Golden Rule and Its Impact on Resolving the Conflict of Ethno-Religious Supremacy in Nigeria

Abstract

Golden Rule as a principle of love sustains peace and orderliness in a society where it is applied, especially a multi-cultural and religious society like Nigeria.  This principle advocates for equal treatment of humankind regardless of one’s ethnicity and religion. This minimises the usual conflict of ethno-religious supremacy.  Ethnic and religious tussle for supremacy has introduced hatred among adherents of many religions in Nigeria. Each adherent abuses another in one way, partly driven by difference in belief, doctrine, worldviews and the likes. This has been a cog in the wheel of peaceful co-existence in a multi-ethnic and religious state like Nigeria because it accounts for political and religious crisis in the country. The Golden Rule principle shows that loving your neighbour like yourself without minding his appearance, language or mode of worship enhances peaceful co-existence. Moreover, the golden rule is a clarion call for selfless service and tolerance: A behavioural pattern will guarantee living in harmony and being united regardless of our differences.  The Golden Rule when properly internalised or seen as a way of life can reduced the problem of ethno-religious supremacy to insignificant in Nigeria. This is because, it is a moral obligation that prohibits restriction of love within individual religion and ethnic group. The aim of this study is to encourages the practice of golden rule in a multi-ethnic and religious society. The paper applies the phenomenological research design. Data was mostly gathered using secondary sources from journals, newspaper, textbooks and online materials. It was analysed using descriptive analysis. The researcher found that a multi-ethnic state that practice golden rule experience less political and religious crises.