Endowed by Our Creator

"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."

If you ask any person with the slightest idea of the founding principles of our country, they will tell you that the three unalienable rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They will also tell you that these are three rights that no government can ever take away. That said, we often overlook one key detail of this famous phrase of the Declaration of Independence. That detail is that these unalienable rights (of which there are many, but only three specifically mentioned in the document) were given to us (endowed to us) by our Creator. This is an important detail, because it is only by acknowledging the Creator's existence, and the fact that He gave us our most basic human rights, that we come to understand government's role, society's role, and are able to put it all into perspective.

While the primary purpose of this blog is to call America back to our founding principles, the existence of God cannot be overlooked. He existed before any government known to man. He created man. He created all things. As our all-powerful Creator, He has given us everything we have.

Think about the three unalienable rights listed in the Declaration of Independence: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Life is definitely a right guaranteed to us by our Creator, for it is He that gave it to us. No government gave you life. No worldly institution gave you life. You inhaled your first breath of air because God created you, and gave you life.

Had government given you life, no doubt government would have the right to revoke your right to life, and take it from you. However, government did not give you life. Your life came from God. Therefore, the right to your life, and the right to defend it, transcends the authority of any government institution, or the whims of society. Life can only be taken by God Himself, or by His authority. Any other taking of life is a violation of God's law, and natural law.

Next, is the right to Liberty, which can be defined as "freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice." Basically, this is the right to be yourself. This is the right of the individual. Government did not create you, nor did it give you your individual personality, likes, dislikes, and thoughts. Had government been the source of your liberty, no doubt government would have the ability to revoke your liberty, thus forming you into a person that suits its purpose, and controlling every aspect of your being. However, government did not give you liberty, therefore any attempt by government to destroy your individuality and control your person will ultimately fail.

Many oppressive governments have sought to steal liberty from their citizens. They have sought to control dress, appearance, thought, religion, interests, hobbies, speech, and beliefs. Most of these oppressive regimes have fallen, many in a great and spectacular fashion. No matter how hard government works to control thoughts, values, morals, actions and individuality, it cannot, because government did not give the individual liberty in the first place.

Finally, we have the Pursuit of Happiness.

Speaking during a commercial for Mossberg firearms, Duck Commander Phil Robertson addressed the three unalienable rights, then added, "You know what makes me happy? Blowing a mallard drake's head smooth off." While I appreciate the fact that Robertson takes joy in the outdoors, and hunting, happiness should not be confused with joy. (Although, I think Robertson's true happiness comes in being able to take the time to enjoy the great outdoors. His contentment, confidence and security is tied to his ability to camp, hunt and fish.)

Happiness is defined as the state of being confident, content and secure. Everyone wants confidence, contentment and security. Therefore, people tend to desire, and work toward, improving their station in life. The farmer's dream is to raise enough crops that he can live for a few years without having to worry about making ends meet. The sales executive wants to close a few more deals so he can have some money left at the end of the month, to invest, to save, or possibly just to enjoy.

This desire to better one's station in life cannot be taken away by any government for the same reason liberty and life cannot be taken. It is because the right to pursue happiness is a right granted to man by his Creator. Even in the feudal societies of medieval Europe, people tried in their own ways to better their station, whether it was a farm boy who tried to become a page, or whether it was a noble who tried to marry into a more prestigious family. The efforts of self-betterment have always been a part of the human existence.

Throughout the history of the world, there has been one country which not only recognized this right, but set up a government that would foster it. That country is the United States of America. Regardless of political affiliation, few can argue against the fact that America is the place where one can change his station in life in just a few years. Rags to riches stories are numerous. In future posts, I will share some of these stories. The number of success stories is astounding, because the basic nature of mankind is to try to better one's self, and in America, that right is celebrated.

These unalienable rights were given by God, not government, and thus can only be taken away by God. While government may try to restrict, and can make life hard, government cannot deny you your basic human nature, your basic human rights.

While God has been good in granting us these rights, it is important to remember that these rights serve a purpose. If God exists, then God has a plan. If our Creator created us, then our Creator has a purpose for us. Our duty as human beings is to learn what it is that God wants from us. In order to connect with God, have a relationship with Him, and live out his purpose in our lives, we must have the rights described in this post. At the end of the day, it is God who judges us. Therefore, we have the right to do whatever we can (that doesn't infringe upon someone else's unalienable rights) to please Him.

As a Baptist preacher, I will tell you that the first thing God wants is for you to repent of your sins and trust Jesus Christ as your personal savior. Then, follow the Lord in baptism, then live life according to His word.

This concept, the right to connect with God, is the reason religious freedom is so important. This freedom, while defined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, is actually granted by God as an unalienable right.

All that said, government does serve a role in this. Freedom and liberty are not anti-government, freedom and liberty require government. What separates the libertarian mind from the collectivist mind is that the libertarian sees government as essential to preserving and protecting liberty, while the collectivist believes government gives liberty.

The concept of government as an agent to secure and protect the basic rights of mankind is Biblical, and is also spelled out in the Declaration of Independence, which states, "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

The role of government is not to provide for  the people, nor is it to solve their problems. The role of the government is to protect man's most basic rights. Government serves this role at the consent of those governed. When governments fail in this role, and begin the process of eroding man's basic, unalienable rights, then the governed revoke that government's authority, and institute a new government which will recognize and protect their rights. This has been accomplished numerous times in history by revolution. In the U.S. today, we can simply vote our government out of office.

So, your basic unalienable rights come from God, serve a purpose, and cannot be revoked at the whim of a government or society. This is important to recognize, because without that recognition, our rights are merely privileges afforded to us by our masters, which to free men, do not exist.

The Most Uniquely American Question of All Time...

"What would you like to be when you grow up?"

I was in the seventh grade when the Texas public school system decided to begin testing students for interest levels and career aptitude. Basically, these tests would measure what careers you would find most fulfilling, and then would match them with the careers you for which you had natural talent (aptitude).

These tests proved difficult for me, in that I both found just about every career intriguing, and I scored high on every aptitude test they threw at me, whether mechanical, mathematical, philosophical or linguistic. I remember very vividly, the counselor going over my aptitude tests, and saying, "Son, you've got the ability to do whatever in life you wish to do." He then flipped over to my interest-level test. "Now, we've just got to figure out what that is?"

Deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up was a problem. The interest inventory tests didn't solve that puzzle. Years in the radio-broadcast industry didn't help either. I was either being exposed to new lines of work based on my connections in the community, or I was finding new ways to redefine my existing work, thus keeping it fresh.

Once, I interviewed for a job at a radio group in Paris, Texas. The general manager asked me, "What would you like to do? Sales, on-air, news or traffic?" I replied, "I enjoy all of it, and I'm great at all of it. What do you need?"

He then lectured me for two hours on needing to figure out what I wanted to do in life, then dismissed me without a job offer.

Confusion over what to be when you grow up, historically, has been a problem unique to the American experience. In cultures prior to the founding of the United States, the expectation was that a son would follow in his father's footsteps. If Dad was a carpenter, Son would be a carpenter. Upward mobility was unheard of. You were either part of the noble class, the business class, or the working class. Within those classes were sub-classes of tradesmen and skilled workers. There was some mobility between the sub-classes, and maybe from working class to business class if you were so fortunate, but typically, one who was born poor, lived poor, and died poor. Furthermore, your occupation was determined at a fairly young age, and you didn't deviate from it as long as you lived.

As recently as the late 20th century, children in socialist countries were tested for aptitude and interests levels, and thus were placed on an educational track that would feed them into pre-determined career fields. There was not much discussion on what you would do with your life.

However, that all changed in the New World when America began to be colonized. Suddenly, there was no guild to regulate your craft, no societal rules to tell you how to live, no class that you had to fit into. You were free to determine what you wanted to do with your life. Suddenly, what you wanted to be when you grew up became a very legitimate question.

Many sons continued to follow in their fathers footsteps, and poverty was still a multi-generational issue. However, if a man had a dream, and wanted to take a shot at it, he was free to do so.

As a result, America fueled the industrial revolution as entrepreneurs saw ways to meet needs, and to establish their own financial security in the process. New technologies blossomed. New occupations opened. Even in agriculture, new farming techniques and technologies (such as the two-handled plow and the cotton gin) were invented. As this new economic engine revved, fueled by freedom, and accelerated by hope, people began to dream that their kids would have a better life than they did. And for the most part, that has happened.

Over the past two centuries, this freedom has been exported overseas, and we see it developing around the world. Even in some of the most repressive countries, the poor are finding their way into new opportunities, and making the most of what they have.

This new rise in freedom comes as a result of people who fought and secured the independence of the United States, then asked themselves, "What do we want to be?"

Some answered that question quickly. The rest of us are still trying to decide. And if you haven't arrived at that answer yet, don't worry. The great Benjamin Franklin suffered from career ADD himself. He was a newspaper publisher, writer, political philosopher, ambassador, politician, scientist and inventor. He excelled at all of it. Don't paint yourself into a corner. Try it all, and enjoy the freedom that is uniquely American. You just might be able to answer the great American question, "What do I want to be when I grow up?"