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.

Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

As sacred as these words are to many of us, they are not Scripture, but a social compact; the work of men. On this day of all days, I think we should remember that. The thing I find most impressive about these words is the fact that in our first National document, our founders recognized the one thing that makes us different from most others, the fact that we recognize that our rights and liberties come not from the State, but from God alone. These were men who believed that their former government had begun to rescind their rights as citizens, in fact many thought that their government had never recognized them as Englishmen at all, but as mere Colonials who were subservient to Englishmen generally.

But the Rights of Man come only from Almighty God.

I hope that today, as we celebrate once again our independence, that we will ponder this fundamental question: Were the founders right; do human rights come from God, or are they granted by the State? I ask this because in today’s world, this foundational proposition is not very popular. In this time when constitutions are said to live and breathe and change in their meanings to suit the current expedience, many seem to think that rights come from Court decisions, and that they can be given and taken away .

So, why not think it over… and then decide for yourself.