Newsworthy News — When the Speaker of the House says Americans’ rights come from God—not government—he revives a foundational promise and a fierce modern fight over who actually guards your liberty. Speaker Mike Johnson cited the Declaration of Independence to argue rights are endowed by a Creator, not granted by the state. Johnson linked the claim to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to frame a civic creed that must be taught and defended.
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I agree that rights don’t “come from the government.” The government can and should guarantee rights. For example, when did women “get “ the right to vote? They always had the right to vote but it was denied and not protected in the US until the 19th amendment was ratified in 1920. Previously, many states had extended or protected the right of women to vote.
The “right “ didn’t come into existence when it was ratified. Women didn’t get the right, they always had it and it was always denied. The rights are human rights, they transcend any government; they are eternal. Whether they come from God or some other source outside government is a matter of how one understands universal concepts such as justice or rightness. If Speaker Johnson is speaking of the God described in the Hebrew and Christian holy texts, it is insensitive or arrogant, however if that God is understood as an old fashioned statement about universal truths, I would agree with that sentiment.
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