~5~ Honor Your Father and Mother

Now that the high holidays are over we will continue with the series on the Ten Commandments.

Although almost everyone is familiar with these basic rules of life, we often do not take time to actually think them through and contemplate their meaning. 

It is very easy to read a simple sentence and interpret it at face value, without seeing the deeper meaning. On the other hand it is all too easy to spend large amounts of time digging and trying to find a deeper meaning when in fact it is the simple rule that applies.

In this continuing series Dennis Prager tells us that children owe their parents one thing. Many will be surprised to learn that it is not love. The Bible does not direct us to do the impossible, and sometimes it's difficult or even impossible to love your parents. Be that as it may, it's almost always possible to honor them, and that is what the fifth commandment is all about. 

"If you build a society in which children honour their parents, your society will long survive. The opposite will lead to self-destruction."

In this short lesson we learn what the fifth commandment means and why it's so important. One important point from the lesson for you to consider: if your children see you honouring your parents they are much more likely to honor you. The importance of honour especially towards one's father is even mentioned by Sigmund Freud, the father of psychiatry~who was an aethiest. He theorized that one's attitude towards one's father largely shaped one's attitude towards God.

You can also view this Ten Commandments series at Prager University

~5~ Honor Your Father and Mother

Links to Series:

The Ten Commandments~Introduction
~1~ Am the Lord Your God
~2~ No Other Gods
~3~ Do Not Misuse God's Name
~4~ Remember The Sabbath