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"Friends, if we be honest with ourselves, we shall be honest with each other." - George Macdonald (1824-1905)
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When is it right to disobey a teacher, parent, husband, officer, leader, priest or imam?

There are times when we will have to disobey a teacher, parent, spouse, superior officer, government official, minister or priest if what they ask us to do is clearly wrong, but what about if they are asking us to do something which they believe, according to their conscience, is right, but we think it is wrong?

 

MacDonald gives us an example of this in one of his books, The Highlanders Last Song. In the story a mother wants her son to treat a woman a particular way. The mother is a good person. The son respects his mother but he thinks, according to his conscience, that it would be unfair to treat a lady the way she wants him to.  Should the son obey his mother? Aren't we told to obey our parents? So what should the son do? Listen to his conscience and disobey his mum or obey his mum but disobey his conscience?

 

Here is a part of a conversation between his brother and his mum which answers the question.

 

"You cannot doubt that Alister will do what is right!"

"He will do what he thinks right!"

"Is that not enough, Mother?"

"No," she answered angrily. "He must do the thing that is right!"

"Whether he knows it or not? Would you have him do the thing he thought wrong?"

She was silent.

"Mother dear, the only way to get at what is right is to do what seems right. Even if we make mistakes as we go, there is no other way."

"You would do evil that good may come! Oh, Ian!"

"No, Mother. Evil that is not seen to be evil by one willing and trying to do right is not counted evil to him. It is evil only to the person who either knows it to be evil, or does not care whether it is or not."

"That is a dangerous doctrine."

"I will go farther, Mother, and say that for Alister to do what you thought right, if he did not think it right himself--even if you were right and he were wrong--would be for him to do wrong."

"A man may be to blame that he is not able to see the truth," said the mother.

"That is very true, but hardly such a man is Alister..." (p.186, Bethany House Publishers, 1986).

 

We are responsible for our own actions before God, we must never go against our conscience. To disobey one's conscience is to disobey God (see "Wisdom when Christians differ" in Decision making and the Will of God by Garry Friesen for more on the importance of following ones conscience). All false religions, ideologies and world views destroy the voice of conscience.

 

Breaking unjust laws

There is a time to disobey people and there is a time to break unjust laws.

 

Martin Luther King said there is a right way and a wrong way to break such laws, '"One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty." Such a lawbreaker is not evading law, but giving a bigger picture, a wider portrayal of law: "I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice is in reality expressing the highest respect for law"' (p. 144, Long Journey Home by Os Guinness, 2001).

 

No government, religious leader or authority is worthy of  our obedience, if obeying them means going against ones conscience. Even if you  thought God was speaking to you in an audible voice, you must not go against your conscience. (Satan pretends to be an angel of light.)


Disobedience to any authority can be a weighty issue, we must seek wisdom if we are to make right decisions, particularly if we ourselves hold positions of power. (Francis Schaeffer, in A Christian Manifesto, gives examples of when it is right for a local or state government to disobey the federal government.)


It could be argued that by doing what I think is right aren't I just doing what the Israelites did in the days of the Judges when everyone did what they thought was right in their own eyes? No, for they did not always follow their conscience but did what they thought was necessary or right for them to reach their goals or obtain their pleasures. A modern equivalent might be a woman sleeping with her boss so she can climb the corporate ladder. She is doing what she thinks is right to reach the top, not what is right according to her conscience.


 

If you are a Christian you want to make sound decisions which are neither against your conscience or against what Jesus would have us do. If this is important to you I highly recommend Decision Making and the Will of God by Greg Koukl. I also recommend  Deliver us from Evil by Ravi Zacharias. (A warning)

 

Obviously if you do not go against your conscience and are even willing to go to prison for doing what is right you will not be one of the crowd. The following is a poem by the Scottish author George MacDonald about true greatness. It is a bit long, but if you persevere, you will find wisdom in his words. At the end of the poem I will offer some thoughts about the poem and further thoughts about obedience and disobedience.


"Willie's Question"

 

Willie speaks

Is it wrong the wish to be great,

For I do wish it so?

I have asked already my sister Kate;

     She says she does not know.

 

Yestereve at the gate I stood

Watching the sun in the west;

When I saw him look so grand and good

     It swelled up in my breast.

 

Next from the rising moon

It stole like a silver dart;

In the night when the wind began his tune

     It woke with a sudden start.

 

This morning a trumpet blast

     Made all the cottage quake;

It came so sudden and shook so fast

     It blew me wide awake.

 

It told me a must make haste,

And some great glory win,

For every day was running to waste,

     And at once I must begin.

 

I want to be great and strong,

     I want to begin today;

But if you think it very wrong

      I will send the wish away.

 

The Father Answers.

Wrong to wish to be great?

No, Willie; it is not wrong:

The child who stands at the high closed gate

     Must wish to be tall and strong!

 

If you did not wish to grow

I should be a sorry man;

I should think my boy was dull and slow,

Nor worthy of his clan.

 

You are bound to be great, my boy:

Wish, and get up, and do.

Were you content to be little, my joy

Would be little enough in you.

 

 

Willie speaks.

Papa, Papa! I'm so glad

      That what I wish is right!

I will not lose a chance to be had;

      I'll begin this very night.

 

I will work so hard at school!

      I will waste no time in play;

At my fingers' ends I'll have every rule,

      For knowledge is power, they say.

 

I would be a king and reign,

      But I can't be that, and so

Field-marshal I'll be, I think, and gain

      Sharp battles and sieges slow.

 

I shall gallop and shout and call,

      Waving my shining sword:

Artillery, cavalry, infantry, all

      Hear and obey my word.

 

Or admiral I will be,

      Wherever the salt wave runs,

Sailing, fighting over the sea,

      With flashing and roaring guns.

 

I will make myself hardy and strong.,

      I will never, never give in.

I am so glad it is not wrong!

      At once I will begin.

 

The Father speaks.

Fighting and shining along,

      All for the show of the thing!

Any puppet will mimic the grand and strong

      If you pull the proper string!

 

Willie speaks.

But indeed I want to be great,

      I should despise mere show;

The thing I want is the glory-state--

      Above the rest, you know!

 

The Father Answers.

The harder you run that race,

      The farther you tread that track,

The greatness you fancy before your face

      Is the farther behind your back.

To be up in the heavens afar,

      Miles above the rest,

Would make a star not the greatest star,

      Only the dreariest.

 

That book on the highest shelf

      Is not the greatest book;

If you would be great, it must be in yourself,

      Neither by place nor look.

 

The Highest is not high

      By being higher than others;

To greatness you come not a step more nigh

      By getting above your brothers.

 

Willie speaks.

I meant the boys at school,

      I did not mean my brother.

Somebody first, is there the rule--

      It must be me or another.

 

The Father answers.

Oh, Willie, it's all the same!

      They are your brothers all;

For when you say, "Hallowed be thy name!"

      Whose Father is it you call?

 

Could you pray for such rule to him?

      Do you think that he would hear?

Must he favour one in a greedy whim

      Where all are his children dear?

 

It is right to get up and do,

      But why outstrip the rest?

Why should one of the many be one of the few?

      Why should you think to be best?

 

Willie speaks.

Then how am I to be great?

      I know no other way;

It would be folly to sit and wait,

      I must up and do, you say!

 

The Father answers.

I do not want you to wait,

      For few before they die

Have got so far as begin to be great,

      The lesson is so high.

 

 

I will tell you the only plan

      To climb and not to fall:

He who would rise and be greater than

      He is, must be servant of all.

 

Turn it each way in your mind,

      Try every other plan,

You may think yourself great, but at length you'll find

      You are not even a man.

 

Climb to the top of the trees,

      Climb to the top of the hill,

Get up on the crown of the sky if you please,

      You'll be a small creature still.

 

Be admiral, poet, or king,

      Let praises fill both your ears,

Your soul will be but a windmill thing

      Blown round by its hopes and fears.

 

Willie speaks.

Then put me in the way,

For you, Papa, are a man:

What thing shall I do this very day?

      Only be sure I can.

 

I want to know - I am willing,

Let me at least have a chance!

Shall I give the monkey-boy my shilling?

I want to serve at once.

 

The Father answers.

Give all your shillings you might

And hurt your brothers the more;

He only can serve his fellows aright

      Who goes in at the little door.

 

We must do the thing we must

      Before the thing we may;

We are unfit for any trust

      Till we can and do obey.

 

Willie speaks.

I will try more and more;

      I have nothing now to ask;

Obedience I know is the little door:

      Now set me some hard task.

 

 

The Father answers.

No, Willie; the Father of all,

      Teacher and master high,

Has set your task beyond recall,

      Nothing can set it by.

 

Willie speaks.

What is it, father dear,

      That he would have me do?

I'd ask himself, but he's not near,

      And so I must ask you!

 

The Father answers.

Me 'tis no use to ask,

      I too am one of his boys!

But he tells each boy his own plain task:

      Listen, and hear his voice.

 

Willie speaks.

Father, I'm listening so

      To hear him if I may!

His voice must either be very low,

      Or very far away!

 

The Father answers.

It is neither hard to hear,

      Nor hard to understand;

It is very low, but very near,

      A still, small, strong command.

 

Willie answers.

I do not hear it at all;

      I am only hearing you!

 

The Father speaks.

Think: is there nothing, great or small,

      You ought to go and do?

 

Willie answers.

Let me think - I ought to feed

      My rabbits. I went away

In such a hurry this morning! Indeed

      They've not had enough today!

 

 

The Father speaks.

That is his whisper low!

      That is his very word!

You had only to stop and listen, and so

      Very plainly you heard!

 

That duty's the little door:

      You must open it and go in;

There is nothing else to do before,

      There is nowhere else to begin.

 

 

Willie speaks.

But that's so easily done!

      it's such a trifling affair! 

So nearly over as soon as begun,

      For that he can hardly care!

 

The Father answers.

You are turning from his call

      If you let that duty wait;

You would not think any duty small

      If you yourself were great.

 

The nearest is at life's core;

      With the first, you all begin:

What matter how little the little door

      If it only let you in?

 - 

Willie speaks.

Papa, I am come again:

      It is now three months and more

That I've tried to do the thing that was plain,

      And I feel as small as before.

 

The Father answers.

Your honour comes too slow?

      How much then have you done?

One foot on a mole-heap, would you crow

      As if you had reached the sun?

 

Willie speaks.

But I cannot help a doubt

      Whether this way be the true:

The more I do to work it out

      The more there comes to do;

 

And yet, were all done and past,

      I should feel just as small,

For when I had tried to the very last -

      'Twas my duty, after all!

 

It is only much the same

      As not being liar or thief!

 

The Father answers.

One who tried it found even, with shame,

      That of sinners he was the chief!

My boy, I am glad indeed

      You have been finding the truth!

 

Willie speaks.

But where's the good?  I shall never speed-

      Be one whit greater, in sooth!

 

If duty itself must fail,

      And that be the only plan,

How shall my scarce begun duty prevail

      To make me a mighty man?

 

The Father answers.

Ah, Willie! what if it were

      Quite another way to fall?

What if the greatness itself lie there -

      In knowing that you are small?

 

In seeing the good so good

      That you feel poor, weak, and low;

And hungrily long for it as for food,

      With an endless need to grow?

 

The man who was Lord of fate,

      Born in an ox's stall,

Was great because he was much too great

      To care about greatness at all.

 

Ever and only he sought

      The will of his Father good;

Never of what was high he thought,

      But of what his Father would.

 

You long to be great; you try;

      You feel yourself smaller still:

In the name of God let ambition die;

      Let him make you what he will.

 

Who does the truth, is one

      With the living Truth above:

Be God's obedient little son,

      Let ambition die in love.

 

(MacDonald, George, 1824-1905.  Knowing the Heart of God edited and compiled by Michael R. Phillips, Bethany House, Minnesota, pp. 246-253.)


Perhaps you think this poem describes the type of slave mentality that Nietzsche talked about? Far from it. See Salvation and Victory is ours.


Thoughts:


First, ambition is not wrong. It is the ambition to be greater than others which is the cause of most of the problems in this world. The ambition to be a great surgeon or lawyer to help those in need is a good thing.


Second, "He who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it sins." All we have to do is stop and think and it will become clear what we ought to do. But this is not easy. Jesus said "pray so that you don't fall into temptation." Whenever I am not doing God's will I have already fallen into temptation. A quick prayer (or a long one, depending on the circumstance) should set one's mind and will on the right path.


Third, "But isn't that a bit of a drag?" It is tough, as Willie discovered. Jesus called it the hard narrow way. But it does not have to be miserable. What do I mean? If an athlete was always thinking about her friends having parties, watching movies and going to the beach while she trained do you think that she would be able to continue with her training? Not likely. The person who really trains hard keeps their eyes fixed on their goal. They think about what they are gaining, not about what they are giving up. Likewise, we Christians need to look to the future, when we will be in perfect intimacy with God and our brothers and sisters heaven. Intimacy is thrilling. Do people ever get bored of it? (Some people let it die, but that is not the same thing as getting bored with it.)


What I've been talking about above are faith and hope. Love is greater than these but faith and hope lead to love.


And what is not talked about in the poem but is equally important is gratitude. "What do you have that you did not receive?" Along with faith and hope gratitude is necessary for humility and love.  (I highly recommend "Let all your thinks be thanks" in Os Guinness' book The Call.)





Some further thoughts:


To go against one's conscience is to go against the God who gave you that conscience.


You may be thinking, "what about when the Bible tells you to go against you conscience?"

 

The Bible never asks us to go against our conscience. The Bible informs our conscience. (If you think it is asking you to go against your conscience obey your conscience because you have misinterpreted the Bible. In time things will become clearer to you if you do what you believe is right. 



In Isaiah 28:23 we are told, through the prophet, to listen and hear God's voice. As Christians we acknowledge that it is necessary to read the Bible and know what God says, but how do you know what God is saying to you right this moment? We'll if you stop and listen (think), it will become plain what you ought to do. And if you know what God is like you will find pleasure in giving pleasure to Him.  (If you don't know what God is like I highly recommend you read the first chapter of Unspoken Sermons.  Perhaps you think that what Jesus taught was a cruel joke which can't actually be lived, if this is what you think I strongly suggest you read chapters 5 to 10 of The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. It is our mistaken beliefs about what we think Jesus requires which are impossible to live out. Note: One of the reason's a Christian should obey is to keep their mind focused on God, who is the Christians joy and strength. Obedience is an important part of loving God with our minds for it helps to focus our minds on Him. God is to be the object of our affection. Simply trying to obey as an act of the will in the hope of attaining something will lead to disillusionment and frustration. God is our great reward. Relationships are what makes life rich; each of us are only as strong as our strongest relationship. Their is nothing more satisfying than an intimate relationship with God. )

 

 



To obey God there will be times when we must disobey men. But what stops people obeying God?

 

It is sad that many people do not know that God is good enough to trust.

 

But what about the Christian who claims God is good yet constantly disobeys?

 

Unfortunately, worry often stops us obeying (see Matt 6:25-34). But how does one not worry? If God is trustworthy all we need to do is focus on what we ought to do right now, he will take care of everything else.

 

If a man or woman determines to do the immediate duty of the moment, wonderfully little forthought or planning, I suspect, will be needed. Only that forethought is necessary which has to determine where obedience is called for, and then enable it to pass into action. Work done is of more consequence for the future than all the foresight and planning of an archangel.

− George MacDonald 


If I focus on what I have to do right now I won't be worrying about other things. If I am worried about something it is because I am thinking about the future and what might happen if I do or don't do something.

If you are having trouble living the Christian life perhaps worry and the sins associated with worry are the cause of your difficulties. For example,

 

Why does a man come home from work, sit and watch TV without doing anything to help his wife? Does his not doing anything have something to do with worry? Look at his argument for doing nothing, "I need a rest. I've been working all day." Why does he say that? He has convinced himself that he "needs" a rest. It is this perceived need which is motivating him. He would probably say that he is not worried but the truth of the matter is that he is worried about what will happen if he doesn't rest.  Yes, he may be tired, but if he got up and helped his wife would he die?  If we are to follow Christ we must not worry.

 

God said for six days you shall work and on the seventh rest. Worry causes us to rest when we should work and work when we should rest. It makes us stay up late when we should sleep and makes us lazy when we should be doing the things God asks us to do.

 

Worry even stops us from reading the Bible. Why? "Because I won't have time to study and then I'll fail."

 

 

Worry stops many Christians from looking at the evidence for Jesus Resurrection etc because they want Christianity to be true but they are afraid (they worry) that if they look at the evidence they will discover that it is not. (If they really believed it was true they wouldn't be afraid to look at the evidence. If they looked at the evidence for themselves their convictions would grow stronger.)

 

Satan wants me to worry and not do what God says because he knows that worry will destroy me. Worry incapacitates. Where there is worry there is inactivity and usually complaints. Was it not the Israelites worry which caused them to complain? If I am worrying and complaining I will not inspire anyone and no one will take me seriously; worry makes us poor witnesses for God. I think God has allowed things like Islamic extremism to test Christians just as God allowed Satan to test Job. God knows that such things are disturbing yet he wants to see whether we will trust Him and do what He says right now or whether we will panic. God wants me to focus and first submit myself to him this moment and only then will I be able to resist the devil (James 4:7) and rise above the circumstances.

 

In proverbs we are told that a heart at peace gives life to the body. We cannot have true peace with God until we submit to Him and focus on what He wants in the present. Trusting God and doing what he says is the way to be rid of worry and to have a well balanced life.


Never going against your conscience will sometimes mean disobeying those in authority. Never go against your conscience even if you think the Bible is telling you to. Don't worry; God can be trusted. Have the courage to trust God and take a stand. Everything will be OK in the end.


 

(By the way, don't try and avoid responsibility by claiming to be morally neutral. There is no such thing. See The Myth of Moral Neutrality by Dr John Patrick and an article with the same name by Greg Koukl.  See also Legislating Morality By Norman Geisler. Regarding government I think it is time we had a revolution. Many of the problems associated with governments could be avoided if we had a separation of ideology and state.)



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