Do you automatically respect people in authority, people with power?
Maybe there is reason to believe we should question people in authority, but I am not sure it applies in all cases....

From the song 'Nobody Greater' by Vashawn Mitchell:

I climbed up to the highest mountain
I looked all around, couldn't find nobody,
Went down into the deepest valley
Looked all around down there, couldn't find nobody,
I went across the deep blue sea
Couldn't find one to compare... to your grace, your love, your mercy,
Nobody greater... nobody greater than you.

Searched all over... couldn't find nobody,
I looked high and low... still couldn't find nobody,
Nobody greater... nobody greater no... nobody greater than you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyRv-tbGJ1Y

"Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized."
- Albert Einstein

"I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university."
- Albert Einstein

From the blog post 'Why I Won’t Teach My Kid to Respect Authority' by Kathleen Quiring:

I want my daughter to respect people. I want her to honour and cherish every person she comes into contact with, whether a newborn infant, a paraplegic old man, a homeless beggar woman, or an imprisoned felon. Every one of these people bears the image of God and therefore deserves respect.
People in authority — parents, teachers, police officers, pastors, etc — don’t deserve any more or less respect than anyone else.
In fact, I’m worried that instilling a strong sense of obedience towards authority can lead to blind, unquestioning acceptance of authority. And I want my child to have a healthy level of skepticism towards rules and the powers that be.

- http://becomingpeculiar.com/why-i-wont-teach-my-kid-to-respect-authority/

"As a child I was taught to respect my elders, people in authority, my parents, my sisters and my neighbors. I was also taught to love and honor God. I am talking about things like, when the elderly man or woman needs a seat; give them yours. Or when the teacher tells you to do something; do it."
- Pamela Rose Williams, Bible Verses About Respect: 20 Helpful Quotes,
http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-respect-20-helpful-quotes/

#MainMessageForToday
Clearly, we should show respect for people in authority - children should respect teachers, employees should respect their bosses etc. But should we blindly follow orders and other requests from people in authority because we respect them? What if it goes against your beliefs or the person in authority is doing it for personal gain?