The golden rule appears in many religions in different ways, but can be summed up as “treat others how you want to be treated”. However, I’ve seen it misused in some extreme ways in the past. What’s the most out-of-left-field way you’ve seen it used?
I don’t know about “out of left field”, but I’ve seen many people use it to justify being retaliatory. “They treated me this way and did a horrible thing, so this is the way they want to be treated! I’m going to do it right back to them!” That’s literally against what the rule says. That’s just you giving them permission to continue.
In fact, I think that’s depressingly common.
Removed by mod
It’s frequently used as an excuse to berate “sinners,” with the excuse that they would want someone to confront them about their sins and lead them to Jesus.
Not exactly what you asked, but your question reminded me of this post I came across a while ago:
