Natural Law Rights Theory and Leftist-Rightist Warfare

[Polycarp]

In this thread, ostensibly about whether a driver’s license is a privilege or right, spingears devoted the majority of his OP to this quote from one Walter Williams:

@Walter Williams

“The idea that government doesn’t grant rights is offensive to those who wish to control our lives. Therefore, to gain greater control, the idea of natural rights, God-given rights and Christian values must be suppressed. The idea that rights precede government was John Locke’s natural law philosophy, which had a significant influence on our nation’s founders, but they chose to refer to natural law as rights endowed by the Creator. The attack on Christian ideas and Christian public displays is part and parcel of the Leftist control agenda in another way. Certain components of the Leftist agenda require that our primary allegiance be with government. As such, there must be an attack on allegiances to the teachings of the church and family. After all, for example, if you want popular acceptance of homosexual marriages, there must be a campaign against church teachings that condemn such practices. Emboldened by their successes in the courts and intimidation of public officials, Leftists will no doubt make other demands; there’s no logical end point except complete Christian capitulation. There are Christian symbols and exhibits in many Washington, DC, government buildings that will come down, such as: Moses with the Ten Commandments inside the U.S. Supreme Court, George Washington praying in the Capitol Building, Abraham Lincoln’s speech mentioning God carved inside the Lincoln Memorial. Religious programming on the radio and television will come under attack. After all, there’s Federal Communications Commission permission to use the ‘public airwaves.’ If Leftists say they have no such intention to go after television, radio and other public expressions of Christianity, what they really mean is that they haven’t softened us up enough yet. I’m not quite sure of just how we should respond to the ongoing attack on Christianity and American values, but we’d better do something quickly.” --Walter Williams

IMO, there is so much wrong with the premises in this quote that no single argument will do it justice.

There is, in my mind, a big difference between the individual right to worship God as one chooses (or to not do so based on one’s own understanding of reality), and the presumed assault on Christian values which Mr. Williams suggests is going on.

IMO, the problem lies in the issue that anyone convinced of what God wants is going to pursue getting others to buy into that conviction. That includes me; I am fortunate in that I believe that what God commands, above all else, is a set of behaviors that amount to decent treatment and respect of others and of their rights. But for the more conservative Christian, what is seen by most people as “not pushing your religion on others” is an assault on basic values.

I said to spingears that most of Mr. Williams’s arguments were suitable only for epithets best left to the Pit – and in consequence, I’ve copied the quote over here where it can be “analyzed” in the manner that Pit participants are so good at.

[World_Eater]

Man would this world be a nice place if everyone was as levelheaded as you Poly.

[Steve_MB]

@Walter Williams

Religious programming on the radio and television will come under attack. After all, there’s Federal Communications Commission permission to use the ‘public airwaves.’

The problem is that the Religious Right rejects the one and only position (that neither they, nor Howard Stern, nor anybody else is to be subjected to the judgments of the Federal Communications Commision) that can permanently protect them from this outcome.

[Larry_Borgia]

Precisely, SteveMB.

When anyone starts talking about “natural law” be afraid. Be very afraid.

What they mean by “Natural Law” is “What I and my friends think is right, and no we don’t have to justify it, because it’s natural.”

Furthermore, what we have here is more of the usual Fundie reveling in their beloved sense of persecution and victimization, which would be annoying in itself, but is positively enraging considering the amount of money, power, and influence they actually posess.