When you leave God behind

I'm not an atheist.  Never have been, never will be. As world religions go I specifically believe in Christianity.   

In the world view I hold God exists and God is the creator of all things. I see order, beauty, intelligence and an interconnectedness to the universe, the world and mankind that points to a planned creation by a creator versus evolutionary chaos.  

I believe in a sovereign God that created human beings with free will, consciences, and the ability to do good or evil.  We aren't robots nor are we under the mind-control of a god who controls everything we think, say or do.  If you rob a bank you do so because you wanted to, not because you were predestined to or because you were forced to do it.  Did God know you were going to rob the bank - of course He did.  He's sovereign.  However, God allows humans to decide their course of actions while also requiring them to face the consequences of those actions.  Imagine.   God creates human beings with the ability to chart their own course, determine their own destinies and the ability to accept or reject the idea of being a created being vs an evolved being.  We have the absolute freedom of choice that most people say they want but shrink from when their choices involve consequences.  
"The devil made me do it, I was coerced, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, etc.".

The atheists however believe there is no God, no creator.  Mankind evolved along with the rest of the universe and we are on our own. Atheism seems to be on the rise in America, or atheists are simply getting more vocal.  Either way the idea of a sovereign creator God is under attack.  We have seen "In God we trust" taken off our coins and government buildings, creationism cannot be taught in the public schools as an alternative to evolution, the posting of the 10 commandments and nativity scenes removed from public and sometimes private lands, the ability to offer an invocation ending with "in Jesus name, Amen" removed from corporate prayer.  Even the basic concept that America is a Christian nation founded on Christian principles is being attacked.

Where does that leave us?  If mankind does not answer to nor is he  beholden to a higher power then mankind is sufficient unto his own.  He alone controls his destiny and he alone determines his fate. 

Our Declaration of Independence states at one point: "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"

Unalienable rights.  What are they?  They are rights that cannot be taken away nor given away.  They are absolute.  God-given rights that cultures and governments cannot deny to human beings.


Do you believe mankind has God-given rights and freedoms as our Declaration states?

Can you believe that if you are an atheist?

If you believe there is no God, no higher power that mankind answers to then you in turn must believe that any rights humans have are given to him by other humans.  Rights become subjective, open to the interpretation of other humans.  We lose the unalienable (absolute, untransferable, non-negotiable) God given rights and replace them with rights human governments decide we can or cannot have.  We alone are our own arbiters and we alone decide what rights humans have and whether those rights can be taken away.  

No more inalienable rights.  No inherent rights at all, simply government bestowed and government controlled rights that can be taken away in an instant.   Humans in control of governments at any point in time determining the fate of other humans.  Who ever is the most powerful (communists, fascists, nazis, progressive socialists, white supremacists, black panthers, Islamists, conservatives, liberals etc.) decide what rights we have.


When you leave God out of the equation you are left with humans. No higher power, simply humans with various opinions.  As our corporate human history has shown bullies, dictators and power hungry demagogues would be the sole arbiters of human rights.  Idi Amin the cannibal dictator, Hitler the killer of 6 million Jews, Stalin's and Mao's purges of millions of people who refused to accept communism.  

Like I stated at the beginning, I am no atheist.  Never have been and never will be.  I believe men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights - it works for me!!