Anyone else have a hard time getting people to believe that the Golden Rule predates the Bible?
It is clear to anyone with an understanding of the hypersocial nature of humans and how social reciprocity works, that these are not only pre-Christian concepts, but inherent in human thinking from the beginning. Aside from that, versions of the Golden Rule were definitely written down in pre-Christian documents. As were versions of the Flood myth, the creation myth, and a lot of other stuff.
Is the Golden Rule the same as the other Golden things?
I can't prove it but I would guess Cave People probably practiced the Golden Rule.
There is no question that things like the 10 Commandments and The Golden Rule predated not only Christianity, but all organized religions. Social interaction, morals and laws evolved just like everything else. In primitive societies, they just did not have the luxury of adult males fighting and killing each other. Thou shall not covet another cave man's wife's ass had a practical application. Tribes who developed laws of social behavior that kept the adult males from slaughtering each other had an advantage via natural selection over those who did not. Chaos and violence within the tribe was selected out. Others just did not survive. I know this is over-simplification, and is just an example. No gods or religion required.