Photo by Autumn Mott
Treating others the way we want to be treated is more than just a rule of child’s play; it is an investment in our own possible future.
The first thing I learned in kindergarten was the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is simple: treat others the way you want to be treated. The older I get, the more significant this rule becomes—not only in my personal relationships, but also on a professional and even an international level.
Mormon Newsroom’s article “A Bridge Between the Strong and the Weak” reminds us how the Golden Rule can be applied to an international context. Consider this important question: “Who is religious freedom for?” The article explains that if the answer to this question is not everyone, bigger problems ensue.
As the article states, “The cultural group that enjoys privilege today may lose it tomorrow. Power is not permanent.” Historically, this is true; fashion fads change, societal values are amended, and (more importantly) a dominant group can become the minority, all in a blink of an eye. “So, a religious freedom that protects the little guy is also the best security for the big guy. Safety is not in numbers; safety is in justice.”
Protecting the minority while in a position of power is the best form of defense. Therefore, the best move in protecting religious freedom is to defend the rights of other religions. “There are consequences for repressing the beliefs, practices and aspirations of minorities,” the article continues. “Imbalance provokes instability, breeds resentments and sharpens divisions. Alienation creates strangers, and those strangers range the world in search of support. The code of hospitality found in the Bible holds us accountable to the least among us. . . . Religious freedom only for some is really religious freedom for none.”
Mormon Newsroom’s article is not a simplified lesson in the Golden Rule, nor is it a chastisement in our treatment of others. It is basic proof—through personal stories, historical corroboration, and numerical evidence—that our behavior toward others will come back to us, especially when it comes to religion. Whether there are problems in our personal lives, questions in our political views, or issues in our international world, living the Golden Rule is the answer.
Read the article, “A Bridge Between the Strong and the Weak.”
Source: Mormon Newsroom
—Natalie Kokol, Mormon Insights
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Find more insights
Read Monica Allen’s Mormon Insights article on religious freedom, “Peace, Love, and Religious Freedom.”
Read some thoughts on religious freedom by today’s prophets and apostles in the article “In Favor of Freedom.”