This comment is more direct & you might think it is interesting adjunct to consider about the golden rule.

In all the Bible's law, its histories, and writings, there is a kind of duality running through things. There is the physical that is the symbol and the spiritual. For example, a man is physical and made in the image of the spiritual God. There was physical Israel and there is a spiritual Israel--the Church. There is the first Adam, and the last Adam--Christ.

So, without going on and on, I am hoping we can see a principle. In a like manner, while there is a physical application of the law that is valid and good, there is a spiritual intent that must take precedence.

For example, one the Sabbath no work is to be done. This is a physical law. However, should life or limb be threatened, like an ox in a ditch, then a higher spiritual law takes over. In this case, the spirit of the Sabbath is freedom from slavery and bondage (Deut 5). Thus, it is a must that we work to save the life. Then it is clear how all of this, sits under the greater umbrella of spiritual love.

With this as a backdrop, lets look at the golden rule. Physically it says that we should never do something to others we would not want then to do to us. It is the essence of empathy.

What then would be the spiritual application?

Realize that we are all different. Therefore, a man does not want from a women what she wants from a man. Therefore, we men can give our women everything they really don't want. The real truth is that we don't often think of the other. We don't esteem others better. We are only concerned with ourself and how we see things.

But, what if we applied the golden rule in its spiritual intent? Then we would have people who were striving to understand the needs of others, and not just looking at their own needs.

We have a spiritual golden rule:

We should strive to do unto others what THEY WANT us to do unto them.

Does anyone see the beauty of that?

Art

The problem here is the same with the news. We all like this idea it is not controversial so it can't spark much conversation.


I like to think of how far out it can be expanded. Does it just mean you doing things to others? or is it also allowing others to live a life as you would like to live. So if your Church is in your neighborhood would you allow every other type of Church in your neighborhood?


Am I expanding it too far there?

I have indeed fallen short on occasion... especially after a character assassination...

Unfortunately, a mirrored response by me merely justifies their false claim, fueling the unfounded judgement's growth.

I do another no justice by using a measure which justifies their own inner judgemental nature. It actually perpetuates another's continued false judgements by validating their ego.

Yes but there is a universal message in the bible and I think that is what is important. Love your neighbor as yourself. If some people want to take everything literally but follow this law who am I to complain?

Hmmmm....so sort of like a urine test? Those ar given all the time to see if we are drug and alcohol free. Just saying...to see if we have been nice.
Kat

I would think not. If you want to believe they were as God created then you would have to think that God would give them intelligence enough to decide to obey or disobey. Knowing the difference between good and evil and deciding to disobey or obey your creator are 2 different things.

I think its kind of naive to believe in the story of Adam and Eve and think God would not give them enough since to choose. Was not eve originally reluctant to eat the fruit when the serpent first suggested it? That shows some since of knowing she shouldn't do it. She wasn't like "try the fruit..ok"

I will give one more explanation and then if you still don't get what I am saying then we can agree to disagree.

When I was a kid sometimes my mom wouldn't let me do things and I would never know why. When I would ask she would say "because I said so." Kind of like that. They didn't know why they couldn't all they knew was "because God said so".

If eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (or the tree of knowledge of morality) was the original sin, how did those two even know that disobeying God was the wrong thing to do to begin with?

JESS WILL NOT BE TOLD 'WHAT TO DO'.
JESS WILL NOT SAY OR DO SOMETHING WHICH SHE WOULD KNOW TO BE AGAINST HER WILL, OR SOUL!!!