• Editor’s note: “Spiritual leaders answer” is a weekly column inviting Kaua‘i’s religious and spiritual leaders to share their doctrine’s perspective on a suggested subject. Every Friday, a topic is printed, inviting a response. Due to space limitations, submissions are
• Editor’s note: “Spiritual leaders answer” is a weekly column inviting Kaua‘i’s religious and spiritual leaders to share their doctrine’s perspective on a suggested subject. Every Friday, a topic is printed, inviting a response. Due to space limitations, submissions are edited. Thoughts or suggestions for future topics are always welcome. Next week the suggested topic is friends. The topic at the end of the column is for the following week.
Rebecca DeRoos
Science of Mind practitioner
Often when given a word I like to look at its Latin meaning. With “respect” the prefix “re” means “before” and “spectare” means “to see or to look at.” When I think of respect I am reminded to “look before” I speak. It stops me so that I will allow another to be and choose where they are in that moment. To see another as they are requires special love and attention, just as God sees us. There is no judgment, no admonition, no advice, only love. A God-given presence lives within each of us that evolves and releases as we grow. To respect and love another is to allow that growth. It’s easy to respect and admire people like Nelson Mandela, J.F. Kennedy, Mother Teresa, Buddha and Jesus; but do you look in the mirror and see the most important person in the world for you to respect? How does one grow without self-respect? It becomes easier to see the wondrous traits of another, when the reflection is similar to our own. That is where growth begins.
Pastor Wayne Patton
Anahola Baptist Church
It’s not easy, but the lifestyle of a Christian is to show proper respect to everyone according to the apostle Peter (I Peter 2:17).
Christians should not be seen as angry, vindictive, malicious, spiteful, hurtful, unkind people. Christians are not 98-pound weaklings, but they do show proper deference and respect for others. The word “respect” means to assign value to someone. Everyone a Christian meets is made in the image of God and is a person for whom Christ died. The Christian may state his opinion or object to some action or decision. His ultimate goal, however, is not to get his way, but to let the other person get a glimpse of Christ in him.
Amazingly, Peter originally wrote about respect to people who were being persecuted for their faith by the government and slave masters. So if showing proper respect to everyone was true for Peter’s immediate audience, it is timelessly true for us.
Kahu James Fung
Lihu‘e Christian Church
Anyone who has experienced racial prejudice knows what it’s like to be disrespected. They know the look in the other person’s eyes that communicates disdain, or worse the coldness that refuses to even look you in the eye. A lot of people who have been dissed by others because of their race have learned to pretend that it doesn’t bother them, that it doesn’t matter. But it does. Disrespect in any form is painful.
Jesus spoke directly to the soul of humanity on the issue of respect and how people ought to regard each other. It is such a foundational principle that it has come to be called “The Golden Rule.” Treat others the way that you would like to be treated.
Humanity hasn’t learned this principle very well. We resistant mortals have a spotty record in this area — human beings enslaving others, treating them like livestock, women being exploited as sex objects, children being molested, entire races subjected to genocide.
Why is respecting others so difficult? Is it because we are so fragile that respecting someone, perceived as “different” and their proud traditions and sincere beliefs might puncture the air-tight structure of that served as our absolute truth. Or is it because of something more sinister. Is it because deep down inside we have a distorted kind of satisfaction that comes from putting someone down in order to elevate our self?
The Christian faith embraces the truth that God looks at every human being as being of infinite worth. Maybe we should try to look at others through those eyes as well.
Baha’i Faith
The Baha’i of Kaua‘i
Because the family is the primary social unit of society, whatever is learned or experienced in the home eventually affects the larger community. Therefore, when each member of the family is treated with love and respect, it generally follows that the children will treat others in similar ways.
The following quote from the Baha’i International Community extrapolates the effects of healthy family relationships to the community and eventually to the world.
“When relations within the family are conducted with due regard for justice, it will be an important factor in bringing about peace in the world. When women are denied equality and respect in the family, men and boys develop harmful attitudes and habits which they carry into the workplace, into political life, and ultimately into international relations. As more and more children grow up in families where the rights of all members are respected and problems are solved with the benefit of consultation, prospects for peace in the world improve.”
Topic for two
weeks from today
• Will you speak to us on affirmations?
• Spiritual leaders are invited to e-mail responses of three to five paragraphs to pwoolway@kauaipubco.com.
• Deadline each week is 5 p.m. Tuesday.