“Treat others as you want them to treat you!” That’s the burden of this morning’s Christian Religious Education lesson emerging from the controversial (in Victoria) Access curriculum. Although a pithy sound bite from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, similar wisdom is found in sacred texts preceding Matthew 7:12 in Judaism, Buddhism and Confucianism as well as others that came after. There is not one major world belief system that does not replicate this aphorism in one way or another. Even those who profess no religious belief concur with the beneficent centrality and common sense of this call.
Anyhow, our task this morning is to compare the Golden Rule with our day to day rules in school and family to see the degree to which these reflect this ancient wisdom. We will probably discover that most rules have something to do with mutual safety and respect for one another. But I reckon the students will tell me that!
Now if we could only apply it in public life where controversy and debate over climate change, refugees, indigenous reconciliation and other stirry topics hold sway.