The 5th Commandment and Progressivism

Exodus 20:12:  “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”

Family is important to YHWH, menstealers and other human traffickers notwithstanding.  In the Biblical model, children learn to obey YHWH by first learning to honor and obey their parents.  This puts an awesome responsibility on the parents, and anyone who botches the parental relationship will have no end of sorrow in their forward-growing family tree.

The fifth commandment is a favorite of parents because it validates their authority.  It perhaps takes on special significance during their children’s teenage years when the youth begin to find their personal identities.  This article takes a longer view of the subject.  In the original Hebrew language, familial terms like father, mother, brother, and sister are generic terms which apply to any degree of extended family relationship.  It would be just as logical to say, “honor your fathers and your mothers, going back through the generations.”

Social progressive movements operate under the tacit assumption that the traditions of parents, and especially grand-parents, is old-fashioned and out of date.  Socially progressive generations reject the wisdom of their elders– sometimes in subtle ways and sometimes in revolutions.

Societies and cultures evolve and this is good.  The danger arises when choice is taken away.  Just as a conservative culture can prevent its members from choosing innovative ways of living, in the same way a progressive culture can prevent its members from choosing lifestyles which were embraced by their grandparents and great-grand-parents.  In the first case, social evolution is curtailed, possibly slowing the pace of progress.  In the second case, the fathers and mothers through the generations are dishonored as their cherished ways are made criminal.  Clearly, the second case violates YHWH’s commandment, while the first case, though suboptimal, does not violate any of YHWH’s precepts.

One problem with this analysis is that social progress is often a little bit slower than what has just been described.  A person may honor his immediate parents while introducing small innovations.  Over generations those small steps can add up to huge departures from the ways of past generations.  Because of this, there is a mental disconnect between what the current generation sees as a small step and what the historical reality shows to be true.  It can give the appearance that the fifth commandment is being kept as long as the historical perspective is short.

Most would agree that children disobedient to their immediate parents is a social ill.  But it takes a long view to appreciate the effect of generations of social evolution.  To put it in an even longer context, try reading the Old Testament history of the Biblical patriarchs and prophets.  As you read, imagine that the story is about someone in modern society.  It does not take much imagination to see that there are many stories in the Bible which, if they were to take place today, would end with the actors imprisoned for all sorts of “offenses against society.”  Isaiah walking the land naked for three years translates to the crime of “indecent exposure.”  Abraham intending to offer Isaac as a sacrifice translates to the crimes of “child endangerment” and “attempted murder.”  Hosea apparently marrying two harlots at YHWH’s command translates to the crime of “bigamy.”  Noah locking his family in a giant boat on dry land amounts to “unlawful imprisonment,” never mind their testimony to the contrary.  In fact, it could demonstrate dangerous “cult-like” behavior.  Also, Noah growing a vineyard and making wine would have translated into the crime of “unlawful production, possession, and consumption of alcohol” during the United States’ “prohibition years.”

We must be very mindful of the dishonor and disgrace we bring upon our forbears when we create laws which criminalize behaviors which our ancestors considered normal, even exemplary.  Similarly we dishonor them when we ourselves engage in behaviors which they disapproved of.  The only cases where these two are justified are when those behaviors or prohibitions of behavior of our forefathers are clearly and demonstrably contrary to YHWH’s divine laws as given by Moses, and elaborated by Yashua.

This article may be elaborated at a later time.