Secularism Means the Loss of Freedom
The latest attack by the secular left is that our constitutional rights are not God given rights. They are appalled by those who think this way. Recently, this view was expressed by several TV news commentators.
Understand that the political left is now the secular left in which God plays no part. In fact, it is anti-theistic. And it is also why so much of the leftist movement is now thoroughly Marxist. The political left employs the Nietzschean idea of “will to power” that is, there is no God so therefore we determine what is moral and what is a proper political disposition.
Our founding Fathers believed in God given rights and Natural Law. This can easily be seen in the Declaration of Independence, of which I quote just a portion:
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . . .
It took thousands of years for humanity to understand itself as free beings under God, who gives us rights. The idea comes to life in the Magna Carta written in 1225 declaring human rights even under the rules of a king. Human rights based on Natural Law are the foundation of western civilization.
This is where the real battle lies. If you are baffled by some of the events happening in our world today, it is because a godless form of secularism has taken root. It is found, not just in the philosophy, sociology, and political science departments of universities, but it is found in almost every level of political discourse. But it is also found in all ethical discourse where the subject matter often concerns life and death.
There is a certain appeal to the secular view. Who wants a God restraining us, telling us what to do? One of the common refrains is. “no one can tell me what to do,” and that now means even God. We are autonomous, independent beings who need no rules, no guidance and no one telling us what is right or wrong. Thus, so much hate is focused on the church and on ministers who preach a biblical standard labeling what is moral or immoral. It is interesting to me that almost no other religion is attacked in this way. The reason for the relentless attack is because the Judeo-Christian world view is what undergirds our political belief in God given rights and natural law.
The secular political view, now displayed by news broadcasters, is that government gives us our rights. The press no longer presents the news, but disseminates a secular world view that seeks to indoctrinate its viewers. If we pursue this sentiment, think about what the government can give and take away? The government is absolute. The government has the right to take your property and your freedom at the government’s convenience. Does this sound familiar? Understand that if the world view changes, as secular world views are inclined to do, then what is illegal today may very well be legal tomorrow. It is not too farfetched to see a time when a horrible crime like rape or child sexual abuse could be made legal. You might gasp and say how silly I am, but what really prevents this from happening? In a secular world view, there is no right or wrong, just the “will to power.” Whoever can exert their power makes the rules.
I believe that most citizens are practicing this secular view out of ignorance. They have no idea that our rights are God given. Therefore, so many are resisting needed change with violence instead of pursuing change in a lawful manner. The fault also lies with the secular political movement that insists that resistance should be the political norm.
It is disturbing to find our society in such a state. Of course, the church, whatever the denomination, has failed to educate it members on the nature of God. But our government, through schools and other programs, has proactively disregarded a theistic world view. It is quite clear that to deny any belief in Natural Rights makes it far easier to rule in a way that takes away rights and destroys what we call moral standards.
If we are to understand our constitutional rights, then we must understand the mind set of our founders. Our rights are codified on paper but they are God-given rights that are discerned through Natural Law. In other words, God has left his mark on us and our world so that we can discern what is moral, what is right and what is wrong. Natural Law is the product of rational thinking as well as divine revelation.
here lies the problem for the secular view. If we deny natural law and rights given by the creator, then we have no basis for human rights. The idea of human rights became very prominent in the twentieth century and we began to address worldwide problems of the human condition. Hunger, political oppression, slavery, the oppression of women, and the starvation of children are among some of the issues addressed as human rights. However, if there is no Natural Law, how can one ever speak of any kind of universal human rights?
In recent days, health care has been declared by some to by a human right. Even internet access has been declared a human right. We go on with animal rights which are equated with humans. There are ecological rights. The earth has rights. But how can any of this be taken seriously when there is no Natural Law to guide us? In fact, rights, human or otherwise, are the product of whoever is in power. How can we discern real rights from false ones if we have no standard? Our standards are quickly becoming what some segment of society believes to be true at any given moment, no matter the moral implications of their beliefs.
Maybe this sounds too complex or esoteric to most people. It may true that most people have not read the full body of this text because it seems boring. But it is a subject that we need to learn if we want to remain a free people.
