God given rights.

[April_Rose]

Actually I take that back,.. after the death of Christ things changed a little bit because we are now under a new covenant and the prophesy has been fulfilled. Not sure who is saying the verses that you are quoting since I'm not a hundred percent Bible fluent admittingly,.. but if God was for slavery then He wouldn't have commanded Ramses (SP?) to let His people go. And these go hand in hand with rights because nobody has the right to own slaves today.

 

[JohnDB]

The only true rights given to us by God is to be holy while living in symbiosis with the Earth...

Guess what?
We blew it.

Rights are terminated.
We deserve death.

Anything else is a complete fabrication.

 

[April_Rose]

The only true rights given to us by God is to be holy while living in symbiosis with the Earth...

Guess what?
We blew it.

Rights are terminated.
We deserve death.

Anything else is a complete fabrication.

True, but due to the death of Christ we can still have our salvation. Also, I just thought the free will to say whatever we want to say and stuff like that was given to us in the beginning of creation. Doesn't mean that a lot of what we say isn't a sin but we still have a right to say it. (Sadly)

 

[SigurdReginson]

Actually I take that back,.. after the death of Christ things changed a little bit because we are now under a new covenant and the prophesy has been fulfilled. Not sure who is saying the verses that you are quoting since I'm not a hundred percent Bible fluent admittingly,.. but if God was for slavery then He wouldn't have commanded Ramses (SP?) to let His people go. And these go hand in hand with rights because nobody has the right to own slaves today.

To me it seems he was trying to protect his people more than anything else. Numbers 31 even lists very specifically how slaves were to be distributed from the Midianites who Moses conquered. I won't talk about more than that, since I really don't want to take this down a negative road.

You're right though, no one has the right, nor should they ever. They used to, though, which is kind of my point. Not owning slaves is only more of a modern thing. It's only been around for a few hundred years. We know better as a people, now.

As for Christ's death and how that changed things, does that include our rights?

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

" among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

 

[JohnDB]

" among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Those are rights as viewed as understood by the founding fathers of this nation.
I'm not really going to base my theological positions on the word of politicians.

 

[SigurdReginson]

" among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Ah! The declaration of independance; that gets a big ol' thumbs up.

 

[April_Rose]

To me it seems he was trying to protect his people more than anything else. Numbers 31 even lists very specifically how slaves were to be distributed from the Midianites who Moses conquered. I won't talk about more than that, since I really don't want to take this down a negative road.

You're right though, no one has the right, nor should they ever. They used to, though, which is kind of my point. Not owning slaves is only more of a modern thing. It's only been around for a few hundred years. We know better as a people, now.
As for Christ's death and how that changed things, does that include our rights?

Yes and no due to the separation between church and state. God's laws and the government's laws don't always agree. Just curious why you want to know this though because it states that you're an atheist. You seem more like a seeker to me.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Growing up, I've often heard the term "God given rights" when topics of folk's rights come up. It could be in reference to anything like their second ammendment rights, or their freedom of speech. What exactly does that mean, though? Does god give us those rights, or are our rights given and taken away by man?

Does it actually mean anything on a deeper level, or is it something that just sounds nice and poetic?

It is a reference to John Locke's Philosophy


Most scholars today believe that Jefferson derived the most famous ideas in the Declaration of Independence from the writings of English philosopher John Locke. Locke wrote his Second Treatise of Government in 1689 at the time of England's Glorious Revolution, which overthrew the rule of James II.

Locke wrote that all individuals are equal in the sense that they are born with certain "inalienable" natural rights. That is, rights that are God-given and can never be taken or even given away. Among these fundamental natural rights, Locke said, are "life, liberty, and property."

Locke believed that the most basic human law of nature is the preservation of mankind. To serve that purpose, he reasoned, individuals have both a right and a duty to preserve their own lives. Murderers, however, forfeit their right to life since they act outside the law of reason.

Locke also argued that individuals should be free to make choices about how to conduct their own lives as long as they do not interfere with the liberty of others. Locke therefore believed liberty should be far-reaching.

Constitutional Rights Foundation.

 

[BNR32FAN]

Growing up, I've often heard the term "God given rights" when topics of folk's rights come up. It could be in reference to anything like their second ammendment rights, or their freedom of speech. What exactly does that mean, though? Does god give us those rights, or are our rights given and taken away by man?

Does it actually mean anything on a deeper level, or is it something that just sounds nice and poetic?

Rights are subjective depending on who is allowing them, especially in the case of rights allowed by man. So when you talk about rights there’s a difference between rights allowed by God and rights allowed by man. For example God doesn’t allow abortion, in many cases man does. So there are rights allowed by man and there are rights allowed by God. All rights do not derive from one source.

 

[SigurdReginson]

Yes and no due to the separation between church and state. God's laws and the government's laws don't always agree. Just curious why you want to know this though because it states that you're an atheist. You seem more like a seeker to me.

Well... I'm not a hard atheist. I'm an agnostic atheist. I don't believe in god not because I don't think it's possible, but because I need to be honest with myself. God could exist, but I can't take sides with anything (including hard atheism) until I have solid enough evidence. I may not know a solid answer my entire life, and that's ok. Intellectual honesty is more important to me than certainty.

Much of my life I lived just accepting things as true without digging deeper. I just took things at face value because they gave my that security of certainty, but in the end that certainty kept me from exploring and growing as a person and experiencing true happiness. I've found that in poking around, I might uncover something I don't like, but at least I will have a clearer idea of reality; and with that, I will be able to have better tools to face the things that I encounter in life whether they're good or bad. It's awoken in me a curiosity about everything that I don't think I'll ever sate, and that's kind of exciting for me.

I've made more progress in my life during the past 6 years than I have in the first 30 years of my life. It's a good feeling, and it's something worth fighting for.

 

[April_Rose]

Well... I'm not a hard atheist. I'm an agnostic atheist. I don't believe in god not because I don't think it's possible, but because I need to be honest with myself. God could exist, but I can't take sides with anything (including hard atheism) until I have solid enough evidence. I may not know a solid answer my entire life, and that's ok. Intellectual honesty is more important to me than certainty.

Much of my life I lived just accepting things as true without digging deeper. I just took things at face value because they gave my that security of certainty, but in the end that certainty kept me from exploring and growing as a person and experiencing true happiness. I've found that in poking around, I might uncover something I don't like, but at least I will have a clearer idea of reality; and with that, I will be able to have better tools to face the things that I encounter in life whether they're good or bad. It's awoken in me a curiosity about everything that I don't think I'll ever sate, and that's kind of exciting for me.

I've made more progress in my life during the past 6 years than I have in the first 30 years of my life. It's a good feeling, and it's something worth fighting for.

If you're searching for the truth then you're a seeker. I pray that you find it too as the truth remains in Jesus Christ.

 

[SigurdReginson]

Rights are subjective depending on who is allowing them, especially in the case of rights allowed by man. So when you talk about rights there’s a difference between rights allowed by God and rights allowed by man. For example God doesn’t allow abortion, in many cases man does. So there are rights allowed by man and there are rights allowed by God. All rights do not derive from one source.

Interesting. What rights are allowed by god do change over time and with culture though, no? I have a friend who is Jewish and she covers her head with a scarf because she might tempt men into sin by them seeing her hair. This is something that has gone on since the days before Jesus as far as I'm aware. Is that a right restricted by man, or god?

Also, Do rights allowed by man prevail over rights allowed by god, or vice versa? I'm aware that we are to rend unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, but does that include our rights when we set them for ourselves through our votes?

For example, I have a friend who is intersex and she wasn't allowed to join the military due to Trump's revoking of transgendered folks being able to serve in the military. She has both male and female parts, but her parents had to pick a gender, so they picked male. As she got older, her body changed, and it was obvious that she was a female, so she switched her recorded gender to female to match it.

Though not all Christians agree with the decision to limit folks who wanted to join the military because of that, a lot of them would say that transgendered folks are disobeying god by transitioning to an opposite sex. Should those christians be able to constrict the rights of others who don't follow their religious beliefs? Should god's rights over rule man's, in that case or in cases like that?

 

[SigurdReginson]

If you're searching for the truth then you're a seeker. I pray that you find it too as the truth remains in Jesus Christ.

Er... Feels a bit dismissive to what I just wrote.

Huh.

 

[BNR32FAN]

Interesting. What rights are allowed by god do change over time and with culture though, no? I have a friend who is Jewish and she covers her head with a scarf because she might tempt men into sin by them seeing her hair. This is something that has gone on since the days before Jesus as far as I'm aware. Is that a right restricted by man, or god?

Also, Do rights allowed by man prevail over rights allowed by god, or vice versa? I'm aware that we are to rend unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, but does that include our rights when we set them for ourselves through our votes?

For example, I have a friend who is intersex and she wasn't allowed to join the military due to Trump's revoking of transgendered folks being able to serve in the military. She has both male and female parts, but her parents had to pick a gender, so they picked male. As she got older, her body changed, and it was obvious that she was a female, so she switched her recorded gender to female to match it.

Though not all Christians agree with the decision to limit folks who wanted to join the military because of that, a lot of them would say that transgendered folks are disobeying god by transitioning to an opposite sex. Should those christians be able to constrict the rights of others who don't follow their religious beliefs? Should god's rights over rule man's, in that case or in cases like that?

Im not certain about head coverings. When the Jews wrote the Torah they included many stipulations that were not actually commanded by God. When they wrote the Torah they tried to define situations that could potentially cause a person to commit a sin against God and included them in their laws. The situation with women’s coverings sound like this type of situation. I’m not aware of any direct commandments from God commanding women to cover themselves to the extent that many Jewish and Muslim women do.

 

[April_Rose]

Er... Feels a bit dismissive to what I just wrote.

Huh.

In what way? You're searching for the truth are you not? Hence this thread. You must be curious about God or you wouldn't be asking about Him.

 

[SigurdReginson]

Im not certain about head coverings. When the Jews wrote the Torah they included many stipulations that were not actually commanded by God. When they wrote the Torah they tried to define situations that could potentially cause a person to commit a sin against God and included them in their laws. The situation with women’s coverings sound like this type of situation. I’m not aware of any direct commandments from God commanding women to cover themselves to the extent that many Jewish and Muslim women do.

Hmm, you got me there. I'm not sure either.

Let's talk about abortion, then. I don't have much to say since I don't really have much skin in the game, but I can understand both sides. One side believes in souls and that souls are an aspect granted at conception, the others believe that it's humane to end human developement before a brain is formed enough to know anything is even happening, much like a plant.

Should those who have those religious beliefs be able to constrict the rights of those who don't share those beliefs? In the situation where the fetus threatens the mother's life, do the terms change? Why or why not?

More specifically, should the rights given and constricted by god overshadow the rights given and constricted by man?

 

[BNR32FAN]

Should those christians be able to constrict the rights of others who don't follow their religious beliefs? Should god's rights over rule man's, in that case or in cases like that?

In that particular case no. In some cases it is necessary, like for example abortion. As Christians we should stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

 

[SigurdReginson]

In that particular case no. In some cases it is necessary, like for example abortion. As Christians we should stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

I appreciate the honesty, thanks.

 

[BNR32FAN]

Hmm, you got me there. I'm not sure either.

Let's talk about abortion, then. I don't have much to say since I don't really have much skin in the game, but I can understand both sides. One side believes in souls and that souls are an aspect granted at conception, the others believe that it's humane to end human developement before a brain is formed enough to know anything is even happening, much like a plant.

Should those who have those religious beliefs be able to constrict the rights of those who don't share those beliefs? In the situation where the fetus threatens the mother's life, do the terms change? Why or why not?

More specifically, should the rights given and constricted by god overshadow the rights given and constricted by man?

Someone has to stand up to defend the helpless children who are in jeopardy of being killed. Anti-abortion advocates are not only Christian, there are many atheists who are also pro life.