Where Do Rights Come From?
The American Constitution says we have certain rights. Where do those rights come from? What is the origin of a right?
We hear a lot about separation of church and state. This statement was in a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists. The Baptists in Danbury Connecticut were concerned that the right to freedom of religion, which is in the constitution, was being defined as a right given bu government. They felt that freedom of religion was a right given by God--and Thomas Jefferson agreeded.
The Declaration of Independence says we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (Notice it does not say we have a right to happiness. The right we have is to seek after happiness.) Where do these rights come from? The Declaration of Independance says from our creator, God.
We hear a lot about separation of church and state. This statement was in a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists. The Baptists in Danbury Connecticut were concerned that the right to freedom of religion, which is in the constitution, was being defined as a right given bu government. They felt that freedom of religion was a right given by God--and Thomas Jefferson agreeded.
The Declaration of Independence says we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (Notice it does not say we have a right to happiness. The right we have is to seek after happiness.) Where do these rights come from? The Declaration of Independance says from our creator, God.
posted by BrickBalloon
Read This Post In Our: Christianity in America Blog Archive
7 Comments:
I'm sorry.. but this beggs the question.
Which God are you talking about?
What if there was a God that created everything. And another God that gave people rights. We could go on forever about this one.
Funny that you bring the Declaration of Independance into it. The 13 Colonies transformed into something very different after the signing of this document. There is no "God" (yours, mine or anybody elses) mentioned in the Constitution.
Blah...
Why would the constitution have to talk about God? It is dealing with the following subjects:
* Article I - Legislative Department
* Article II - Executive Department
* Article III - Judicial Department
* Article IV - States' Relations
* Article V - Mode of Amendment
* Article VI - Prior Debts, National Supremacy and Oaths of Office
* Article VII - Ratification
Instead the Constitution embraced God's word in how it set up our government. What you might find interesting is to investigate how many of the principles and concepts of government described in the Constitution come from the Bible.
Which God???
Are you know bring into this the thought that there might be more than one God? What other gods are there, other than Yehovah, I AM, the God of the Bible?
You are right, the constitution should not talk about religion. The constitution is how we base our laws. It is about law. Not religion. I do not care about your personal ideas. They are personal. It makes me happy that every chance the courts have, they are siding with the constitution and giving homosexual couples rights.
This country continues to change and evolve. I remember Ellen Degenerous and her TV show, Ellen, being thrown off the air several years ago when it was discovered she was gay. Today, she lends her voice in a very successful animated cartoon for children, Finding Nemo, and hosts a very successful afternoon TV show. The country is beginning to accept gay people.
And when people vote on this isse they turn away from sin. This is a country that has a government of the people, for the people and by the people--it is not a government in which courts may make new laws.
And it seems the networks are finally starting to figure out why their ratings are going down. They are just getting a glimmer of understanding, so it will take more time--but as their pocketbooks become empty maybe their minds may open to the truth.
If you get a chance read a book called "Amusing Ourselves to Death".
I started reading my other book about some of our founding fathers. Turns out the Declaration of Independence did not have God mentioned in it on the first draft.
Thank you, I did not know that. I had heard that the final draft was very close to the original.
However, that God was not mentioned in the Declaration of Independance was fortunately corrected. The copy that the delegates signed, and agreed with, was the final version that does mention God.
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