There is an increasingly widespread trend in this country; a lack of respect for authority. We are a nation of laws with a clear code of conduct, yet we are becoming a nation of disrespect, and some of our elected officials in Congress are leading the way.

I know many don't feel comfortable discussing politics or religion. Perhaps you are not religious at all, or simply don't feel it plays that big of a role in our political system. My goal in this article is not to push religion down anyone's throat, but to simply outline the importance of its founding principles in our political system. No matter how one feels about religion, I think we can all agree on its principles. For example, we all know that murdering someone is wrong. Therefore, it is the principles of religion and how our founding fathers intended these principles to guide our nations leaders and our system of government that I want to discuss.

By now, everyone has heard about Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's trip to Damascus. While her trip was in keeping with congressional norms, her actions were not. By undermining both the President's and Israel's foreign relations policy with Syria, Congresswoman Pelosi apparently believes she holds a higher office than that of the President and that she has the right to speak for other nations. Now, stay focused and don’t let yourself turn this into a political issue. Instead, focused on the wrong done; disrespect for authority.

So what's the big deal? Congresswoman Pelosi apparently disagrees with the President's policy with Syria. So shouldn't she do whatever she can to change that policy? Not according to our principles. It all began in the sixties, where dissatisfaction with the Vietnam War drove many to the streets in protest. While there is nothing wrong with these individuals exercising their right to peacefully assemble, there was, however, a shift to the left in how we voiced our concerns to our Government.

We all have seen, or can remember, the often-violent protests against the Vietnam War. Seemingly overnight it became popular to be violent and disrespectful to ones government. It became popular to ignore the rule of law, especially if one did not agree with the laws. Protesters consistently ignored the U.S. Constitution and its authority stating that they were to peacefully assemble. I hear many of you now, and I understand that no one wants big government, so lets not go down that road either. Again, lets stay focused on the wrong done; disrespect for authority.

One of our often-overlooked principles of respect for authority comes from the Bible.

"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves" (Romans 13:1)

Government’s exists for the benefit and protection of its people. Therefore our President exists for our benefit and protection. Regardless of how one feels about the man, he is the governing authority, and as our guiding principles tell us, we are to respect his authority and office, even if one does not respect the man. So why did Congresswoman Pelosi not follow this guiding principle, and why did she disrespect the President’s authority by putting herself above the governing authority? Only she knows the answers to these questions. However, no matter what the reasons, it is counterproductive and sets a dangerous precedent for our children to witness. There is a saying:

“If you violate, or allow others to violate a standard without punishment, you just created a lower standard.” (Anonymous)

By allowing the actions of Congresswoman Pelosi to go unpunished, we are creating a lower standard. However, I don’t think anyone in our government has the intestinal fortitude to do anything about it. Unfortunately, it means an even lower standard of conduct from our elected officials, and another page ripped from the book of the code of conduct by the very people we entrusted to protect it. If these actions by some members of our Congress don't scare you, they should, because if members of Congress have little regard for the code of conduct and the Office of the President, where do our rights, such as our 2nd Amendment rights, stand? Perhaps Congresswoman Pelosi would better serve the nation by remembering the following:

“Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” (Romans 13:7)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040402306_pf.html

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55038