Minister invokes the Bible to defend lavish burial

A Liberian minister has reacted to mounting public criticism, following his decision last month to bury his mother in an expensive mausoleum while the country battles economic hardships and the pandemic.

Nathaniel McGill's critics called it a show of extravagance and wasteful spending.

But in a Facebook post the influential minister of presidential affairs defended his decision.

He said there was nothing wrong with giving his mother a befitting burial because, as number five of the Bible's Ten Commandments commands, one must "honour thy mother and father":

The Fifth of the Ten Commandments reads: "Honor your father and your mother."

This commandment is so important that it is one of the only commandments in the entire Bible that gives a reason for observing it: "That your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you."

Many people read that part of the Fifth Commandment as a reward. But while it may be regarded as a reward, the fact remains that it is a reason: If you build a society in which children honor their parents, your society will long survive. And the corollary is: A society in which children do not honor their parents is doomed to self-destruction.

In our time, this connection between honoring parents and maintaining civilization is not widely recognized. On the contrary, many of the best-educated parents do not believe that their children need to show them honor, since "honoring" implies an authority figure, and that is a status many modern parents reject. In addition, many parents seek to be loved, not honored, by their children. Yet, neither the Ten Commandments nor the Bible elsewhere commands us to love our parents. This is particularly striking given that the Bible commands us to love our neighbor, to love God, and to love the stranger.

The Bible understands that there will always be individuals who, for whatever reason, do not love a parent. Therefore, it does not demand what may be psychologically or emotionally impossible. But it does demand that we show honor to our parents. And it makes this demand only with regard to parents. There is no one else who the Bible commands us to honor.

There are many ways to honor parents. The general rule is this: They get special treatment. Parents are unique; so they must be treated in a unique way. You don't talk to them in quite the same way you do anyone else. For example, you might use expletives when speaking to a friend; but you don't with a parent. You don't call them by their first name. And when you leave their home and make your own, you maintain contact with them. Having no contact with parents is the opposite of honoring them.

And, yes, we all recognize that some parents have behaved so cruelly -- and I mean cruelly, not annoyingly -- that one finds it morally impossible to honor to them. There are such cases. But they are rare.

And remember this, if your children see you honor your parents, no matter how difficult it may sometimes be, the chances are far greater that they will honor you.

I can only thank God for giving me such a loving mother, whom I will forever miss and whom we can never replace. But I also thank the Lord for making me honor her the way I did. Thanks to all those who stood by us as we honored mama. May God bless you all bountifully. 

Honor your father and your mother and let the promise of God work for you. 

Happy Sunday everyone. God bless.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Hon. Nathaniel F. McGill/Facebook