As an international question, what does it mean to love your neighbor? Should you love a neighboring country. Would it mean more trade? An active involvement in their country. (Like trying to help build infrastructure, curbing corruption, finding justice, or protecting through your military)? Does it mean open borders? Or does it mean letting them have their own autonomy and not trying to build a one world government in your image.

Different countries would have different needs, and Australia is not rich enough to provide entirely for her neighbors anyway, so perhaps the question should be rephrased. What is within your means and your willingness to do. Or should you do anything for a foreign country anyways. Live and let live is a kind way of saying you won't get involved. Is that better then to love your neighbor? Can you love a country that poses a greater influence on your own. Possibly a danger? (Chinese immigration comes to mind, as well as Muslim immigrants. Both topics debated fiercely in the past.)

'Love thy neighbour' is a quick Christian slogan that is about as practical eating soup with a fork. As Christianity declines, the slogans become meaningless anyway; 'and, neighbours vary from OK to obnoxious and downright dangerous. Don't expect to be loved back.

Nice to have a new subject, though. I was beginning to think that our two censorious and nagging posters had put everyone off raising new topics for fear of being lectured for their cheek to have an opinion.

Dear Not_Now.Soon,

First, "Love thy neighbour" (Hebrew: "Ve-ahavta Le-re-A-cha Camocha") suffers from translation problems: the word "Re-A" (within "Le-re-A-cha") roughly means "someone you spend time with" (usually a friend or a lover), rather than 'neighbour'. Though there is no perfect translation, I will hence use the English word "fellow".

Second, the commandment is on individuals and towards fellow individuals, rather than on nations towards other nations. Nobody is commanded to love a country - theirs or others'.

The point in "Love thy fellow AS THYSELF" is to love your fellow, so that you can realise that s/he is just like you, then ultimately that they are not different from you at all as you both are joined in God. When you truly love another, you wouldn't deny them any help you can give, nor would you view this as sacrifice, just as your right hand helps your left hand (and vice-versa) whenever needed without perceiving it as sacrifice!

As for open borders, there is a different instruction in the bible: "The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me" [Leviticus 25:23]. In other words, as we all are God's guests in His land, we have no right to deny access to His other guests!

I think it a pillar of civilisation, as explained by Peter van Uhm in his Ted talk. Nations that do not follow this dictum offer a very degraded existence in comparison. We have so much to thank for our Judeo-Christian heritage. It is a shame that so many just want to pick out the faults.

Could it be that the faults are glaringly contradictory....one could say that the obvious interpretation is 'respect your neighbour'..... given that he/she too is the sum total of his/her experiences and can do no other until he/she is provided with an alternative to consider.
Those who claim to have the answers are the smallest minds and as is said, the smaller the mind the greater the intransigence.
Given the appropriate circumstances...all things are possible

Dear NNS,

Thank You for this discussion. "Love your neighbour?"
What does it mean exactly? I guess it means different
things to different people. To me I take it to mean -
to treat others as I want to be treated.

Many of us have the tendency to moralize, to say endless things to
others about how they should clean up their houses.
Surely, we must clean up ours. The days are long gone when
we had the genuine moral authority from which to preach to
others. Let us regain that ground, take a fearless moral
inventory, do the work on ourselves that we still need to do.
And perhaps in this way - we can build a better world for us all.