I believe I should love my neighbor. This seems so obviously true to me

[struggle4progress]

that, despite having no rational evidence for it, I think I will not abandon the opinion

In fact, it seems so important to me that I am willing to abandon various other notions, that I feel are supported by some rational evidence, when those notions suggest to me that I should not love my neighbor

If you want a better explanation of why I hold this view, I could tell you I consider it a religious duty

If you then want to tell me I am a fool for holding religious views, that will not dissuade me from my view: in fact, I finally became "religious" simply because I became convinced that I should consider loving my neighbor to be important beyond almost everything else

If you ask me how I decide whether a religion is "true" or not, I do not need to engage in fancy dissections: I need only study whether the religion teaches us to love our neighbors

It is easy to say and often difficult to do. There are many things I do not need for it: knowledge of the origin of the cosmos or mathematical logic, for example. Many things, that I do not need for it, do interest me; and some things, that I do not need for it, can be put to very good use in exercising it.

[JNelson6563]

1. An admirable maxum.

There's nothing wrong with kindness no matter where the inspiration for it comes from.

[thbobby]

2. Altruism -

the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others:
"some may choose to work with vulnerable elderly people out of altruism"

Religion does teach altruism. The most altruistic creatures on earth are ants. They will mindlessly give their lives to save the colony which is for the good of all ants. Altruism is natural for life. I respect and admire your view of religion. I am an atheist, but that does not mean I love my neighbors more or less than you love yours.

[safeinOhio]

3. I'm not a religious person at all, but

I will support all ideas that are contrary to the teaching of Ayan Rand.

[Doodley]

4. "Love your neighbor." How would you define "neighbor" in the modern world?

Is it the people who live in the house next to yours? Or is it people in your community, or in other nations who may be in need of support? How do you define "love?" Is it to be nice, but helpful when it is convenient? Is it to merely have the best well wishes? Or is it to give of ourselves, to share our worldly goods and our time, even when it is inconvenient to ourselves? Which one of these can you say is "true" in your case?

[safeinOhio]

5. In other words

Treat others as you wish to be treated.

[Doodley]

7. I agree with that.

But if I was without anything and my family were sick and without food or shelter, I would wish for more than "treat others as you wish to be treated" or "love your neighbor." We live as rich men with our cars and computers and heated, air-conditioned homes. Most of us in the West live better than kings of 2000 years ago, and yet there are desperate people in our own cities and abroad. What does "love your neighbor" actually mean? And does "treat others as you wish to be treated" simply mean by polite and respectful, but do not sacrifice?

[struggle4progress]

8. A man was going from Atlanta to Albany, and some gangsters held him up. When they had robbed him

of his wallet and brand-new suit, they beat him up and drove off in his car, leaving him unconscious on the shoulder of the highway.Now it just so happened that a white preacher was going down that same highway. When he saw the fellow, he stepped on the gas and went scooting by. Shortly afterwards a white Gospel song leader came down the road, and when he saw what had happened, he too stepped on the gas. Then, a black man traveling that way came upon the fellow, and what he saw moved him to tears. He stopped and bound up his wounds as best he could, drew some water from his water-jug to wipe away the blood and then laid him on the back seat. He drove on into Albany and took him to the hospital and said to the nurse, “You all take good care of this white man I found on the Highway. Here’s the only two dollars I got, but you all keep account of what he owes, and if he can’t pay it, I’ll settle up with you when I make a pay-day." Now if you had been the man held up by the gangsters, which of these three — the white preacher, the white song leader, or the black man — would you consider to have been your neighbor?

http://www.westminster.edu/staff/nak/courses/CottonLk10.htm

[MineralMan]

6. Reciprocity is the underlying principle for almost everything.

It is pretty much universal in all cultures.

[struggle4progress]

10. I believe I should love my neighbor whether or not the neighbor reciprocates

Reciprocity, of course, is fine when it occurs, but I believe love of neighbor should go beyond mere repayment of kindness

[MineralMan]

11. Reciprocity as a principle is not bargaining.

One simply behaves in a way one wishes others would behave. It is simply right action. The actions of others do not or should not influence one's own actions.

Reciprocity is being polite, even when others are rude. It is being honest when others are not. It is modeling right behavior regardless of the behavior of others.

[newcriminal]

14. Why is it simply right action?

[MineralMan]

15. Because it is reciprocity.

That is a fundamental ethical principle in every religion of which I am aware, and of most secular cultures and societies.

Really, it is the most fundamental rule. One way or another, all ethical rules derive from it. Think about it for awhile. Even Jesus is supposed to have called it one of The Greatest Commandments.

Matthew 22:36-40 New International Version (NIV)
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

[newcriminal]

16. That's circular.

If it is dependent on something in return, it is not "simply right", it is conditional. By that formulation, if reciprocity is absent it is something other than right. Your surprising reliance on scripture to support your point does not buttress your argument.

[MineralMan]

24. See this:

https://www.thoughtco.com/right-action-450068

Right Action is part of the Buddhist eightfold path. It is also part of the ethical compass of many religions and cultures.

[newcriminal]

25. Which remains a religious basis.

Do you have a nonreligious basis?

[MineralMan]

27. You asked about Right Action

I provided a link. The principle of Reciprocity is expressed in many ways. Some are religious in nature and some are not. It is a principle that is held by most cultures and philosophies. It comes close to being a universal principle, whether it is actually practiced or not. You claim to be a religious person, so I linked to religious sources to make it easier for you to understand.

I used the term "Right Action" because it is widely recognized by people who are interested in the world's religions.

Right Action is based on the principle of Reciprocity. It does not concern what others do, but only on what the individual who wished to do Right Actions does.

Secular Humanism also includes the principle of Reciprocity. It is not just a religious principle. It is a logical principle that any thinking person recognizes at once as valid, if sometimes difficult to follow. Very few people are faithful followers of that principle.

If everyone followed it, the world would be at peace. Clearly, the world is not at peace.

[struggle4progress]

19. You are certainly free to use the word "reciprocity" as you choose,

provided you tell us what you mean when you use it, but I note that your use is not the one commonly used in philosophical discussions of ethics:

Reciprocity
To reciprocate is to return good in proportion to the good one has received, or to retaliate proportionately for harms. The central, contested philosophical issues surrounding reciprocity are whether reciprocity is a fundamental moral principle or a subsidiary one; how we are to measure fittingness and proportionality; and whether the norm of reciprocity requires that we reciprocate for all the goods we receive, or only for the ones we invite ...

A theory of reciprocity
http://martinstrobel.net/Jena/literature/Falk-Fischbacher_GEB-2006_A-theory-of-reciprocity.pdf
People are reciprocal if they reward kind actions and punish unkind ones. In this paper we present a formal theory of reciprocity. It takes into account that people evaluate the kindness of an action not only by its consequences but also by its underlying intention ...

[MineralMan]

20. See this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule

And then this:

http://www.iep.utm.edu/goldrule/

[struggle4progress]

21. "Social reciprocity conventions" may include revenge

[Voltaire2]

13. How about if your neighbor steals all your stuff

poisons your dog and burns down your house?

Still full of love?

[struggle4progress]

17. I do not believe I am required to feel nice warm fuzzy sentiment

towards my neighbor: in fact, I actually think I am allowed to regard a neighbor, such as you describe, as objectively being my enemy

What I mean by "love" here is something other than sentimentalism: it precludes hatred but requires something more than simply avoiding hatred; it is not a "natural" emotional response but rather imagines how I should respond in the world in which I wish I lived

[Lordquinton]

9. Sorry, I'm not in enough shape to keep up with your leaps

and burying your point in cushy emotional words is a low tactic.

[struggle4progress]

18. People often get a cozy feeling by imagining that they love their neighbors,

but it usually evaporates once they realize what ornery SOBs their neighbors really are; and at that point the project of loving one's neighbor can be salvaged only by recognizing that the world's ornery SOBs typically include one's own self

[Lordquinton]

23. So you double down on your emotional argument

While throwing in a personal attack.

Your logic remains faulty.

[guillaumeb]

28. A personal attack?

Do you take all disagreement as a personal attack? If so, that explains much.

[Voltaire2]

12. Has somebody claimed that ethics are foolish?

I must have missed that post.

[Lordquinton]

22. No, it's a religion now

And if you disagree you're the reason people don't like their neighbors.

[sandensea]

26. Or at least, treat him/her as you would have him treat you.

And advocate for him those same rights one would expect for oneself.

Why our Republican friends feel anything less would work (and do they ever!), is beyond me.

[guillaumeb]

29. Recommended.

It is easy to say, and difficult to do.