II. HUMAN RIGHTS ARE ENDOWED TO THE PEOPLE A. WHERE DO OUR HUMAN RIGHTS COME FROM?

WHO GAVE THEM TO US? a. HUMAN RIGHTS - are rights which some hold to be "inalienable" and belonging to all humans. They are necessary
for freedom and the maintenance of a "reasonable" quality of life.

Natural Law (Natural Human Rights) -is law that reflects the natural order of the universe, essentially the will of the gods who control nature. Civil Rights (Human Rights Granted by the Constitution) - those rights that define our relationship to the government. Rights such as the right to petition the government, no double jeopardy, and warrants being issued on the basis of probable cause come from the Constitution and define how we are related to the government. These rights are a means to an end, that end being greater protection from arbitrary governmental power.

B. WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT COME FROM HUMAN RIGHTS? RESPONSIBILITY MORAL AND ETHICAL SOCIETY RIGHTS C. COMMON RESPONSIBILITY OF CITIZENSHIP OBEY THE LAW
-Obey all government laws that do not conflict with Gods laws so that We dont offend God or our moral beliefs by violating His laws. We dont hurt our fellow citizens or burden our government in prosecuting or punishing us for our crimes.

PAY TAXES
-If not

for the taxes you pay, the government wont have enough money for infrastructure projects. Without these infrastructure projects, you wouldnt enjoy the luxury of driving on well-maintained roads. There wont be bridges to connect various roads or dams to supply enough water either. -Without taxes, you wont be able to enjoy such benefits and services, thats why its important that you always pay your taxes on time.

PERFORM CIVIC DUTY SUCH AS COMMUNITY SERVICE - doing something nice for someone and don't get caught, example do something nice and don't tell
anyone about it. That way you are truly doing something to help another without the selfish motivation of getting credit for it. It's also a good exercise in humility.

SERVE IN THE MILITARY -the moral/value is to help the COUNTRY and the PEOPLE in it so that their families and friends can
live without being harmed by something. they protect everyone else from getting hurt.

PARTICIPATE IN ELECTION -important way to voice your opinions regarding elected leaders and overall policies; voting also helps
you decide your own future by electing a person who might reflect your own views.

D. LIVE FOR THE GREATER GOOD

- you must put the happiness of others ahead of your own. - the quality of not putting yourself first but being willing to give your happiness for others

E. BUILDING UNITY AND PEACE THROUGH SHARED VALUES

- Human interactions should be governed by rules of respect - respect is something that people have to earn. It is not given to those who live respectably! You have to prove yourself for each individual, and individuals don't have the same idea of dignity or respect. Don't lose yourself in the socially promoted "virtues", everything you do will be seen by someone as something respectable, you just have to know exactly who you are dealing with. -the most important thing to remember is that you should never do anything to show others. You should do good works without any personal interest. Automatically you will gain respect from others.

Do our rights come from the Constitution? The Constitution with its Bill of Rights mentions many freedoms like the First Amendment freedoms (religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition) as well as other freedoms that are stated in the form of protections (like no cruel and unusual punishment). But its one thing to say that the Constitution mentions such rights; its quite another to say that the Constitution is the source of those rights. So, do we get our rights from the Constitution? The short answer is yes and no. Some of our rights come from the Constitution while others do not. This essay is devoted to helping you to better make the distinction between the two.

Human Rights Granted by the Constitution

What rights are given to us by the Constitution? It is those rights that define our relationship to the government. Rights such as the right to petition the government, no double jeopardy, and warrants being issued on the basis of probable cause come from the Constitution and define how we are related to the government. These rights are a means to an end, that end being greater protection from arbitrary governmental power. What about the right to vote? It may surprise you to know that the Constitution does not guarantee you a right to vote. What it does say is that right to vote cannot be abridged on the basis of race or former servitude (15th Amendment), gender (19th Amendment), or those eighteen years of age or older (26th Amendment). These amendments do not grant the right to vote. Rather, they assume that the right to vote exits and that that right cannot be taken away under the conditions specified in the amendment.

Human Rights Not Granted by the Constitution

That brings me to the second type of right. Some rights do not emanate from the Constitution. Such rights are outside the orbit of the Constitution and are sometimes referred to as natural rights. The Constitution does not say that you have a right to practice your religion, speak publically, own a firearm, or write and publish a book. What it does say is that Congress cannot prohibit or abridge those freedoms. Now, in order for the Constitution to place a prohibition on Congress, we can assume that you are in possession of those rights that Congress cannot obstruct. Historically, our founders have said that such rights are unalienable which implies that these rights cannot be taken from the citizen. If they came from the Constitution or from government, they would not be unalienable. But, what is the source of these unalienable rights? In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson said that these unalienable rights are endowed by their Creator. So these rights do come from authority, but not human authority. They are the bestowments of Divine authority. The role that the government plays with regard to these rights is to secure them. This is one reason why the ACLUs interpretation of the separation of church and state is a perversion of American ideals. Neither the government nor the people in their collective capacity are the source of our most basic rights. Rather they are the deliverances of our Creator. Consider these quotes which reflect this basic understanding of the source of our rights:

The rights of the colonists as Christians...may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institution of the great Law Giver and Head of the Christian Church, which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament. ~ Samuel Adams And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a Gift of God? ~ Thomas Jefferson Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God. ~ Benjamin Franklin Our government rests upon religion. It is from that source that we derive our reverence for truth and justice, for equality and liberty, and for the rights of mankind. Unless the people believe in these principles they cannot believe in our government. ~ Alexander Hamilton Natural liberty is a gift of the beneficent Creator, to the whole human race; and that civil liberty is founded in that; and cannot be wrested from any people, without the most manifest violation of injustice. ~ Calvin Coolidge The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. ~ John F. Kennedy History comes and goes, but principles endure and ensure future generations to defend liberty - not a gift of government, but a blessing from our Creator. ~ Ronald Reagan

From these quotes, we can make the reasonable inference that our Constitution is predicated upon a belief in God. As the liberal justice William O. Douglas once remarked We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being (Zorach v. Clauson [1952]). Atheistic views like those advanced by the ACLU undermine this first principle and would have our freedoms predicated upon the benevolence of the government. But how do we know that such rights are a grant of the Creator? We can reasonably assume that men and women are granted those rights that make it possible to conduct themselves morally and responsibly. Since the American government came about within the context of Christianity, we can look to the Bible for guidance as to what freedoms would be those that are grounded in a transcendent morality and those that are the whims of people. Finally, it goes without saying that no one has a right to do what is immoral. No one has a right to kill an unborn child or to engage in homosexual behavior. In short, our most cherished libertiesincluding the freedom to write and publish this paperare recognized by the Constitution, but they are not the product of it. Such freedoms are the deliverances of our Creator; a gift from God.