The loss of respect that threatens us all.

For many millions of people today the world is a place that is representative of the materialistic aspirations of the masses; a world where respect no longer has much of a place --- if indeed it has a place at all. This loss of respect is something which has gradually come about as a result of those to whom respect would traditionally be shown misbehaving in office or by their allowing themselves to be trodden down and bypassed without much more than a whimper of protest at best. Hence, the people and positions that were respected when I was a boy are now treated with indifference at best or disrespect at worst. Few people respect politicians any more, proven as they it has been that they are, by and large, self-seeking, often morally and ethically corrupt, and in many instances proven liars and fraudsters. The whole of the Legal System is called into disrepute by the 'soft' approach towards criminals, the latter more likely to receive a slap on the wrist than a proper punishment for their crimes. Few people have much respect for the police because they are generally nowhere to be found when they are needed. If your house is robbed then it may well be several days before a police officer calls, the excuse being that they are so busy. Well, I guess that they are busy when you consider the amount of chasing around in their police cars after motorists. After all, why go for hard targets when there are plenty of soft ones ripe for the picking?

At one time there was a great respect for teachers, yet nowadays the teaching profession is under threat by classroom bullies and their parents and by the Human Rights Brigade. The rights of the abusive individual heavily outweigh those of the abused teacher after all. Young child-thugs in the classroom, when chastised for their destructive and obstructive behaviour, complain to their parents, the latter often going to the school to threaten the teacher concerned, either physically or with threat of prosecution, because they perceive that their darling's 'human rights' have been threatened. It's not unusual for teachers to be physically attacked either by children in the classroom or by the parents of such children.

Respect for the church has long since been a thing of the past. Of course the Church has so often alienated itself from the real world. It fails to speak up on subjects of great importance, is openly divisive and often seems to most adept at acting like the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand. No longer do vicars, ministers, priests, pastors and the like get shown respect by the community at large. Is it possible that this is because they have bent over backwards to preach a 'Social Gospel' rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or because they have tried to show the world that they are 'one of the boys' which simply leaves the world wondering why they should bother when there's nothing better to change to.

The world, especially our portion of it, is in desperate need of change, so what can be done about it? Many will ask if there is any remedy for this great malaise, and I say that there is indeed. The answer can be found in Jesus Christ. If those who profess the Christian faith were to fulfil the calling to evangelise then it would show an example to the world. Sadly far too many are content to sit in a Sunday service once a week and consider that they have discharged their Christian duty, when in fact the way to discharge it is by openly displaying and sharing your faith every moment of every day, whether in the home or outside.

The pulpits of our churches need to be filled by those who are not afraid to preach the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to speak of sin and the need for repentance; of forgiveness and reconciliation to God, of serving the needs of others. People need to experience for themselves the companionship of the Living Christ, and behave accordingly as they walk with Him through their lives. Living day by day with Jesus Christ means that we seek always to emulate Him and to share Him with others.

Respect comes to us because we deserve it, and to deserve it we have to earn it. Earning it comes about by the manner in which we behave in our lives, especially our behaviour towards others. There is a need for change. Let each of us seek to bring about that change in our own lives, and by so doing help to bring about change in the lives of others.