Hi All,
Thanks for the replies. Actually, I probably shouldn't have asked the question as I sense it's not a conversation that is going to go anywhere productive.
The reason I asked is that generally speaking, on this board, whenever questions of societal ethics come up there are generally strong assertions made that all people are autonomous, and that no one elses "values" can or should be forced on others. In other words, most people begin to loudly proclaim, "you're not the boss of me" and "don't try to legislate your morals" and "if it doesn't physically hurt another walking talking human, I should be allowed to do and say what I want."
However, when this 9 year old essentially asserted his own autonomy and his supposed "rights" to do and say whatever he wanted, everyone found it repugnant and immediately began saying they would not tolerate such behavior in their own house. In other words, there seems to be an arbitrariness here along the lines of Kid, you can't do that in my house, however I can do that as though his behavior was only repugnant because he is nine, but in an adult it is laudible. Children who are more intuitive than we give them credit for, tend to see the the underlying hypocrisy in that situation. Their subconscious reasoning generally follows this pattern: If you simply don't like my behavior or speech because its me, and not you doing it, then your system is arbitrary, dictatorial, and unfair and I'm going to rebel whenever and however I can.
Now, since it's not fair to ask a question I wouldn't be willing to answer, I would explain to him why he is not allowed to act that way in the following outline:
1) You are not autonomous or in charge: Like everyone else in the household you are under authority. Dad is the head of the household but even he is under the rule of the magistrate and must obey his lawful commands. Children are under the authority of their parents, and every member of that household is subject to the rule of God.
2) Every member of the household, including you, is also subject to an absolute system of ethics. This is the Moral Law of God summarized in the Ten Commandments. It requires, for instance, that we all honor and obey our parents. It requires that we all treat one another with love and respect. It requires that we all abstain from using foul and blasphemous language. It also requires that we not make any thing like an Xbox into an idol that we worship and consider more important than our obligations to God and Man.
3) There are blessings that come with obedience, and curses that come from disobedience, and you have chosen the curses that come with disobedience. This will take the form of punishment, and certainly the removal of your idol.
- SEAGOON
