Golden rule: the teaching of Jesus that you should treat others as you would like them to treat you
Social Change: the way in which society has changed and is changing (and also the possibilities for future change)
Many believe it is the moral duty of Christians to bring about social change so that society becomes truly Christian.
THE GOLDEN RULE
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12
When Christians vote they should look at the policies of the candidates and work out whether the policies will affect other people in the way Christians want to be affected if they were in that situation.
THE PARABLE OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, he will separate the people. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
The right will be those who have fed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, looked after the sick, helped the homeless and helped those in prison.
The left will be those who have not done one of the least of those things. They will go away to eternal punishment
Therefore, Christians should help the homeless, the sick and the hungry. This should affect the way a Christian votes and participates in politics.
Example: if a party’s policy was to cut off benefits to the jobless refusing jobs, the Christian would accept this because of the Golden Rule because they would want the job if it happened to them. However they would think again about the effects on the children of the jobless who would starve.
Am I my Brother’s keeper?
This tells Christians that they have a duty to look after everyone in need as the main principle in human rights and political processes. They are responsible for the rights of others.
“We should love one another. Do not be like Cain who…murdered his brother…Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous…Dear children, let us not...