The Silver Rule of the East
vs.
The Golden Rule of Jesus
Confucius was a man born around 550 B.C. who cared more about this present life, history, and government than deities and the afterlife (Corduan, 2012; Morgan, 2012). Confucius wanted through his teachings for people to enter back into the era of the golden age which took place long ago under the original ideal mythical emperors (Corduan, 2012).
Confucius had a teaching called Jen which communicated having an “attitude of seeking the welfare of other people” (Corduan, 2012, p. 407). This attitude included caring for others and respecting their humanity, not interfering with their goals any more than we want others to interfere with our goals. Westerners have appropriately labeled Jen as the Silver Rule (Corduan, 2012; Morgan, 2012). “Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you” (Analects 15:23; Corduan, 2012, p. 407). What is even more interesting is Buddhism says, “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful” (Udanavarga 5:18), and Hinduism says, “This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you” (Mahabharata 5:1517).
Christianity has a rule which is known as the Golden Rule. It communicates what Jesus said on the Sermon on the Mount, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Jesus pulls this from Leviticus 19:18 which communicates for God’s people to love our neighbors as ourselves. Did Jesus copy this from Confucius, Buddhism, or Hinduism? Given the fact that Jesus pulls his teachings from Leviticus which was written around 1450 B.C., I highly doubt that is the case (Hartley, 1998; Rooker, 2000).
At first glance, it would seem that they are similar, but Jesus focuses on the positive in order to show love proactively. The Silver Rule of the East is stated negatively and relies on passivity. Jesus wants us to look for ways to treat others with respect, with love, and with positivity. Love is the unconditional difference within the Golden Rule compared to the Silver Rule of the East. Jesus’s love is so radical that He commands us to love our enemies (Exodus 23:4-5; Matthew 5:43-44) and is the mark of a true Christian (1 John 4:20; John 13:35). “The Silver Rule builds on thinking that your behavior is dependent on the behavior of the other person; her good deeds should be rewarded, but not her negative deeds” (Tullberg, 2015, p. 20). Just like all of Jesus’s other teachings during the Sermon on the Mount, He takes the Law of the Old Testament and elevates it to a more radical level. His Golden Rule is no exception to this case.
References
Corduan W. (2012). Neighboring faiths: A Christian introduction to world religions(2nd ed.). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
Hartley, J. E. (1998). Leviticus (Vol. 4). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.
Morgan, G. R. (2012). Understanding world religions in 15 minutes a day. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers.
Rooker, M. F. (2000). Leviticus (Vol. 3A). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Tullberg, J. (2015). The golden rule of benevolence versus the silver rule of reciprocity. Journal of Religion & Business Ethics, 3(2), 1.