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AN INVITATION TO AUTHORITARIAN RULE Przybyla ’ s comments reveal the true agenda of many progressives today : to acknowledge no authority higher than the state and no legitimate rulers other than secular progressives . After all , if God is removed as the source of rights , the only source left is the state itself , governed by secular ideologues who are determined to rid our nation ’ s legal and political institutions of any transcendent vestige .
“ This [ view that God endows basic human rights ] is not some kind of religious nationalism or sectarianism ,” Bishop Robert Barron said . “ It ’ s one of the sanest principles of our democratic governance , that our rights come from God . Yes , government exists to secure these rights , the Declaration says — not to produce them .”
Indeed , suppose our society follows the cues of Przybyla and her ilk , severing our legal and political institutions from any transcendent grounding . In that case , we will find ourselves under the severe lash of an authoritarian government that can , on a whim , abolish the same rights they “ gave ” us to begin with .
A PRIVATE OR PUBLIC FAITH ? Why would Przybyla give herself permission to render a verdict on topics of which she knows so little ? Because her endgame is pragmatic ; she , like so many secular progressives , wants Christians to keep their faith private . She wants an entire generation of young Christians to cordon off their faith , taming it so that it doesn ’ t affect the public square or the voting booth .
But her tactics won ’ t work . Throughout history , most
If God is removed as the source of rights , the only source left is the state itself , governed by secular ideologues who are determined to rid our nation ’ s legal and political institutions of any transcendent vestige .
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human beings , no matter their global location or chosen religion , have believed in a transcendent moral law upon which their nation ’ s laws should be based . Without such transcendent guardrails , citizens are left with none other than the sheer self-interested political will of those in charge .
Moreover , our Founding Fathers and most Americans historically were correct that “ the right to life ” is among those God-given rights , meaning that every innocent human being — including unborn beings — should be protected by law and welcomed in life . Thus , Przybyla ’ s whole convoluted line of reasoning , an attempt to castigate pro-life Christians , is not only anti-Christian but politically confused , historically aberrant , and naively authoritarian .
The church would do well to follow the words of our Founding Father , George Washington , in his Farewell Address : “ Religion and morality are indispensable supports for our political prosperity .” This concept of biblical patriotism should be gladly embraced by the church . “ Christian ” is the most important aspect of my identity . However , God planted me in the United States of America , and he expects me to be the most faithfully Christian American I can possibly be . This I intend to do .
This article was written by Rob Pacienza on March 4 , 2024 , and has been printed with permission from the Family Research Council . Find out more about them on their website , washingtonstand . com .
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