Voices: God-given rights

May 02, 2008 11:27 am

— Shawn Sparlin (Globe, April 18) seemed to be upset by some comments made to an atheist speaking to the Illinois Legislature.
He was so perturbed, he misquoted a passage from the Bible that refers to hating the failings of man (woman also, I suspect but can’t prove).
I feel Mr. Sparlin misunderstands many things, including the notion that government can grant rights. If I’m not mistaken, the beauty of the U. S. government is that it works under the precept that only God grants “rights.”
Whatsoever you do or do not believe about God, the only proper and just action any authority can do is to recognize these God-given rights. I suppose if you don’t believe in God then perhaps you have no God-given rights? Maybe this explains the present push to remove anything connected with the notion of God from government.
No God, no rights, government may do as it pleases. Separation of church and state does not mean destruction of the latter for the idolizing of the former.
Separation should not be construed as mutually exclusive; they can co-exist yet remain separate. I suspect Mr. Sparlin believes atheists should speak, yet those who have faith speak not?
Francis G. Biss II
Neosho