Honor and Respect

In response to “Southern Baptists react to grand jury decision” in the Dec. 11 issue of The Alabama Baptist:

I’m 60 years old. I was taught that if confronted with a police officer, if the officer said, “Don’t get out of the car,” I was to not get out of the car. If the officer said, “Stop walking,” I was to stop walking. If the officer said, “Put your hands up,” I was to put my hands up. If the officer said, “Lay down on the ground and put your hands behind your back,” I was to lie down on the ground and put my hands behind my back. I was taught never to dishonor a police officer by arguing or fighting him or her. My common sense tells me never to fight an officer that is carrying a gun. I don’t believe these problems on the news are about racial problems. It’s about a person fighting a police officer’s orders. Why does this never come out? Do we have to have different rules for each race? That way will never bring racial reconciliation.

Do parents of all races not teach their children that they have to comply with an officer’s orders?

Yeah, what kind of country do we live in? 

Honor and respect starts in the home. Honor and respect for persons that have authority over us starts at home. When children, men or women break that rule of life, how can we ignore it? May God lead us to the right way.

J.C.M.
Brookwood, Ala.