You completely missed my point. Mathew 7:12 was not a pronouncement against slavery. Jesus never invented the Golden Rule. It was already in the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses) which explicitly allowed slavery. Unless you think that one book of the Pentateuch contradicts another, it’s hard to see how the Golden Rule in Leviticus overrides the slavery passages.
It is a myth that Christianity was responsible for ending slavery in America. The established Christian religions, both Catholic and Protestant, sanctioned the institution. Many Christian leaders quoted the Bible for their justification of slavery. But when abolitionists tried to quote the Bible, they were forced to present a reinterpretation of it rather than the literal and original biblical meaning. The Abolishment Movement ended slavery in spite of Christianity not because of it.
If you disagree, show me the verses in the bible that say that slavery is evil and should be abolished! You can't because there are none!
Please try to look at this a 2nd time, to notice another aspect:
New International Version
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
Notice the wording "in everything" there?
Now, consider whether this list of Do-Nots below from Leviticus is "everything" --
11“ ‘Do not steal.
“ ‘Do not lie.
“ ‘Do not deceive one another.
12“ ‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
13“ ‘Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.
“ ‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.
14“ ‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.
15“ ‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
16“ ‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
“ ‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.
17“ ‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.
18“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord."
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It's a great list!
Very broad.
But is it "
everything" this way -- "So in everything, do to others as you would have them do to you"
?
If I refrain from killing someone, from robbing, and this whole list...
Would I then be compelled to offer food and water to complete strangers sometimes? How about helping an old lady you've never met before, a complete stranger, in a grocery store? Is that in Leviticus or any of the Pentateuch in your viewpoint? If so, it would be interesting to look at further of course.
What if the stranger isn't in your nation or religion, but some group you think is fundamentally wrong?
Like a Samaritan compared to normal Judaism.
For me,
"So in everything, do to others as you would have them do to you" means that I am compelled to take a positive action at times.
That isn't solely Do-Nots for me.
I'm asking you, to better understand your viewpoint. Do you really see a list of Do-Nots as being the same as a rule that includes by its wording both do-nots, and additionally to-do actions?
For me to refrain from harming someone isn't identical (an equal total set of things) to Matthew 7:12.
Because Matthew 7:12 additionally means I also have to take positive action to benefit them.
Put another way, not doing a harmful action is not precisely equal to doing a charitable action in a lot of instances, just for example.
If you merely don't kill, rob, defraud, that doesn't mean you've already then done acts of charity. (one could, but doing an act of charity isn't the same as not doing an attack on someone)