Comments from ReligiousTolerance.org
Some "Ethic of Reciprocity" passages from the religious texts of various religions
Bahá'í World Faith: "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 preferreth his brother before himself." Baha'u'llah
"And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, 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." Matthew 7:12
"...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 "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.'" Doctrine of the Mean 13.3
Hinduism: "One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself" Mencius Vii.A.4
"This is the sum of 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."
"(11) Humanists affirm that individual and social problems can only be resolved by means of human reason, intelligent effort, critical thinking joined with compassion and a spirit of empathy for all living beings. " 5
Islam: "Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself" Fourth Hadith of an-Nawawi 13
Jainism: "Therefore, neither does he [, a sage,] cause violence to others nor does he make others do so." Acarangasutra 5.101-2.
"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
Native American Spirituality: "Respect for all life is the foundation." The Great Law of Peace
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: Compassion-mercy and religion are the support of the entire world". Japji Sahib "Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone." Guru Arjan Devji 259
"No one is my enemy, none a stranger and everyone is my friend." Guru Arjan Dev : AG 1299
Sufism: "The basis of Sufism is consideration of the hearts and feelings of others. If you haven't the will to gladden someone's heart, then at least beware lest you hurt someone's heart, for on our path, no sin exists but this." Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Master of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order.
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. "I am good to the man who is good to me, likewise, I am also good to the bad man." Tao Te Ching
Unitarian: "We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent of all existence of which we are a part." Unitarian principles.
Wicca: "An it harm no one, do what thou wilt" (i.e. do what every you want to, as long as it harms nobody, including yourself). 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
Some philosophers' statements are:
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)
One example from an ethical system is:
Humanism: "...critical intelligence, infused by a sense of human caring, is the best method that humanity has for resolving problems. Reason should be balanced with compassion and empathy and the whole person fulfilled." Humanist Manifesto II; Ethics section.
Two exceptions are:
for Megadude
Church of Satan: "4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates! 5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek.!" A.S. LaVey, founder of The Church of Satan, The Nine Satanic Statements.
for teejay
World Church of the Creator: "What is good for the White Race is the highest virtue; what is bad for the White Race is the ultimate sin." Although the W.C.O.T.C. uses the term "church" they are strongly anti-Christian in belief. Their religion is based mainly upon love of the white race and hatred of everyone else, who they call members of the "mud races."
Care is needed in applying the Golden Rule
Any rule must be applied carefully, and with full knowledge of the likely consequences. Many of the above "golden rules" imply that there is some absolute standard on what is beneficial and what is harmful. Consider:
George Bernard Shaw, (1903): "Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same." {sound familiar, Jerry?}
A lot of harm has been done historically, in the name of helping other people. Some examples:
Many individuals involved in the torture and murder of Witches during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance felt that their mission was to help the Witches, and the rest of society. The Witches were tortured until they gave the interrogators what they wanted: a confession in which they renounced their beliefs. They were then executed before they recanted. The church felt that they might then end up in Heaven. If they retained their beliefs in Witchcraft, it was believed that they would be sent to Hell for endless torture. Thus, any amount of torture was justified. It only lasted a few days and saved the Witch from an eternity of similar treatment in Hell.
In past centuries Christian missionaries, both Protestant and Catholic, invested enormous effort to convert North America's Native population to Christianity. The missionaries discounted Native Spirituality as worthless. Many thought that unless a person accepts their version of Christianity, they would spend eternity in Hell. But the results were not as anticipated. Some suicidologists believe that the extremely high suicide rate among native people in North America is a direct result of the destruction of their aboriginal faith and other aspects of their society by Christian groups.
Welfare and other social programs that were originally designed to help the poor, can sometimes backfire and entrap the very people they intended to help.
Before applying the golden rule, we should take care that we are really helping people, and not harming them. This often requires more wisdom than is readily available.
Failures of the Ethic of Reciprocity
Many individuals are primarily concerned with their own well being, and that of their family and "tribe." Some are able to apply the ethic of reciprocity only to their immediate friends and relatives. Somehow, people who are close to us are seen as more "equal" than strangers.
Some individuals are able to extend the Ethic to all fellow believers who share their religion. An insufficient number are able to extend it to followers of other religions and ultimately to all human beings. The large number of religiously-based civil disturbances and wars currently active in the world is evidence of this failing.
Passages that violate the Ethic of Reciprocity
Unfortunately, many religious texts contain other passages that contradict the Ethic of Reciprocity. For example, consider the Christian Bible. It contains sections which promote both religious tolerance and religious intolerance. In places, it advocates genocide against other tribes, extermination of people of other religions, and murder of individuals with minority sexual orientations. It condones slavery and, in places, promotes an inferior status for women.
