It's Like the Golden Rule

As part of my lesson study over the weekend, I read the following passage, taken from the Book of Mormon. I know some of you reading this may hesitate to read further. If that's the case for you, just skip the scripture passage. For those of you who read the passage and are not familiar with the Book of Mormon, here's a brief back story:

The people being described here lived in the Americas and had been visited by Jesus, shortly after His Ascension. They are described here after 100 years have passed. The Lamanites referred to were named after Laman, the oldest son of Lehi, who traveled to the New World from Jerusalem, with his family, around 600 B.C. The Lamanites were originally an evil people. By 100 A.D., all the Lamanites were baptized and converted to Christianity.

4 Nephi 1:15-17

15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.

16 And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.

17 There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of –ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.

Two things really stuck with me from the passage. First, "there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people." Second, "There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites." I have been seeing so many posts on Facebook recently that fuel the fires of discrimination, racism, and segregation, coming from both sides of the aisle.

Here is an article on Harry Reid, where he seems to put the thought into the minds of the American people that it could be that Republicans oppose the President because of the color of his skin. I don't believe he needed to say anything that he said. It seems to me that the only reason he said it was so that a good percentage of America would actually believe that all Republicans are racists.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/09/harry-reid-hopes-gop-opposition-to-obama-based-on-substance-and-not-the-fact-that-hes-african-american/

Here's an article about how gay activists are bullying owners of a floral shop that doubles as a wedding chapel, because the owners didn't want a gay couple to be married on their premises.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/09/mother-fer-racist-sons-of-bches-from-hell-wedding-venue-gets-threats-fears-shut-down-after-refusing-gay-couples-nuptials/

In this article, a big deal is made out of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton staying silent about a boy being beaten on his school bus. According to the article, they were silent because black boys beat up a white boy.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/08/jackson-sharpton-stay-silent-on-school-bus-beating/

The Golden Rule is, according to A Dictionary of Philosophy, "One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself." The Bible, in Matthew 7:12, states it: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them:" Perhaps you are more familiar with the generic, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Regardless how you say it, why does it seem so difficult to do? When Moses brought The Ten Commandments down from Mt. Sinai, this began years and years of laws, rules, and regulations that had to be adhered to religiously. Then Jesus came and said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." I remember discussing this with my son and realizing that, when we love God completely, with heart, soul, and mind, and when we love others and ourselves equally, there is no need for the original ten commandments. In other words, when you truly love God and your fellow man, you don't feel like committing adultery, murdering, stealing, portraying another person or group in a bad light, refusing to let someone get married in your venue, slandering and embarrassing people when they don't do what you want them to do, beating up others, or shaking your finger at anyone else for any kind of behavior.



I like what Alfonzo Rachel has to say about race relations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myzK9q6qMuA&feature=youtu.be

Sure, none of us is perfect, and we all make mistakes every day, but maybe, if everyone thought more about the Golden Rule, we could have a society more like Zion and less like Sodom and Gomorrah.