I don't know how you hold respect for a position (or any concept or anything inanimate really. I guess, maybe the Stanley Cup...

).
Respect is something that is earned, not given blindly.
Course I understand that that idea is presented in many dogmas.
EDIT: And the reason it is is so control can be achieved. God, whether real or not, is a concept used to give men power and prevent peopl from arguing against them, even when they do something wrong.