JW July 4, 2015 A Jagged Contention

A Jagged Contention: Rights

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

– Declaration of Independence, preamble

Question:

How have these words in our declaration of independence failed us? Or have they?

Share your thoughts in the comments below

17Comments

Add yours

1

kirkskeptic on July 4, 2015 at 11:19 am

Words don’t fail – people do.

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Don Moore on July 4, 2015 at 11:48 am

They wouldn’t have given those words if someone wasn’t trying to take those rights away. Still and always someone will try. We have a responsibility, as they did, to hold to those rights, not make any new ones up, and walk like they mean something.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

It’s not a precise correlation to civic freedom, but the lesson stands pretty well.

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3

Melissa on July 4, 2015 at 2:22 pm

I don’t think the words have failed us. I think we have failed. We (by we I mean most, but not all) have neglected to live out the gospel. We have desired to preach the mercy of Christ without the responsibility we have in choosing the narrow path. We have become fornicators, idolaters, liars, full of contempt, prideful, etc. and like water we seek the path of least resistance. Those words have not failed………our definition of morality has. Regrettably, I am guilty.

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4

joel allen hess on July 4, 2015 at 2:41 pm

good stuff. by the declaration’s words failing us i mean (as some of you alluded to) as an external document that a people can submit to. not a christian document for the church at all mind you. it seems like ‘truth’ being self evident is full of openings for everyone. let alone the words ‘happiness’ ‘life’ etc.

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5

V. Williams on July 4, 2015 at 2:49 pm

The words are a statement of belief about where certain things are derived…endowed by our creator.

The failure is not in the words, but in where we place our trust.

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6

Jean on July 4, 2015 at 5:17 pm

If this is how God created and endowed all men, then why shouldn’t homosexuals have the same rights as heterosexuals when marriage is the issue?

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  Don Moore on July 5, 2015 at 10:01 am
  
  There’s equal man and equal woman, equal in many things together. They’re not the same the way God made them, but as to life and liberty and pursuit of happiness – the way God created them, male and female. Or you can go your own way, not the way God made them.
  
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Jean on July 4, 2015 at 5:32 pm

My last comments are designed, not to affirm SSM, but to demonstrate the failure of the words expressed in the preamble.

Actually, that is NOT how men are created or endowed. So, laying my cards on the table, I say that the words have failed us.

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9

Jean on July 5, 2015 at 10:51 am

Basically, I can think of only 3 ways that people are equal: (1) Equally fallen and sinful; (2) equally loved by God in Christ’s work on the cross; and (3) for those who have faith, equally redeemed by His blood.

I wonder how the native Americans and African slaves in America thought about their “equality” in that preamble.

The preamble appeals to God for certain “unalienable Rights.” So, let’s hold the preamble up to the light to see if it actually reflects what God says, or might it be closer to what the serpent said to Eve:

(1) Life – Yes, this is Scriptural per Genesis 9.
(2) Liberty (defined as freedom to be governed by the consent of the governed?) – This is not contained in Scripture, unless Israel asking for a king would somehow qualify (but for how long?). This word fails when people interpret it as “individual” liberty, finding current expression in libertarianism and radical individualism. Here, by contrast, the Shema comes to mind, as reworked by Jesus (see Mark 12); and of course the very important question from Cain: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The supposed constitutional right to “privacy” (a component of individual liberty) is the legal justification for abortion.
(3) Pursuit of happiness – This is like the tail wagging the dog. The bible describes beliefs and praxis which bring happiness. But they are not believed or done in the pursuit of happiness. These words find current expression in hedonism, narcissism, legalization of recreational drugs, sexual immorality, etc.

Items (2) and (3) used in combination magnify the failure of these words.

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  Melissa on July 5, 2015 at 12:18 pm
  
  That is an interesting perspective Jean. I didn’t think about it quite like that. But I see your point. Do you feel that God created us to be socially unequal? Or do you feel that man creates social inequality?
  
  (I’m sincerely curious. I promise I do not have a nasty counterargument prepared)
  
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11

Jean on July 5, 2015 at 12:58 pm

Hi Melissa,
There is a sense in which all human beings are equal, as I listed above. We could add to that (1) we are all creatures; and (2) have been made in the image of God.

But in terms of modern concepts of “equality”, the Bible paints a different picture:
(1) St. Paul describes the potter who out of the clay makes one lump for honorable use and another for dishonorable.
(2) St. Paul describes the church as one body with many different members (even unpresentable parts – check out 1 Cor 12).
(3) Jesus says that the poor will always be with us.
(4) God, by his sovereign choice, called patriarchs and made a nation to be his chosen people.

Life is still a gift from God, but this gift has the taint of sin and corruption. This exacerbates inequality. But even in pre-fall Eden, the equality that Adam and Eve shared probably was not what the “equality” which we today associate with that word. However, that is a digression because the preamble to the Declaration of Independence was written to fallen human beings and must be evaluated post-fall.

There are things about God, which he reveals to us in his Word, and there are things about him which remain hidden. Regarding this question: “Do you feel that God created us to be socially unequal?” I’m reminded of the parable of the talents (Matt 25). Regarding whether man creates social inequality? Yes, absolutely. And it’s is among a Christian’s highest duty to advocate for the poor and for social justice.

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12

melissasuriano98 on July 5, 2015 at 3:15 pm

I looked at the question from a different angle; however, I completely see where you are coming from. Do you think our founding fathers had used different words, or if they had been hyper-specific, that our nation would be in a different place today? Sorry for all the questions. Just curious.

I don’t know that it would. I feel like scripture is extremely specific with regard to what is right vs. what is wrong and yet there are so many different personal interpretations, some of which I dare say are completely bananas. 🙂 With agnostic and atheistic views growing in popularity, and people relying more and more on our cultural interpretation of what is right and what is wrong as opposed to what scripture says, I think they would have still have found a way twist the original intent of the declaration and constitution, or may have even done away with it all together. Even if they had pulled laws and values straight from the Bible itself, word for word, I’m not sure it would have remained that way.

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- 13
  
  Don Moore on July 5, 2015 at 5:01 pm
  
  I think we should all should find out what they meant by looking at their explanations. Try the Federalist Papers for starters.
  
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14

Jean on July 5, 2015 at 5:21 pm

Eh, Don, this isn’t Constitutional Law 101, this is a jagged Christian blog. If you have something to offer, please serve it up. I don’t think the intention of the question was that the readers do a research paper 🙂

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  Don Moore on July 5, 2015 at 5:28 pm
  
  I didn’t mean that anyone should, exactly, though it probably wouldn’t hurt. But people keep speculating on what the guys meant. It only seems fair that we should check in with it. Actually, I find this subject a little to broad to do properly without the research. I’ll bow out.
  
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16

D@mnItJim on July 7, 2015 at 12:46 am

I think the word ‘pursuit’ is often forgotten and happiness is perceived to be a right. That is a mistake of the reader: not the writer of the Declaration.
In response to some of the comments, writers like Frederick Douglas and MLK cited this statement to show the gross injustice of their time.
Overall, I think the statement has been a guide for generations. When society has failed to live up to this ideal, the ideal has helped to guide society back toward justice/fairness.

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17

Jean on July 7, 2015 at 5:11 am

“Do you think our founding fathers had used different words, or if they had been hyper-specific, that our nation would be in a different place today? Sorry for all the questions. Just curious.”

Hi Melissa,

It’s difficult to go back and predict what different language might have produced. One of the biggest risks from any change is what some call the law of unintended consequences. However, If there was one text that could might have been drafted with more clarity and specificity, IMO it was the First Amendment to the US Constitution. I enjoy the right to free speech and free exercise of religion, but modern applications of the 1st Amendment are problematic IMO, including , for example, interpretations regarding pornography, separation of church and state and campaign finance.

Christians will continue to participate in civil affairs as voters and politicians, but to the extent Christianity flourishes in this increasingly secular world, it will only come about by Christians faithfully living our their Christianity 24-7, 365 in the vocations and places to which God calls them.

If you look throughout Scripture, there has always been a contrast between light and darkness. Jesus is the true light and the church and individual Christians contain that light, which shines in a dark world. That’s what we’re supposed to do (Matt 5:14). Government and government institutions don’t possess that light and we can’t rely on them to be a lamp for us. It is time for Christians to stand up and let their lights shine.

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