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 M t&e name of &Jla&, Most ©racious, Most iKlercifuI “go take to&at tfje iHessenaer aikes you, an& refrain from to&at tie pro&tfuts you. &nO fear gJtati: for aft is strict in ftunis&ment”. ©Ut. It*. 7. CONTENTS Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................4 Abbreviations................................................................................................................ 5 Key to transliteration....................................................................6 A bstract............................................................................................................................7
    [Show full text]
  • Rituals of Islamic Spirituality: a Study of Majlis Dhikr Groups
    Rituals of Islamic Spirituality A STUDY OF MAJLIS DHIKR GROUPS IN EAST JAVA Rituals of Islamic Spirituality A STUDY OF MAJLIS DHIKR GROUPS IN EAST JAVA Arif Zamhari THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY E P R E S S E P R E S S Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at: http://epress.anu.edu.au/islamic_citation.html National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Zamhari, Arif. Title: Rituals of Islamic spirituality: a study of Majlis Dhikr groups in East Java / Arif Zamhari. ISBN: 9781921666247 (pbk) 9781921666254 (pdf) Series: Islam in Southeast Asia. Notes: Includes bibliographical references. Subjects: Islam--Rituals. Islam Doctrines. Islamic sects--Indonesia--Jawa Timur. Sufism--Indonesia--Jawa Timur. Dewey Number: 297.359598 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU E Press Printed by Griffin Press This edition © 2010 ANU E Press Islam in Southeast Asia Series Theses at The Australian National University are assessed by external examiners and students are expected to take into account the advice of their examiners before they submit to the University Library the final versions of their theses. For this series, this final version of the thesis has been used as the basis for publication, taking into account other changesthat the author may have decided to undertake.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding the Concept of Islamic Sufism
    Journal of Education & Social Policy Vol. 1 No. 1; June 2014 Understanding the Concept of Islamic Sufism Shahida Bilqies Research Scholar, Shah-i-Hamadan Institute of Islamic Studies University of Kashmir, Srinagar-190006 Jammu and Kashmir, India. Sufism, being the marrow of the bone or the inner dimension of the Islamic revelation, is the means par excellence whereby Tawhid is achieved. All Muslims believe in Unity as expressed in the most Universal sense possible by the Shahadah, la ilaha ill’Allah. The Sufi has realized the mysteries of Tawhid, who knows what this assertion means. It is only he who sees God everywhere.1 Sufism can also be explained from the perspective of the three basic religious attitudes mentioned in the Qur’an. These are the attitudes of Islam, Iman and Ihsan.There is a Hadith of the Prophet (saw) which describes the three attitudes separately as components of Din (religion), while several other traditions in the Kitab-ul-Iman of Sahih Bukhari discuss Islam and Iman as distinct attitudes varying in religious significance. These are also mentioned as having various degrees of intensity and varieties in themselves. The attitude of Islam, which has given its name to the Islamic religion, means Submission to the Will of Allah. This is the minimum qualification for being a Muslim. Technically, it implies an acceptance, even if only formal, of the teachings contained in the Qur’an and the Traditions of the Prophet (saw). Iman is a more advanced stage in the field of religion than Islam. It designates a further penetration into the heart of religion and a firm faith in its teachings.
    [Show full text]
  • Universita' Degli Studi Di Padova the Creation of the Marrakesh
    Universita’ degli Studi di Padova Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Letterari Laurea Magistrale in Lingue moderne per la Comunicazione e la Cooperazione internazionale Classe LM38 The Creation of the Marrakesh Declaration and the Portrayal of Religious Minorities in the International Press Cunico Valeria mtr: 1159381 Relatrice: Prof.ssa Martini Cecilia - DiSSGeA Abstract In recent times religion minorities all over the world have been facing existential threats, which seriously compromise their social inclusion and the survival of their cultural heritage. In 2016, hundreds of Muslim and non-Muslim scholars and intellectuals met in Marrakesh to discuss about religion tolerance, interfaith dialogue and the treatment of religious minorities in predominantly Muslim countries. The gathering ended with the drafting of a new Declaration, which aims to restore the principles of the ancient Charter of Medina, to the benefit of all religious groups in the Middle East. This dissertation analyses the declaration of Marrakesh on both a linguistic and a legal level, providing information on why it was considered as an urgent necessity and defining possible predictions regarding its future implementations and its legal value in modern Arab societies. Finally, this thesis will analyse the relationship between religious minorities and the media, focusing on how smaller religious groups are perceived from the general public and how British and American newspapers deal with minorities representations and challenges. Contents Introduction 1 1 The Marrakesh Declaration of 2016 5 1.1 The inspiration behind the Declaration of Marrakesh . 12 1.1.1 Ancient documents on Religious Minorities . 12 1.1.2 Modern documents on Religious Minorities . 16 1.2 The Future of the Declaration .
    [Show full text]
  • Fazlallah Astarabadi and the Hurufis
    prelims.046 17/12/2004 4:58 PM Page i MAKERS of the MUSLIM WORLD Fazlallah Astarabadi and The Hurufis “Shahzad Bashir is to be commended for producing a remarkably accessible work on a complex subject; his explanations are models of lucidity and brevity.” PROFESSOR DEVIN DEWEESE, INDIANA UNIVERSITY prelims.046 14/12/2004 1:37 PM Page ii SELECTION OF TITLES IN THE MAKERS OF THE MUSLIM WORLD SERIES Series editor: Patricia Crone, Institute for Advanced Study,Princeton ‘Abd al-Malik, Chase F.Robinson Abd al-Rahman III, Maribel Fierro Abu Nuwas, Philip Kennedy Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Christopher Melchert Ahmad Riza Khan Barelwi, Usha Sanyal Al-Ma’mun, Michael Cooperson Al-Mutanabbi, Margaret Larkin Amir Khusraw, Sunil Sharma El Hajj Beshir Agha, Jane Hathaway Fazlallah Astarabadi and the Hurufis, Shazad Bashir Ibn ‘Arabi,William C. Chittick Ibn Fudi,Ahmad Dallal Ikhwan al-Safa, Godefroid de Callatay Shaykh Mufid,Tamima Bayhom-Daou For current information and details of other books in the series, please visit www.oneworld-publications.com/ subjects/makers-of-muslim-world.htm prelims.046 14/12/2004 1:37 PM Page iii MAKERS of the MUSLIM WORLD Fazlallah Astarabadi and The Hurufis SHAHZAD BASHIR prelims.046 14/12/2004 1:37 PM Page iv FAZLALLAH ASTARABADI AND THE HURUFIS Oneworld Publications (Sales and editorial) 185 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7AR England www.oneworld-publications.com © Shahzad Bashir 2005 All rights reserved Copyright under Berne Convention A CIP record for this title is available from the British Library ISBN 1–85168–385–2 Typeset by Jayvee,
    [Show full text]
  • Preparing for Dr Patrick Graham on Contemporary Islamic Theology We Recommend the Following
    Preparing for Dr Patrick Graham on Contemporary Islamic Theology we recommend the following. OPEN LETTER TO POPE BENEDICT XVI OCTOBER 4TH, 2006 WRITTEN AND SIGNED BY LEADING MUSLIM SCHOLARS AND LEADERS IN RESPONSE TO POPE BENEDICT XVI’S REMARKS ON ISLAM AT THE REGENSBURG LECTURE ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2006 In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, And may Peace and Blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad OPEN LETTER TO HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, Do not contend with people of the Book except in the fairest way . (The Holy Qur’an, al-Ankabuty 29:46). YOUR HOLINESS, WITH REGARDS TO YOUR LECTURE AT THE University of Regensburg in Germany on September 12th 2006, we thought it appropriate, in the spirit of open exchange, to address your use of a debate between the Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and a “learned Persian” as the starting point for a discourse on the relationship between reason and faith. While we applaud your efforts to oppose the dominance of positivism and materialism in human life, we must point out some errors in the way you mentioned Islam as a counterpoint to the proper use of reason, as well as some mistakes in the assertions you put forward in support of your argument. THERE IS NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION You mention that “according to the experts” the verse which begins, There is no compulsion in religion (al-Baqarah 2:256) is from the early period when the Prophet “was still powerless and under threat,” but this is incorrect.
    [Show full text]
  • Women's Rights in Islam Regarding Marriage and Divorce Imani Jaafar-Mohammad
    Journal of Law and Practice Volume 4 Article 3 2011 Women's Rights in Islam Regarding Marriage and Divorce Imani Jaafar-Mohammad Charlie Lehmann Follow this and additional works at: http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/lawandpractice Part of the Family Law Commons Recommended Citation Jaafar-Mohammad, Imani and Lehmann, Charlie (2011) "Women's Rights in Islam Regarding Marriage and Divorce," Journal of Law and Practice: Vol. 4, Article 3. Available at: http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/lawandpractice/vol4/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews and Journals at Mitchell Hamline Open Access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Law and Practice by an authorized administrator of Mitchell Hamline Open Access. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © Mitchell Hamline School of Law Women's Rights in Islam Regarding Marriage and Divorce Keywords Muslim women--Legal status laws etc., Women's rights--Religious aspects--Islam, Marriage (Islamic law) This article is available in Journal of Law and Practice: http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/lawandpractice/vol4/iss1/3 Jaafar-Mohammad and Lehmann: Women's Rights in Islam Regarding Marriage and Divorce WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN ISLAM REGARDING MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 4 Wm. Mitchell J. L. & P. 3* By: Imani Jaafar-Mohammad, Esq. and Charlie Lehmann+ I. INTRODUCTION There are many misconceptions surrounding women’s rights in Islam. The purpose of this article is to shed some light on the basic rights of women in Islam in the context of marriage and divorce. This article is only to be viewed as a basic outline of women’s rights in Islam regarding marriage and divorce.
    [Show full text]
  • “The Golden Rule,” Matthew: the Life and Words of Jesus, Part 23 – Matthew 7:12 – Joshua Harris – November 11, 2012
    Sermon Outline “The Golden Rule,” Matthew: The Life and Words of Jesus, Part 23 – Matthew 7:12 – Joshua Harris – November 11, 2012 1. Introduction A. The name “The Golden Rule” (Matthew 7:12) originated about 200 years after Jesus’ ministry with the Roman Emperor, Alexander Severus. He wasn’t a Christian, but he was so impressed with Jesus’ words that he had them inscribed in gold on the walls in his home. B. It’s a lot easier to put these words on your wall than it is to live according to them. It’s much less costly to write them in gold on your walls than to write them on your heart. So what does Jesus want to teach us? What does in mean for this to be the rule of our lives? The Golden Rule is… 2. A Simple Rule of Love A. What is so striking about the Golden Rule is its powerful simplicity: it is not complex, but it is profound. Even kids can understand it: if you really want to care for someone, if you really want to do right by them, then treat them the way you would want to be treated. B. When Jesus says, “for this is the Law and the Prophets” he’s saying that this sums up the teaching of the Old Testament about how we should treat one another. (Matthew 7:12 is a literary “bookend” for the entire section of the Sermon on the Mount beginning in Matthew 5:17.) Jesus distills laws about not lying, not committing adultery, not cheating, not coveting, and so forth, into a single sentence.
    [Show full text]
  • Islamic Ethics in Australian Muslim Everyday Life: a Shi’Ite Perspective Mohamad Younes
    Islamic Ethics in Australian Muslim Everyday Life: A Shi’ite Perspective Mohamad Younes Master’s Thesis in Sociology Spring Term 2017 Humanities and Communication Arts Western Sydney University 1 17481784 Mohamad Younes 2 17481784 Mohamad Younes ABSTRACT Despite the strong emphasis on ethics within the Islamic tradition, Islamic ethics itself is scarcely represented as a discipline within academic scholarship (Ansari 1989). Even within this area, Islamic ethics have predominantly been studied from Sunni perspectives, with little attention being paid to Shi’ite or other minority understandings. This thesis will, therefore, use qualitative data collection methods of semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus groups, to sociologically study the perceptions, understandings, and applications of Islamic ethics in Australian Shi’ite Muslim everyday living. It will investigate the overarching understanding of Islamic ethics and its specific application in Australian Shi’ite Muslim context. The project's objective, therefore, is twofold: one to strengthen Islamic ethics as an independent discipline; and two to address the scant attention Shi’ite Islamic ethics has received in Islamic ethics scholarship generally. Conceptually, this project will contribute to the understanding of Islamic ethics through a particular analysis of Shi’ite Islamic ethics in an Australian Shi’ite context. This is significant as specific understandings of Islamic ethics in certain contexts help to explain how minority groups such as Shi’ite Muslims develop their own ethical standards to shape social relations in society. In addition, this thesis argues for Shi’ite Islamic ethics to be highly Imamate based; that is, very reliant on the actions and sayings of 12 divinely guided Imams (leaders).
    [Show full text]
  • The Golden Rule
    The Sermon on the Mount Study Study By Bible Study Session 24 Lorin L Cranford Matthew 7:12 cranfordville.com Greek NT La Biblia NRSV NLT 12 Πάντα οὖν ὅσα ἐὰν de las Américas θέλητε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν 12 Por eso, todo cuan- 12 In everything do to 12 Do for others what οἱ ἄνθρωποι, οὕτως καὶ to queráis que os hagan others as you would have you would like them to do ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς· οὗτος los hombres, así también them do to you; for this is for you. This is a summary γάρ ἐστιν ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ haced vosotros con ellos, the law and the prophets. of all that is taught in the προφῆται. porque esta es la ley y los law and the prophets. profetas. The Outline of the Text:1 This text plays an important role in the Sermon. Also it is one of the better known sayings of the Sermon. And yet careful study will reveal how often it has been twisted into a meaning other than what Jesus intended. Thus study of this saying becomes all the more important in order to correctly understand the point of our Lord. The Label. The Golden Rule. That is what it is called, and has been so named in the English language since the middle 1700s. The title originally pointed to the New Testament texts of Matt. 7:12 and Luke. 6:31,2 which are the two places in the Bible where this principle is stated directly. The wording is slightly different between these two passages, but the essential concept is the same.
    [Show full text]
  • The Golden Rule No
    "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org) The Golden Rule No. 164 Introduction. I. One of the most profound truths Jesus ever uttered is found in Matthew 7:12. “All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets.” II. Tonight, I would like for us to probe into these familiar words of Jesus known as The Golden Rule. There are three thoughts I would like to emphasize about this splendid rule. I. Not Original With Jesus - In the first place, The Golden Rule was not original with Jesus. A. In fact many others have taught a similar rule. 1. The Hindu religion taught: This is the sum of duty: do naught to other which if done to thee would cause thee pain. - The Mahabharata 2. The Buddhist religion taught: Hurt not others in ways you yourself find hurtful. - Udana-Varga, 5.18 3. The Jewish traditions taught: What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary. - The Talmud 4. The Muslim religion taught: No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. - Sunnah 5. The Baha’i faith teaches: He should not wish for others that which he doth not wish for himself, nor promise that which he doth not fulfil.
    [Show full text]
  • Polish Journal Political Science
    Polish Journal of Political Science Volume 6 Issue 2 (2020) Wydanie bieżącego numeru PJPS – zadanie realizowane w ramach umowy 874/P-DUN/2019 ze środków Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego przeznaczonych na działalność upowszechniającą naukę. Ministry of Science and Higher Education Republic of Poland Polish Journal of Political Science Volume 6 Issue 2 Editorial Board Clifford Angell Bates Jr., University of Warsaw Stephen Brooks, University of Michigan Michael Freeden, University of Nottingham, University of Oxford Shpresa Kureta, Her Excellency Ambassador of Albania to Poland Paolo Pombeni, University of Bologna Agostino Massa, University of Genoa Bohdan Szlachta, Jagiellonian University in Krakow Tomasz Żyro, University of Warsaw Chief editor Jarosław Szczepański Editor Karolina Kochańczyk-Bonińska Editorial Secretary Katarzyna Gruszka Paulina Kalina eISSN 2391-3991 Original version: e-book Visit our site: www.pjps.pl Submit your paper: [email protected] (this page is intentionally left blank) Table of Contents Articles Marzena Kuczyńska Terrorism pictured by Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI . p. 7 Gabriela Piotrowska Defining threats linked to the influx of immigrants and refugees to France based to the report «Attitudes Towards Refugees, Immigrants, and Identity in France» . p. 39 Grzegorz Kowalczyk A path to follow or a journey to the unknown? Brexit in Polish opinion weeklies before and after the referendum ......................................................... p. 57 Cezary Smuniewski, Marcin Składanowski, Łukasz Przepiórka The contribution of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland to creating health security at the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic ...................................... p. 91 Błażej Bado Secular and religious terrorist groups according to Yonah Alexander ............................................................ p. 129 Polish Journal of Political Science, 2020, vol.
    [Show full text]