Thursday, February 5, 2009

An Ancient, Simple Rule.....

We know that whatever our differences, there is one law that binds all
great religions together.

Jesus told us to:
"love thy neighbor as thyself."

The Torah commands:
"That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow."

In Islam, there is a hadith by the Prophet Muhammad that reads:

"None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."

And the same is true for Buddhists and Hindus; for followers of Confucius and for humanists. It is, of course, the Golden Rule - the call to love one another; to understand one another; to treat with dignity and respect those with whom we share a brief moment on this Earth.

It is an ancient rule; a simple rule; but also one of the most challenging.
For it asks each of us to take some measure of responsibility for the
well-being of people we may not know or worship with or agree with on every
issue. Sometimes, it asks us to reconcile with bitter enemies or resolve
ancient hatreds. And that requires a living, breathing, active faith. It
requires us not only to believe, but to do - to give something of ourselves
for the benefit of others and the betterment of our world.

In this way, the particular faith that motivates each of us can promote a
greater good for all of us. Instead of driving us apart, our varied beliefs
can bring us together to feed the hungry and comfort the afflicted; to make
peace where there is strife and rebuild what has broken; to lift up those
who have fallen on hard times. This is not only our call as people of
faith, but our duty as human beings in general.

:-)

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