Friday, January 01, 2016

Golden Rule

Defender of faith Peter Hitchens scoffs at the idea that the Golden Rule -do not do to others what you would not wish them do to you - is a woefully inadequate  injunction from a believer's position and that it represents merely the start of what is required.This is bizarre as the Rule which predates by centuries the Bible injunction that was a plagiarism of it, namely Do unto others what you would have done unto you is a pivotal injunction from scripture yet Hitchens dismisses it as nugatory. Yet just imagine what sort of world we would live in if everyone observed this command;it would be paradise on earth.There would be no crime,no theft,burglary,murder,rape etc etc.In the awful world we live in that is not nothing.

As Mr Hitchens is always emphasizing the need not to be selfish he no doubt thinks altruism and self sacrifice is required for salvation,not the mere leaving people alone.A non sacrifical wolrd without the need of human sacrifices is surely more than  enough for anyone aspiring to be truly human.