Why the Religious Right is Wrong When it Claims G-d is the Origin of Our Rights
By
David Gottfried
ON THE ORIGIN OF OUR RIGHTS:
The religious right often says that we have rights because of G-d, because G-d gave us these rights. We hear it so often, unquestioned, that it is verily a part of the conventional wisdom.
This idea never made any sense to me. It appears that G-d only wanted to saddle us with rules and order and a series of religious laws. Indeed. the bible is filled to the brim with injunctions and prohibitions. I can recall no verses from either of the testaments telling us that we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Furthermore, I doubt if most religions spend much time advising the flock of their inherent rights to liberty, etc. Indeed, religion, through the ages, has been like an asthma attack, denying us the right to breathe deeply of the natural and sensual world. The idea that G-d is an authorization or fount for liberty seems nonsensical, like something spurting out of a psychotic’s mouth. The Old Testament tells us that we are made in the image of G-d, but this is far from a license to be free. On the contrary, it can be interpreted as meaning that since we are made in His image, we are compelled to be Godly – virtuous, morally irreproachable, chaste and miserable.
I think we have rights because we have endured the fate of being born. We never asked to be born. But we are born. Therefore, we have the right to make our lives feel worthwhile, comfortable and happy.
Besides, if religious people believe we should be virtuous, and kind to other people who have endured the fate of being born, then it should be in favor of us being happy and free. Religious scolds living lonely lives of penitence and prayer are not the sort of people who are in the mood to spread good cheer. On the contrary, they often want to make you as miserable as they are.