For those who say Christians have no rights.

Before we talk about human rights, let’s just reiterate that we have ’em.
 

When the synchrobloggers first started kicking around the idea of joining Bloggers Unite’s human rights focus, I pitched the idea of ranting about the Bush Administration’s lousy record—fr’instance, Abu Graib, Guantanamo, the terror suspect detainees, the immigrant internment camps, the suspension of habeas corpus, the waterboarding, the sleep deprivation.... You know, if you’re gonna pick at the specks in other nations’ eyes, better pull the log out of your own.

I was all set to write such an entry, too... but then I realized I had some of my own personal issues to deal with first. Namely this: I grew up Fundamentalist. In many Fundie churches, particularly the churches I went to, you’re gonna hear sermons that run along this vein.

Americans are always going on about their rights. “You can’t do that to me; I have rights!” Well, no you don’t. We don’t have rights. We answer to God. Everyone answers to God. “Rights” are the devil’s way of making you think you can tell God, “I don’t have to do what You say. I have rights.”

God says don’t commit adultery. Man says, “I have the right to pursue my own happiness.” God says give your tithe to the church. Man says, “It’s my money; I have a right to do whatever I want with it.” God says confess your sins one to another. Man says, “I have a right to remain silent.” God says, “Follow Me.” Man says, “It’s a free country.”

God is the Lord and we are His servants. Servants can’t tell their master anything! Servants only say, “Yes sir,” and do what they’re told. They don’t say, “I have rights.” They don’t have any rights. Neither do we.

There are so many things wrong with this idea.... but unfortunately this is the Pavlovian response that I have to ignore whenever I start talking about rights.

The reason Fundies say this is because they’re anti-modern. (And not in that good postmodern way.) If it’s modern, they figure it’s probably not of God; and since the Enlightenment concepts of inalienable human rights are part and parcel of the modern era, they gotta take a swipe at them. True, a lot of people nowadays demand rights in order to evade their responsibilities. But that’s not what the Enlightenment philosophers, nor the Founders of the United States, had in mind when they talked about rights. Rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. The Declaration of Independence is all about the responsibility Americans have to overthrow governments that don’t defend our rights. (Of course, Thomas Jefferson was writing about our own government, not Iraq’s.... but I’m not writing that entry, remember?)

Humans were given certain innate rights by their Creator, wrote Jefferson. Life, freedom, and chasing your dreams would be the way we’d phrase it nowadays. And these rights are very Christian. Jesus came that we may have life. Jesus sets us free indeed. Jesus wants us to chase His dream—which must become our dream—which is the Kingdom of God. True, these potentials are never going to be completely fulfilled outside of a relationship with God, but we are all equally created with these potentials. To say that we don’t have them is to deny God’s work.

And it’s to replace it with tyranny. However, God is not the tyrant. The false preacher is. The so-called Christian who offers to enforce God‘s commands, either through browbeating or coercion, is. And—if I can dip into that other entry for a moment—the politician who claims that peace of mind is more important than another individual’s life, freedom, and chase for dreams, is.

May ’08 Synchroblog.

My fellow bloggers have likely discussed certain human rights violations practiced in the world, with appropriate moral outrage attached. Feel free to read their blogs and get riled up. Pick one from the menu and click, “Go read it!”

Sonja Andrews, “Human wrongs.” Mike Bursell: “Human rights (and Christian responsibilities).” Julie Clawson: “Human rights and Christian comfort.” Sally Coleman: “If.” Janice Fowler: “Voice overs needed” or “Wake up - speak up.” Adam Gonnerman: “Guantanamo Bay in the eyes of God.” Steve Hayes: “Human rights and Christian faith.” Steve Hayes: “Human rights and Amnesty International.” Alan Knox: “My charade is the event of the season.” Cobus van Wyngaard: “Christianization and Humanization and our task in Zimbabwe.” K.W. Leslie: “For those who say Christians have no rights.” Brian Riley: “Bloggers unite for human rights.” Carlos Zeisel: “A new examination of human rights.”

Comments...

Comments...

Steve liked the rant, but added,

My only quibble would be about Fundamentalists and modernity. Fundamentalists may be antimodern, but are often antimodern in a thoroughly modern way. It’s just another face of modernity.

Very true. This is extremely obvious whenever you hear them complain about postmodernity.