Evaluate whether 'love thy neighbour' is the most important moral principle for a Christian.

Christianity’s fundamental basis is the life of Christ as found in the Gospels. In the Gospels Christ declares ‘love thy neighbour’ as the ‘greatest commandment’ as found in Matthew 22:35–40 and Mark 12:28–34. Therefore it seems clear that this is the most important moral principle for Christianity directly from its founder, that is, directly from God (Christ being God). However, it could be argued that because the Bible is an antiquated document, then it has to be interpreted to become relevant to everyday life. This could lead people to feel that the greater importance should be placed on the moral teachings of the Church such as the social teachings that are found, for example, in the Catechisms of the Catholic Church. An example of such a teaching could be its views on the importance of charity. Since this has been interpreted by those who have studied intensely to do so, it is argued that these teachings should take precedence because they are better tailored and informed. This could be refuted though; the teachings of the Church are ultimately grounded in the Bible since it is considered the Word of God, and is the source of authority for the Church. In light of this, and the fact that the teachings themselves are evidence for this; the promotion of charity is the promotion of kindness and goodwill so are reducible to the ultimate sentiment of love for each other anyway. The same could be said if we were to examine other phrases of Jesus found in the Gospel; he also introduces the concept of the Golden Rule, that we should love our enemies. This is an extension of the Greatest Commandment since it is telling us to treat even our enemies as our neighbour. This is demonstrative of the universal relevance and intelligibility of ‘love thy neighbour’. Consequently, I feel that it is true that love of neighbour is the most important moral principle because it is the most fundamental to the entire ethics of the religion, and is a coherent, universally applicable basis for a Christian moral life.