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The Arizona Committee
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The headlines in the news scream out:
VIOLENCE. TERRORISM. DROWNINGS. CONFLICT. ECONOMIC DOWNTURN.
UNEMPLOYMENT. SEXUAL ABUSE. and on and on...
Tempted to say "there's
nothing I can do"?
Well there is! Discover the
power of practical prayer and it's role in empowering each of
us to make a difference... in our selves, our communities and
in the world.
Articles here speak of this
hope and present possibility. They are re-published by permission
from local newspapers.
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Living the Golden
Rule
by Anne Taylor, Arizona
Committee on Publication
Reprinted from The East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Arizona)
Spirituality Section, March 9, 2002
The events of 9/11 have awakened
many of us around the world. As we grapple with the issues facing
us; like safety, security, and the economy, there has never been
a more important time to consider how we treat our neighbor.
In response to 9/11 the Legislature
is considering a resolution to make Arizona the Golden Rule State.
The InterFaith Action Coalition of AZ, which consists of members
from many diverse faiths around our valley, authored this resolution
because this code of ethics is central to many faiths, as well
as secular groups, and it captures in a few words how we should
treat our neighbor.
Consider the following:
Baha'i: "Blessed is he
who preferreth his brother before himself." -- Baha'u'llah
Buddhism: "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would
find hurtful." -- Udana-Varga 5.18
Christianity: "Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you." -- Jesus, Bible, Luke 6:31
Islam: "No one of you is a believer until you desire for
another that which you desire for yourself." - The Sunnab
(Hadith), 1975.
Judaism: "Love your neighbor as yourself." -Leviticus
19:18
Native American: "Respect for all life is the foundation."
- - The Great Law of Peace
Sikhism: "Don't create hatred with anyone as God is within
everyone." - Guru Arjan Devji, Siri Guru Granth Sabbib
Also consider:
Aristotle: "We should
conduct ourselves toward others as we would have them act toward
us." Booker T. Washington: "If you want to lift yourself
up, lift up someone else."
I feel that the Golden Rule
not only can make a difference in our lives, it indeed can move
mountains. How can this principle work? To me, it is by relying
on the basic premise that God created each of us and "He
saw everything He had made, and behold, it was very good."
(Gen. 1:31) This universal, basic truth can indeed bind us together.
It gives us the perception, strength and protection to go forward
in these challenging times with a power greater than any we can
muster up within ourselves. By trusting and utilizing the Golden
Rule, we not only tolerate our neighbor, but cherish
the God-like qualities inherent in him or her. If we are loving
our sisters and brothers, how can we fear, hate, or judge them?
What I've been talking about
is summed up by what Mary Baker Eddy, author of Science and
Health with Key to the Scriptures, writes in Prose Works,
"Where God is we can meet, and where God is we can never
part." We do have strength to go forward and unite in treating
our neighbor as ourselves!
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