Can too much respect be bad?

[tackattack]

C. The grantor's definition of what "respecting someone" means could also be flawed. If I respect some one so much that I'm willing to break my moral code then it's the wrong definition of respect.

But isn't that a vicious circle, considering that most (religious) people get their "moral code" from people they are supposed to respect?

And let's say a bishop or archbishop tells religious people to vote against gay marriage in some referendum and some religious people decide not to respect him, are they disrespecting him personally or the religious doctrine?

Well it certainly can lead to a vicious circle. Most religious people get their personal moral code the same way you do. Their belief though, typically include a checks and balances with an objective morality typically referred to as the Moral Law giver or God.

To answer your question the way you framed it, if they decide not to respect him, they're disrespecting him personally. If arguments ensue and it's proven his stance is based in doctrine and they still agree, then they disrespect that doctrine.

Well, it depends on what we consider respect to be. I would argue that respect is a healthy observance of one's personal boundaries, along with a sense of endearment or admiration. Merriam-Webster defines respect in a few ways, with the common definition being number 3 on the list, "high or special regard: esteem".

So, I think a healthy observance of ones personal boundaries is almost never a bad thing, but the endearment and/or admiration part can certainly go way too far. Respect is almost always related to or equated with power, and often wrongly so. Think of the comment you made to your coworker about the company you work for that you would never say to your boss... People would argue that your boss is "respected," but are they really? Or is it the power dynamic that leads people to be more conscious about their actions and words around your boss?

If respect is related to honesty, then "respect" almost certainly goes too far with a great many people. Wouldn't you be honest with someone that you truly respect? In this sense, we don't really respect our bosses, or priests, or superiors, or whoever else, we're simply conscious of the power dynamic between us and them.

I agree that relating respect to power is wrong. I personally hold a lot of people in very high respect, but they don't have any power over my decisions. They may influence those decisions and are weighted at a higher value than someone I don't respect, but with personal accountability in play, no more power than I give them. That's the crux, people only have power over you if you give them that power and jockeying for respect is a way to accumulate that power. Few sheeple realize that the control and influence limits exist solely within their control.

Interesting second point.I would be honest with people I respect and don't respect equally I think. I think we can be conscious of the power dynamic, empathetic to the results our words will have and awareness of the power dynamic for all three things simultaneously and separately. I don't think they're necessarily correlated in all instances. Commonly though they can be conflated.