The Golden Rule's problems

[Willum]

The Golden Rule, has its first known origins with the Goddess Ma'at and a story about unlawful claiming of property.
It was either taken from there, or rediscovered by Thales of Greece in about 500 BCE.

It is recapped in the Bible in Matthew 7:12,

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you: Do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets

Or in the OT, Leviticus 19:18

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

It sounds great on the surface, but is it the ultimate slippery slope for morality?

The key to recognize the problem is that we all think we are good.
The serial killers of the worlds, the rapist, the you name its of villainy are aware of and can probably justify their actions with the Golden Rule.

Premise of the topic: The Golden Rule sets every single individual as a standard for morality, and appeals to vanity to delude us into its being correct.
It seems like a recipe for disaster if you ask me.

Bad people will do bad things, because their personal version of the rule, allows it. They would say to themselves, "If I were this given person [whom I am doing bad things to], I would expect this kind of treatment from me."

So the topic of debate is obvious, is the Golden Rule the metric for behavior that it is employed as?

[benchwarmer]

...So you are for it then since you follow the Bible

Because I dont want to be a slave, I dont want to keep anyone my slave.

Awesome! However, you are still not directly answering the topic at hand. You personally don't want to be a slave, but you're fine with the Bible laying out rules for buying and how to treat slaves. The mind boggles that you don't see the issue here.

By your logic, only people who want to be a slave themselves should be buying slaves, which of course makes no sense.

Where do you live? If not in Canada then I am free to buy you

Are you saying Canadiens sell their people? It can be difficult to buy, if no one is selling, which is not allowed in the Bible.

No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying I live in Canada, thus if you don't live here then I can buy you.

What's not allowed in the Bible? Selling people? You are making no sense.

You think it's better for people to be sold?! You would have had a better life if your parents sold you into slavery?

If my parents would be that evil that they would sell me, I would be clad to go to Jewish buyer.

You say this sitting comfortably in your home, free to do as you please, but I highly doubt you would really want to be a slave regardless of how 'evil' your parents are. You are assuming the people who buy you are not evil. Remember they can beat you as long as you don't die within 2 days. Sounds like fun.

[Willum]

Weird why would the son of a Jealous God ask that a different god be given tithes?

I think you have really weird interpretation. Why it is necessary for you even though there is no support in the Bible for your interpretation?

No support in the Bible for my "interpretation!!!??"

Are you unfamiliar with the Commandments:
Thou shalt have no gods before me?
In his very speech, Jesus put the god Caesar before the god God!
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image?
The coins Jesus asked the nation to pay were graven images of proclaimed deities. Deities whose only form of worship was the tax or tithe they claimed.

No support in the Bible for my "interpretation!!!??"
Did not the patriarchs of Jerusalem have Jesus killed for blasphemy? Is that not support?

I mean really!

[1213]

By your logic, only people who want to be a slave themselves should be buying slaves, which of course makes no sense.

Not exactly. If I would live in nation that sells own people, I would hope a righteous Jew would buy me out of that nation that sells own people. So, people who would like to be bought from nation that sells own people, could also buy people from nations that sell own people. Luckily I dont think we anymore have nations that sell own people, or do we?

What's not allowed in the Bible? Selling people? You are making no sense.

Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
Ex. 21:16

For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as slaves.
Lev. 25:42

So, they were allowed to buy, but not to sell. And I think that is the important thing. If other nations sell own people, I think they are bad and in that case I think it is ok, if Jews then are allowed to buy.

You say this sitting comfortably in your home, free to do as you please, but I highly doubt you would really want to be a slave regardless of how 'evil' your parents are. You are assuming the people who buy you are not evil. Remember they can beat you as long as you don't die within 2 days. Sounds like fun.

If a righteous Jew would buy, I think it would be better. Why would owner beat his slave? If the slave dies, the owner deserves death and if the slave dont die, but cant work, he is not useful. It is simply not reasonable to beat own slave, similarly as it is not reasonable to hit yourself. It is sad, if you think it is fun to hit people.

Also, there is these rules:

If a man strikes his servant's eye, or his maid's eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye's sake. If he strikes out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
Ex. 21:26-27

And there is still the rule, love your neighbor as yourself, which unfortunately seems to be for many too difficult to understand.

[Tcg]

And there is still the rule, love your neighbor as yourself, which unfortunately seems to be for many too difficult to understand.

It was clearly very hard for the authors of the Old Testament to understand. Either that, or as we have seen time and time again, when those authors spoke of neighbors, it was limited to the Israelites. Non-Israelites were treated very differently.


Tcg