Misunderstanding RIghts

 

There was a small controversy this week over comments by journalist named Heidi Przybyla about Christian nationalism. She did get something very important wrong, but it was not anything she said about Christian nationalism. It was what she implied about rights. People have unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Whether one believes these rights come from a supernatural source or from the nature, quality, and value of humanity, the essential point is that they are fundamental and unalienable. They are not gifts from kings, courts, or legislatures, and are not contingent upon the approval of officials. People in North Korea have the same rights as human beings as Americans do. They are enslaved because their government violates their rights. Taking the term “Christian nationalism” to mean the religious aspects of today’s national conservatism, as listed in the national conservatives’ manifesto, her criticism is mainly valid, irrespective of how well or poorly stated. America is a secular republic with religious freedom for all. Any attempt to create an established religion or a government created Christian commonwealth is contrary to the principles and Constitution of our country, which is to say it is anti-American.