The phrase, “It is my God-given right,” seems to be cropping up a lot lately. What do you think of when you hear this phrase? Personally, I can’t imagine that the God of my church and my seven decades of life experience would bother appearing through the clouds in order to pass down some stone tablet of commands about modern-day activities – like carrying our guns to the store, or driving our ATVs through the pristine wilderness.

When we say a right is God-given, we are saying that despite the affairs of mankind, despite human history, despite what you may want or I may want, despite the realities of our society, certain qualities of life and living are the birthright of every living soul.

The closest thing we have to God-given rights are human rights. By their very nature, human rights belong to every human being on the planet, not just those of us who live in the U.S.A.

Human rights are not legislated, or dictated by our laws. The government doesn’t hand them out like Halloween candy. They don’t come up for a vote with each changing Congress. They cannot be taken away by man-made laws, or shredded by those who would prefer that some people not have such rights, although many try to do just that.

When we say that they are human rights, we mean that no matter who you are, or the color of your skin, or your religion, or where you live, these rights are just as much yours as they are mine. They are a statement of our fundamental equality.

“ . . .All men are created equal, . . . they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights . . . Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” When Thomas Jefferson drafted those words to begin the Declaration of Independence, he was crafting a government that he hoped would safeguard those three human rights for every citizen in our country, under all circumstances and through all time. The problem was that he was thinking only of White, European males, not all of humankind. His black slaves and the women in his life were omitted from the democracy of our founding fathers.

In the current century, when the headlines say that people are fighting for their human rights, they mean not just the three named by Jefferson, but a host of conditions that allow people to be fully human. These are conditions that all people in our country need, and all people around the world need, regardless of their social circumstances, their workplace, their political philosophy, or their government.

This simplified list of human rights, for example, is from a United Nations document created in 1948, “A Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” If you are looking for God-given rights, representatives from around the world agreed that these are the birthright of every human being. The complete version of this document can be downloaded for free from the internet.

  1. We Are All Born Free & Equal.We all have our own thoughts and ideas, our own goals and values. We should all be treated in the same way. No exceptions.
  2. Don’t Discriminate.These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences, no exceptions. We cannot give them to some and take them away from others, or give some to one person and others to someone else.
  3. The Right to Life.We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety. We should work to keep others from being abandoned or forgotten by society, so that all people can live their lives. Childhood needs to be protected by all adults for all children.
  4. No Slavery.Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave. 
  5. No Torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us. 
  6. You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go.These rights travel with you, from home to work to school, in private and public, from state to state, from country to country. 
  7. We’re All Equal Before the Law. The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly. The laws apply to everyone equally, no exceptions.
  8. Your Human Rights Are Protected by Law.We can all ask for the law to help us when we are not treated fairly. 
  9. No Unfair Detainment.Nobody has the right to put us in prison without good reason and keep us there, or to send us away from our country. 
  10. The Right to Trial.If we are put on trial, this should be in public. The people who try us should not let anyone tell them what to do. 
  11. We’re Always Innocent Until Proven Guilty.Nobody should be blamed for doing something until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to show it is not true. 
  12. The Right to Privacy.Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into our home, open our letters, or bother us or our family without a good reason.
  13. Freedom to Move. We all have the right to go where we want in our own country and to travel as we wish. 
  14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live.If we are frightened of being badly treated in our own country, we all have the right to run away to another country to be safe. 
  15. Right to a Nationality.We all have the right to belong to a country, even if we had to flee our country of origin.
  16. Marriage and Family. Every grown-up has the right to marry and have a family if they want to. Men and women have the same rights when they are married, and when they are separated.
  17. The Right to Your Own Things. Everyone has the right to own things or share them. Nobody should take our things from us without a good reason.
  18. Freedom of Thought. We all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a religion, or to change it if we want.
  19. Freedom of Expression. We all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we like, to say what we think, and to share our ideas with other people.
  20. The Right to Public Assembly. We all have the right to meet our friends and to work together in peace to defend our rights. Nobody can make us join a group if we don’t want to.
  21. The Right to Democracy. We all have the right to take part in the government of our country. Every grown-up should be allowed to choose their own leaders.
  22. Social Security. We all have the right to affordable housing, medicine, education, and childcare, enough money to live on and medical help if we are ill or old.
  23. Workers’ Rights. Every grown-up has the right to do a job, to receive a fair wage for their work, and to join a trade union.
  24. The Right to Play. We all have the right to rest from work and to relax.
  25. Food and Shelter for All. We all have the right to a good life. Mothers and children, people who are old, unemployed or disabled, and all people have the right to be cared for.
  26. The Right to Education. Education is a right. Primary school should be free. We should learn about the United Nations and how to get along with others.
  27. Copyright. Copyright is a special law that protects one’s own artistic creations and writings; others cannot make copies without permission. We all have the right to our own way of life and to enjoy the good things that art, science and learning bring.
  28. A Fair and Free World. There must be proper order so we can all enjoy rights and freedoms in our own country and all over the world.
  29. Responsibility. We have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and freedoms.
  30. No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights.

 

In light of today’s society, no doubt there are other human rights that need to be added to this list – such as the right to one’s own gender identity and sexual expression, the right to a healthy natural environment, the right to be free from discrimination and oppression at work, reproductive rights, and the right to safe food.

The Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, announced last week, for example, that her city will no longer allow utilities to cut off water to households due to unpaid bills. “Access to water is a basic human right,” she said (on line post from Block Club Chicago, 11/1/19). Indigenous tribes in Canada and in the United States, who are protesting the massive oil pipeline projects and corporate purchase of lakes and streams for bottled water profits, have been trying to tell us the same thing for years.

It’s worth thinking about what you consider to be a God-given right, a human right, that ought to be added to this list. What is it? How would you phrase it?

Also worth thinking about: What human rights violations do you think are occurring in your own area? How should ordinary folks like us respond when we encounter a person or situation that is clearly outside the bounds of any of the human rights outlined above?