A friend and I were talking the other day about religion, Christianity in particular. He stated that he understood and pretty much agreed with the basic tenet of Christianity as “Don’t be a dick.” I’ve never heard it summed up exactly like that, but it does seem to reflect pretty much what Jesus taught when he said:
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. (Luk 6:31)
Or in modern English, “Do to others as you want them to do to you,” which is, of course, the Golden Rule and very similar to the Silver Rule that states that one should “not do to others as you would not have them do to you”; or as my friend put it: “don’t be a dick.”
Contemplating on the matter I think the Golden / Silver Rule, although a central theme in Christian teaching, is not the core of Christianity. The central message of Christianity is better defined as love. Jesus summed it up as:
. . . you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: you should love other people as you love yourself. On these two commandments hang everything in the Bible. (Mat 22-37-40)
Notice how the Golden / Silver Rule forms part of this summary – you should love other people like you love yourself, in which case you would “do to others as you want them to do to you” or “not do to others as you would not have them do to you.” This summary is based on love and centred around God, because “God is Love” (I John 4:16). This, I think is the true central point of Christianity – God is Love. That nothing we do or don’t do will increase or decrease God’s love for us. God loves each of us unconditionally and if we are followers of God we ought to reflect such unconditional love to others.
Of course there is more to Christianity than this, but God is Love is the core principle from which all else sprouts.
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