Then I assume *Man* determines what rights are in the best interest in society. If that's the case and our rights come from man then man can take them right away..Dis-Agree or Agree?
Wouldn't this type of philospohy bring about dicatorship, communism...
Do you trust a leader that much that he would have such power to give and take away your rights? Rights that are GOD Given
why would you want it any other way?
2007-07-09 04:01:53 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
They are given and taken away by MEN.
Case: dictatorships and communist regims EXIST.
Human rights are NOT the same in every society. I suspect you've led a sheltered life...
2007-07-09 04:06:04 · answer #1 · answered by mark r 4 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Yes, man does determine the rights.
Whats right and wrong changes with time and with the society associated with it.
You're mistaking gvt for the people. They are NOT the same thing. Corrupt gvt exists which is why the people are the ones that actually have all the power, no matter what type of gvt it is.
It is THE PEOPLE that determine right and wrong, and the gvt that enforces it.... usually. In the US, its becoming more and more that the gvt does whatever the heck it wants and the people just keep taking it because the gvt says "I'm Christian".
Did you know that it was common, during the Roman era, that men had boy lovers? That these men had to teach these boys how to become men by doing so?
Or how about when women were seen as nothing more than items to be traded (yes by the Christians) between two men?
The Aztecs thought that human sacrifice (litteral human sacrifice where they pulled out the heart of the victim) would appease their powerful gods.
Those don't exist anymore do they? No, because global society has changed.
Morals, and rights, change as society changes.
And last I looked, the Christian god wasn't all that big on rights.
Go study history, anthropology (the study of people) and read up your bible a little more (the Christian god is very hateful towards differences. While many of us are trying to fight for things like "gay rights", the Christian god tries to take them away).
You have some learning to do.
2007-07-09 11:18:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
This isn't a question, this is your typical rant that atheists can't be moral because they don't believe in God.
Take a good look at theocracies and what they have brought. You might want to start with the Taliban.
Also, if you believe rights are GOD given, then WHO'S God ? Since governments are run by MEN, then HUMANS decide which God rules. Since there are varying beliefs amoung humans as to which God is the true God, humans who crave power and wish to engrave God's name on thier power will seek to crush those who believe in God differently or don't believe in God at all. This type of philosophy has led to witch burnings, the crusades, the inquisitions.
Do you really trust MAN to have the power to tell you if and how to believe in God ?
Also, Hiltler was Catholic, Need I say more about his human rights record ?
Note to Steve N: The word "God" appears nowhere in the constitution. Below is an online link. SHOW us where the word "God" appears. You are probobly confusing the constitution with the Declaration of Indpendence, which mentions "Nature's God" and the "creator".
The second link is part of the constitution link, and is titled "Things that are NOT in the consititution". "God" is on the list of things NOT found in the constitution.
2007-07-09 11:10:20 · answer #3 · answered by queenthesbian 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Man given.
Look at the history of slavery.
God says it is O.K.
Man now says it is not.
I do not trust a single leader. IMHO the current American leader needs to be impeached for taking away the rights that the Constitution gave us. (Having been written by men.) The men who wrote the Constitution did not trust a single leader, that is why it takes more than just a plain majority of the house to change the Constitution.
If god gave you your rights, then as a woman you have little to no rights. I assume that you do what the men tell you to, keep quiet in church and do not vote.
2007-07-09 11:18:13 · answer #4 · answered by Simon T 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
"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."
"Creator" doesn't necessarily equate to "God" - particularly considering that Jefferson referenced "the Laws of Nature" as a separate entity earlier in the Declaration.
That being said, if you don't believe that Man is already determining what rights are in the best interest in society, then why do you think we have police and a justice system?? Why are there laws?
And why are some of the most dictatorial, horrific governments those that are based on theocracies and "the laws of God" as opposed to democracies?
2007-07-09 11:08:28 · answer #5 · answered by Nandina (Bunny Slipper Goddess) 7 · 6⤊ 0⤋
>If you don't believe a human beings rights are GOD Given?
>Then I assume *Man* determines what rights are in the best interest in society.
Then you assume wrong. I do not believe that rights are chosen by sentient beings at all, I think they're something that is ingrained in the way logic works when dealing with sentient beings. Sort of like how sentient beings did not decide that 41*73=2993, but rather figured it out logically.
2007-07-09 11:05:54 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
If rights are god given, why have they changed over the years?
Why can women vote and own property? Why aren't Black people still slaves? Free speech is man made, I don't see that in the bible. And the right to freedom of religion - that is so against your God, the first 4 commandmants prohibit any such thing.
2007-07-09 11:06:42 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 10⤊ 0⤋
The writers of Biblical texts clearly thought that kings were the rightful rulers in the ancient world. Those kings *were* dictators.
For generations, kings claimed their "divine right" to rule with absolute power. King James commissioned the King James Bible with a more pro-monarchy message, in response to the Swiss "Geneva" Bible, which was more anti-monarchy.
The concept of rights was popularized during the Age of Reason, when people started to question the literal interpretation of the Bible.
2007-07-09 11:38:01 · answer #8 · answered by Robin W 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
>>If you don't believe a human beings rights are GOD Given?
Then I assume *Man* determines what rights are in the best interest in society<<
No. Human rights are just logical.
2007-07-09 11:16:37 · answer #9 · answered by Spookshow Baby 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The idea that rights are god given has caused more wars than probably anything else around. Is everyone entitled to certain human rights? Sure but those are still decided upon and given at the whims of men.
2007-07-09 11:15:16 · answer #10 · answered by ndmagicman 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
You may not have noticed but history is full of dictatorships. Man-made rights can indeed be taken away if the people don't value them highly enough to defend them.
One of the principal rights under threat at the moment is the right to have our children educated with the truth rather than religious lies dressed up as fact.
The last type of leader I would trust is one who claims to have some form of god-given power to decide what is right or wrong. These people are the true dictators of history - they set up dictatorships and are protected by people's religious beliefs because they make themselves synonymous with god. No-one dare question them because to do so would be to question god and the punishments for doing so are usually severe.
I want my leaders to be accountable to ME, not to some make-believe character. I want to be able to vote my leaders out of power without being accused of heresy. I don't want religious police walking the streets of my town or trials of people who just happen to hold different beliefs to some despot who has set himself up as god's exclusive representative on earth.
If you want to see what happens in such a state when the leader assumes the role of god then look no futher than Afghanistan under the Taliban, Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia. Anyone who wants a leader with a direct line to god is insane.
2007-07-09 11:04:49 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 1⤋