“I used this opportunity as a blank slate to help my students understand that their rights are intrinsic and do not come from a man, they do not come from a government. Our rights come from a creator,” Lopez said in his speech. “And once you acknowledge that your rights come from a creator, they can’t be taken away by a man or a government.”

Separation of church-state?

A question to ponder:

What human “rights” are granted in the Bible by the Creator?

Seems to me that most of what the Creator established for human life was responsibility, not “rights.”*

After their expulsion from the perfect garden, humanity had orders:

—to work for sustenance from the earth by the sweat of their bodies.
—to multiply their kind through pain and suffering.

Some rights!

Most of what comes later in the Biblical narrative involves gifts and mandates, not rights. For example:

—To Noah, salvage a remnant of humanity from wrathful destruction, with no rights but with responsibilities to preserve and repopulate.
—To Abraham, claim a territory previously occupied by other human beings, without respect to anyone’s rights.
—To Moses, correct and organize a human population by way of laws which enumerate directions and restrictions, but not rights.

Jumping way ahead: Did Jesus claim human rights for himself or anyone else? Did Jesus claim divine rights? According to the biblical narrative, Jesus voluntarily gave up both a human right to life and a divine right to power.** Without this surrender of “rights,” the resurrection story would not have unfolded.

For further reflection:

From the Biblical narrative, please enumerate the God-given rights which cannot be taken away by a man or a government. Be specific and concrete. Give examples.

Discuss situations in which God-given rights apply to “love the Lord your God…and your neighbor as yourself”*** and “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.”****

*Genesis 1 though 10; Genesis 12ff; Exodus; Deuteronomy 11ff.
**John 10:14-18
***Mark 12:28-34
****Micah 6:7