Last night we discussed the meaning of the Wiccan Rede: An
It Harm None, Do as Ye Will.  Its tone and message is
very different from much monotheistic teaching, such as the Ten
Commandments.    
Superficially read the Rede simply says, “so long as you do not harm
anyone, do what you want.”  But
careful thought indicates that action that harms no one and nothing is
difficult, and often trivial.  It
teaches us the opposite of an “anything goes” attitude.

Taking the Rede seriously quickly involves us in careful
examination of the impact of what we do on others, human and otherwise.     But it does not lead
to Commandments like “Thou Salt Not Kill” a commandment all too  rarely observed by those supposedly most committed
to its divine importance.  And this is what is interesting about commandments.  They give us a rule, but do not
necessarily affect our hearts. 
Consequently, when the rules become inconvenient, people
can do wonders in mental gymnastics to discover loop-holes. Because the rule
does not rely on our heart, we can seek our ways around them as easily for our
own benefit as to help others.         

On the other
hand, because the Wiccan Rede does not tell us what to do, but only the appropriate
attitude with which to do it, it forces us to ask what the impact of our
actions on others is.  It indicates
that the only time our advantage is the only appropriate consideration is when
we harm no one.  When others are
harmed, we have to take them into consideration and come to a clear sense that
the harm is minimal or justified, but never a good in itself, nor is the harmed
ever simply an impediment to our will.       

The result can be
different opinions honestly arrived at, and possibly improved by discussion
with others, possibly simply remaining different understandings.       

For
example, in response to my grappling with the Rede, I said I felt worse
throwing away rotted vegetables I had bought to eat, but had not, than I did
when thoughtfully eating a steak from a humanely raised steer after thanking
its spirit.  Another person present
said that Vegan Wiccans would come to a different judgment.  As indeed they would.    

I realized then that
this difference in judgments was not a weakness, it was a strength.  Taken seriously, the Rede teaches a
thoughtful and caring way of relating with the world.  The world is complex enough and harm ubiquitous enough it
would be foolish to imagine all Witches would come to the same conclusion.  But when concern for the well being of
others is always an issue that needs attention, thoughtless or self-righteous violence and
dishonesty is less likely to arise. Our ability to rationalize our selfishness as justified gets harder.  There are limits in our interpretations, limits
dependent on the qualities of our hearts and our minds. No harm is without
weight.  The Rede leads us to the
important insight that good people can disagree on moral issues and still
remain good people.      

When we simply follow the rules,
and our heart remains untouched, there is no appreciation for differences in
judgment – the rule is either followed or it isn’t.  Think of speed limits. 
In more complex cases, such as “Though Shalt Not Lie,” each person’s
unique interpretation of the rule all too easily becomes, at least in their
minds, the ONLY legitimate interpretation.  In such cases there seems less tolerance for the ambiguity that infuses
life, and forces us to use our hearts and brains.

Does my lying actually help the person I lied to?  Did I do it for their benefit?  Does it hurt others?  Those are questions that arise from
taking the Wiccan Rede seriously.  Nuance and context is everything.  In practice most Christians will make similar judgments –
but at the cost of breaking their absolute rule, a rule which absolutists say
holds up civilization. Break it and all Hell eventually breaks lose and God
gets mad. God did not make exceptions. 
But these legalistic interpretations are utterly without heart.

Looking at the historical records of rule-following
religions, I am very comfortable with our Rede, that reveals ever deeper
meanings the more we consider it, and grows our heart as it does so.