The Golden Rule is best fix

I was shocked to read The Rev. Leah D. Schade’s misguided column on Jan. 8, in which she refers to people who commit “not socially acceptable behaviors” as having lost “social taboos.”

People yell, brag, insult, oppress, marginalize, kill, torture, steal, cheat, lie, rape because they have not been taught the Golden Rule — to treat others as you want to be treated, love thy neighbor, morality, justice, integrity, the fear of God.

Bringing back “politeness,” a word I equate with her “social taboos,” would be like putting a blanket over the dog, hoping he would go back to sleep.

Rampant socially unacceptable behaviors should alert us to where we have gone wrong as a society. We — as decent, moral, just, good and religious (as in all religions) people — need to educate everyone, from birth to death, in the understanding that each person is important.

I have been taught the Golden Rule, the basis of every religion, which at least 5 billion people on the planet can agree to. Let’s continue with this concept, being progressively imparted to us over the millennia, instead of this flimsy, nebulous, unscientific, superstitious “social taboo” presentation.

This story was originally published February 5, 2018 at 4:24 PM with the headline "The Golden Rule is best fix."