Question Authority

Right off the bat, I want to let you know that this article is NOT about politics!

I remember walking through my children's school when they were little, and a sign on one teacher's door caught my eye. It read: Question Authority. How different that message was from the one I grew up with in church, which charged children to obey authority without question. In many ways, my childhood sexual abuse took place because of this teaching. My abuser exploited that idea, groomed me to obey and comply without question, and commanded me to remain silent.

Predators know this about children. They know that children are taught to obey. They know that children are not considered fully empowered to the point that they can question those in authority. Authority such as parents, grandparents, or teachers. This is what they know and this is what they exploit. Of course, this is true not only of sexual predators, but of religious and political demagogues as well. When people believe they have absolute power which goes unchecked and unchallenged, then a climate exists for such atrocities as childhood sexual abuse or international genocide. History has plenty of examples which substantiate this. In many ways, Hitler and my abuser were the same person - one just had more power than the other - but it was the same mentality, the same exploitation, the same obscene misuse of authority.

Yes, yes, yes . . . I know that the Scriptures instruct us to obey those in authority over us, but (I know I sound like a broken record here) balance is the key. We're also given instructions to take time to study a situation, to stand up for our beliefs rather than bow to a contradictory belief, and to do everything within our power to make sure that social justice is protected for all. Blind obedience to people is just not the overarching message of the Judeo-Christian belief systems.

Our children will continue to be groomed by predators if we don't prepare them for the reality that there are some people in this world they do NOT have to obey. They are sitting ducks if we don't help them have a strategy - to help them think through what is appropriate and inappropriate - to help them determine what their safety net is, who they can go to for help, and even rehearse the words they can use if someone in authority attempts to exploit them. I believe this can be taught in a way that is entirely compatible with the teachings of the Scriptures - teaching respect for authority, respect for wisdom, and respect for power.

Questioning authority is not synonymous with rebellion. It is raising up people who can think for themselves. People who - as children - are empowered to say to an inappropriate pastor or a teacher or a parent, "No! You cannot touch me like that!" People who - as adults - can say, "No! You cannot oppress the poor! You cannot violate human rights!"

When children are taught to comply without question - even if that means they are sexually abused - they can become adults who continue down the path of re-victimization. Adults who are afraid to challenge anyone may find themselves once again lost to an ideology that diminishes their gifts, their value, and their potential. Adults who do not question authority may also be adults who do not defend their own children from predators. Adults who follow blindly will never discover the freedom that Christ showed through example. He shook things up. He turned tables over in the temple. He exposed abusive power. He taught everyone that rules are guidelines that sometimes do not make sense if they are obeyed without question (think about his healing on the Sabbath, for instance).

When those in authority - whether they rule over little people or over nations - misuse and exploit that power, it is our obligation to question. It is also our obligation to empower our children so they know how that is done. If we don't prepare them - if we don't practice this in our own lives - then they will be devoured, not as sacrificial lambs, but as exploited victims of unquestioned authority.