Hopefully, everyone knows that one of the Ten Commandments is "Honor your father and your mother." It turns out that parents who don't even believe in God will throw this one around like it's the single-most important statement in the history of the world. Like most of the Bible, I find that people grasp onto this commandment as if it were the most precious statement ever spoken when it suits them, and completely disregard it when it doesn't.
What does it mean to honor your parents? Webster's definition that fits is "to regard or treat (someone) with admiration and respect." To the great disappointment to parents everywhere, this does not mean to absolutely obey, nor to live in slavery to, nor to worship. You can regard or treat your parents with admiration and respect and still be smart enough to disobey them when they are wrong. In fact, another definition of honor is "to confer distinction upon." I will suggest to you that doing the right thing, even if your parents tell you to do something else, is more honoring to your parents than simply obeying them.
It is wrong for parents to expect their children to "honor" them by mindlessly obeying them and worshiping them. Parents are not, have never been, and will never be God. Parents should not be regarded like God. For parents to demand to be treated like God is to demand idolatry.
I don't think most people need to be told that their parents aren't God. Few of us need any encouragement to do what we think is right rather than what our parents told us to do. (Shoot, probably most of us do whatever we want--right or not--without regard to our parents' opinions.)
It's the parents who think they joined the Trinity when they managed to reproduce that bother me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
5 comments:
I feel so sorry for you.
Iam feel like Iam am in that position you descibe( with parents)
That everything my mother and father tells me not to do, I always end up dreaming about doing, maybe becouse its wrong, and danger gives me a rush of adrenalin.
Doing the wrong thing, is my way to defend my parens, insteed of just talking to them...so really iam a bit afride of them, and I dont know why?
i am curious to know what your post will be when your children decide to go against everything you have tried to teach them and simply walk out of your life as a way to "honor" you. this post does not have anything to do with honoring parents, just simply disrespecting them. i also feel sorry for you that you have such a perspective towards parenting. all this does is to keep encouraging people like the next choice to make choices they may later regret. by what they wrote in the comment, it sounds to me if they enjoy danger. the parents are probably simply trying to protect them from harm. that does not sound like a God complex to me, just parents that care deeply about what happens to their child. honoring your parents means to work out differences, not to simply disobey them because you don't like what they are saying.
Sometimes parents are wrong.
Sometimes parents are arrogant.
Being a parent doesn't make anyone infallible.
And, ultimately, I get to live my life, and my child gets to live her life, and any attempt to control her life and holding myself as the infallible beacon of right and wrong would be a disservice to both her and I.
Anonymous comments are for cowards.
Also, if my child chooses to "go against everything I have tried to teach" her, I will be forced to accept that as either she's a grown up and can do what she wants or I have totally and completely failed. If she's an adult at that time, I will have to accept that fact.
Post a Comment