To me, this means that if the end results of your policy is war, death, poverty, hunger ... that it doesn't matter how many days a week you go to Bible Study.

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and he met God in the road, and God took him by the throat and said 'Pay what thou owest!'"

...which maybe isn't a great lesson but it makes a nice image, depending on who you picture as the man.

This reminds me of one of my favorite stories from the Talmud:

A certain heathen came to Shammai and said to him: "If you can teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot you can convert me to Judaism." Shammai drove him away with a builder's cubit [a stick] which was in his hand. He went to Hillel and Hillel said to him, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: That is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary: go, study."

I just noticed Wikipedia has an entire page of different formulations of the 'Golden Rule' from different religious, ethical, and cultural backgrounds.

In a practical sense, I agree with him, since I think it best to judge people only by the fruits of their actions, although I factor in their intentions if I'm biased toward them by blood or affection.

They missed the KITH one:

"Do unto others as they do unto you.
That includes you, young Timothy Foo."

That there is what I love best about that story. He says what's essential about the Torah, but he doesn't suggest that the rest is unimportant - he tells him to study it too.

The positive exhortation (which is almost always taught as a negative) is very hard to live with.

I would love for someone rich to give me half their money, but if I do the same for the homeless guys in SLO, well they won't end up off the street, and I am likely to end up on it.

Now, I know that I can give of what I have, and hope the rich do the same, but if I don't scorn the poor, nor refuse to help them, I am not suffering from a dichotomy between what I would like others to do for me, and what I can do for others.

TK

the false prophet is then a form of chimera with the clothes of a sheep, the body of a wolf, and the stomach of a raven.

"Lord, Lord, have we not... in thy name done many wonderful works?
"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This second idea, on a somewhat cursory reading, seems to wash the foundation out from under the Golden Rule. It promises hell to people Jesus doesn't "know". Even faith-healers? Pastors and priests? Missionaries? Monks?

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

Seems to me the new covenant is about how the Golden Rule is incomplete and inadequate to do the will of the Father.

No, I don't read it that way at all. When you look at the other comments, about how not doing to/for people in need, are the things which cause one to be now known, then I think the Golden Rule is the key.

Love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with thy God is the teaching of Micah. Follow the commandements, and love thy neighbor as thyself is the commandment teaching Jesus. If you need to do more, then one should give up wealth to the poor, which is just an extreme of loving one's neighbors.

Wonderful works, all of them, by their lights.