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It was a frustrating drive to work this morning, listening to a long debate on the Today programme about the ordination of women bishops. A convention of the synod today will decide whether or not we will get any; over a thousand priests have said they will leave the church if women are allowed to become bishops. In case they start menstruating in ( Read more... )
I don't think the universality of the Golden Rule is a misconception, although certainly you could (and have) made a good counter-argument. But the fact you can find exceptions doesn't detract from the striking ubiquity of it in different religions. It was, for example, central to the Parliament of World Religions's 1993 statement of shared values (http://www.kusala.org/udharma/globalethic.html).
I don't know enough about native religions to talk about that, but I'll accept your point. However I want to try and draw a distinction between social folklore and important thinkers of a given era. Greek mythology, for example, shows the kind of self-interest which is present in a lot of "native" mythologies, including Germanic - but we also know that a lot of Greek philosophers spoke out against this and in favour of compassion, including Thales, Isocrates and others. It seems to me that it is these people who have become important to us today, partly because they are expressing ideas which are found in so many disparate cultures.
You're right that the OT is quite bloodthirsty, but don't forget that the Golden Rule is found in Leviticus and is important for Judaism. Hillel's famous quote was: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn."
I'm also not sure about conversion. Yes it's important in Christianity, but much less so in Islam, where there is a long tradition of acceptance of Jews and Christians at least. I don't know. Heathenry and paganism I find fascinating, but I confess I tend to think of them more as a game or activity than a religion. But then I do not share your confidence in the existence of supernatural beings.
PS I have read bits of Havamal (in translation). I understand it is a major source for the ethical codes of neopagans.
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