Gamaliel's principle

Gamaliel's principle, also called Gamaliel's rule, Gamaliel's rule-of-thumb, Gamaliel's counsel, Gamaliel's law, or the Gamaliel attitude, is a principle outlined in the Book of Acts in the New Testament by the Rabban Gamaliel. Gamaliel cautions the Jewish Sanhedrin against killing Jesus' disciples, saying that if their ideas were of human origin, they would "come to nought" and the Jews did not need to worry about them; but if they were from God, their ideas would be impossible to overthrow anyway, and if the Jews tried to stop them, they would be fighting against God. Therefore, in Gamaliel's view it would be better to do nothing and let God take care of the situation.

In modern times Gamaliel's principle has been used in support of religious pluralism and reforms within religious groups.