(Go to "Unalienable Rights?" Part 1 of 2)
The purpose of this series is to show the root of the entitlement attitude exhibited in the U.S. today. In the last post, I discussed what I believe is the source of this attitude: that well-known phrase in the Declaration of Independence, beginning with "We hold these truths to be self evident..."
Now I want to examine why these untrue notions seem so very Christian, yet are not!
Before bashing these ideas, I want to share my perspective.
1. We cannot earn God's favor by doing good things.
2. God's favor is freely given to those who want it, regardless of their good or bad deeds.
3. If God's favor is an undeserved gift, and if everything good comes from him, then we do not have a "right" to anything good.
My frustration is that many people believe that simply because they are human and they have needs, they deserve to have those needs met. This I do not understand. What virtue is there in simply being human, that we would deserve anything?
Here are some examples of gifts we have available in the U.S. that are sometimes assumed to be "rights."
From the Declaration:
"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."
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are gifts that I wish upon all mankind, and I will fight and sacrifice for them to receive these gifts, whether in the U.S. or other countries. This is why I am such a big supporter of our military. Other countries do not have a right to our help; we are giving our families' lives freely for the sake of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" for people who aren't even in our country.
This may not seem like such a big deal. Why does it matter if I fight for freedom because it is a gift, and you fight for freedom because you believe people deserve it? And it's probably not as big of a deal as I'm making it. The difference is not really in our motives, but in the way people accept our efforts.
The purpose of this series is to show the root of the entitlement attitude exhibited in the U.S. today. In the last post, I discussed what I believe is the source of this attitude: that well-known phrase in the Declaration of Independence, beginning with "We hold these truths to be self evident..."
Now I want to examine why these untrue notions seem so very Christian, yet are not!
Before bashing these ideas, I want to share my perspective.
1. We cannot earn God's favor by doing good things.
2. God's favor is freely given to those who want it, regardless of their good or bad deeds.
3. If God's favor is an undeserved gift, and if everything good comes from him, then we do not have a "right" to anything good.
My frustration is that many people believe that simply because they are human and they have needs, they deserve to have those needs met. This I do not understand. What virtue is there in simply being human, that we would deserve anything?
Here are some examples of gifts we have available in the U.S. that are sometimes assumed to be "rights."
- College. It is extremely expensive - so much so, that you should definitely avoid getting an English degree (like me) and pursue something more lucrative! (Only semi-kidding.) There are scholarships available: merit-based, need-based, essay-based. Who pays for these scholarships? The rest of us, who don't have scholarships and pay full tuition. The school, who budgets to give out these scholarships to help others. The university's donors. My main annoyance is this attitude: "If I don't have enough money to go to college, someone else should pay for me." Then follows the attitude, "After all, other people have more money than me so they should give me some since they can afford it." This might seem silly to some, but I did not apply for any scholarships when I went to college because I had an inheritance to help pay for it, and I knew others could use the money I would have received from a scholarship more than me.
- Welfare. Again, what a blessing that our nation has a system to help the needy! I'll never forget a story I read in Dear Abby, from a woman who had x children and whose husband had left her and was struggling to make ends meet. "In fact," she told Dear Abby, "I have been forced to support my children through welfare!" Dear Abby was very direct: "Let's get this straight: You are not supporting your children through welfare. Other people are." YES! And I, for one, am very happy to do so, for a woman so clearly in need! My pet peeve is that the woman believes that since she filled out paperwork and applied for aid, that she is the source of her help.
- Healthcare. I'm aware this is a very touchy subject. When I say I oppose universal healthcare, I am not saying that I think some people should not have it! I hope someday everyone in the U.S. and in every other country has access to affordable healthcare. I do love people; I do want the best for them. But this isn't because they deserve it! Really, I just oppose it being government-run, because the government treats it as a right, and then they can do all other sorts of things in the name of "human rights."
- "The rich should pay a lot more." Another touchy subject. Yes, if God has blessed you with wealth, you have a responsibility to give generously to others. But usually the idea is, "Other people have more money than me, and that's not fair, so they should give some to me." Can you imagine how this could be abused? We know there are a lot of deadbeats in the U.S. who make little effort to provide for their families; do we really want to enable them by distributing the income of folks who have gained their wealth through blood, sweat, and tears? I know the other side of this argument already: Perhaps we should only heavily tax the people who received large inheritances or had unexpected luck with stocks, since they didn't have to work too hard; and we should only distribute money to those truly in need. These are good ideas, but they introduce all kinds of other questions: Who decides who "deserves" to have higher taxes? Who decides who "deserves" to take rich peoples' money?
From the Declaration:
"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."
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are gifts that I wish upon all mankind, and I will fight and sacrifice for them to receive these gifts, whether in the U.S. or other countries. This is why I am such a big supporter of our military. Other countries do not have a right to our help; we are giving our families' lives freely for the sake of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" for people who aren't even in our country.
This may not seem like such a big deal. Why does it matter if I fight for freedom because it is a gift, and you fight for freedom because you believe people deserve it? And it's probably not as big of a deal as I'm making it. The difference is not really in our motives, but in the way people accept our efforts.
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