Is Respect Always Deserved?

    An acquaintence of mine named Aaron and I were talking on Facebook and he mentioned what he thought was a well thought out idea.

At first I said to him that I liked what he said which was: "People and ideas are separate things, people always deserve respect, ideas often don't."

 Then, I thought and wondered, now what happens if a group of people decide their ideas are more "right." Like the group that wishes to lynch the black man in the book "To Kill a Mockingbird." Then I queried him-- Isn't there a point where you, me, any right reasonable thinking person cannot any longer respect the person or the group of people? What about a Muslim chick who wants to blow herself up and take as many Jewish hospital patients as possible with her? What about the mob boss who orders the stabbing death of a pregnant female because she stumbled upon his drug stash. What about a group that says they will poison themselves to death, then they do, because they are sure that once they do they will be transported to the comet that is passing by earth and will live a life of paradise on it forever. Who or whom do we respect and by whose standard do we do this? Should we always respect humans Aaron no matter what? That isn't what atheists believe is it? It's interesting because I am sure that I could not always do that, and I consider myself to be not a perfect human by any measure but a good citizen anyway and try to be a kind and caring man. But no B.S. I would not be very respectful of those who harm themselves or others for no other reason but to fulfill their ideas.

The Angels Were Amazed.

Neither were the angels--Desire of Ages page 752: "With amazement the angels beheld the infinite love of Jesus, who, suffering the most intense agony of mind and body, thought only of others, and encouraged the penitent soul to believe."

Other-centeredness is Not a Narrow View

Forgiveness is other-centered. Mercy is other-centered. Grace is other-centered. Even discipline, when done correctly is other-centered. This means that righteousness, then, is other-centered. The Disciples were told in effect to be other-centered. Go and teach all nations .... and of course love is other centered. God's goverment then is other-centered founded. Sin is the opposite. It is self-centeredness and all that comes with it. It is "the fall" in the Garden of Eden...when those two went from being other-centered to self-centered. Anything good in the Bible happens because of other-centeredness being performed. Anything that is bad in the Bible happens because of self-centeredness. This is in part why for a long time America was great nation...founded on principals of helping you neighbor and doing unto others....other centeredness.....now not so much with prayer and Bible classes a thing of the past for school children. When they grow up they are more selfish than any generation before. And soon our country will cease to exist if this continues because it is not staying with God. No, I do not see other-centeredness as a narrow view of God.