Today a friend of mine on Facebook pointed out that today was Benjamin Franklin's birthday as well as being Martin Luther King, Jr. day, and wondered why we don't celebrate Benjamin Franklin as we do Martin Luther King, Jr. One person commented that Benjamin Franklin was (my paraphrasing) a womanizer and alcoholic so he wasn't really "deserving" of his own day, America's founding fathers were simply in the right place at the right time so they didn't really deserve our respect, and the comments went on and on from there. Essentially this person's platform was that man is flawed and thus undeserving of respect/admiration/honor, and only God is deserving of our respect/admiration/honor for the outcomes He brings about through us.
In my opinion, this is a very flawed point of view. If this was the case, if man and his actions are so insignificant in the grand scheme of things, God wouldn't have put a single person's name in the Bible. God called Abraham His friend, called David a man after His own heart, calls us His sons and daughters; He loves us and doesn't want to devalue or marginalize what we have done for Him. For example, in the parable of the talents, the servants that did well were told to "enter into the joy of your Lord" - God is joyful when we are obedient to Him. I believe there's a big difference between respect/honor/admiration and worship. I don't hold Franklin, any of the forefathers, great spiritual leaders, or anyone in a place of worship. I might hold them in high regard for their accomplishments, but I would never worship them.
I believe God created a place for honor in our humanity. He said we will be given crowns in heaven (that we will cast at His feet). He instructs us to honor our father and mother and to respect the elderly. He killed 42 children with bears for making fun of Elijah. But as the example of Nebuchadnezzar and the golden idol show, man is not to be worshiped; that is a place reserved for God. So although man is flawed, I believe there is absolutely no issue with holding a person in a place of admiration for whatever reason you think them to be worthy, but when it comes to worship, our ultimate love, devotion, and praise belong to Jesus. Thoughts?
[NOTE] I can throw in some Bible verses to back up my statements, but I'm about to go to bed, so I'll add them later if someone needs to see them.
1 comment:
There is definitely a big difference in honoring and worshipping. Sometimes they are very closely knit, but they aren't the same. Great post.
You should look up Morgan Freeman's response to Black History Month. It is very sobering and refreshing.
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