Equal Rights

"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." •

If anybody knows what it's like to be treated unequally, it would be America's founding generation. The inspiration to give credit to the highest authority is evident in our Declaration of Independence that expresses great frustration with an oppressive, tyrannical government. The authors of this document understood that the ethical foundations of justice and equality were authored by their Creator and transcended government. Each signer took a great risk, and many lost their homes due to retaliation for doing what they knew to be true and right. John F. Kennedy expressed commitment to this legacy in his 1961 "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You" Inaugural Address; "And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God."

This same principle inspired George Washington's position nearly two centuries earlier, "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." This is why the Ten Commandments Exodus 20:1-17 are posted in most judicial buildings. These moral mandates encourage us to take the focus of our lives off of ourselves, and outlines how we are to honor God and to respect others. These principles were the basis for our founding fathers to emphasize our responsibility, rather than our rights. It was the Biblical principles of equality that influenced the long-overdue abolition of slavery in both the U.S. and the U.K. Jesus summed up all of the Ten Commandments into two. Matthew 22:36-40 By simply loving the way He loves, all the others are accomplished.

In God's eye's, we're all equal, regardless of race, gender, occupation, nationality if we are in His family. Galatians 3:26-29 But if anybody knows what it's like to be treated unequally, it would be the Son. His mission on earth was motivated by love and compassion. No one respected and cared for women and children more than Jesus—or the physically challenged, or the socially outcast, or the financially impoverished. Yet, He was persecuted and suffered Isaiah 53:3 most indignantly.• Talk about unfair. 2 Corinthians 5:21 Unjust. Hebrews 2:9 Undeserved. Luke 23:22 Romans 3:25 Yet He willingly followed through with His ultimate plan—giving up His own rights—for our sakes. Isaiah 53:5 Colossians 1:21-22

Just as we enjoy equal rights that our Creator has endowed upon us, we too, are to 'give up our rights' and set aside our own desires in order to protect the rights of others. Philippians 2:3-4 Jesus was the author of humanitarian aid when He told us to care for widows and orphans. James 1:27 So when we help feed the homeless, or protect the pre-born, or comfort the terminally ill, or babysit for a single mom, or ship necessities to a soldier, or bring clothes to a battered women's shelter, or do whatever else is right for the sake of Jesus, He will acknowledge our efforts eternally. Matthew 25:34-40 Colossians 3:23-24

"Learn to do right!" •

"Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow." —Isaiah