Does the question about whether our rights are granted by man or God require an either/or answer?
In a commentary published on the Feb. 21 Opinion page, columnist Cal Thomas asserted our rights are granted by God. He wrote: "When government believes it can create or take away rights, it becomes a god unto itself and potentially endangers those rights. The only way to preserve them for ourselves and our posterity is to acknowledge they come from a higher place."
The column touched off an exchange of letters published in the "Your Opinion" forum. Among them have been two authors with decidedly opposing views.
In response to the commentary, Dewey Thompson wrote in a letter published Feb. 25: "Liberties, laws, rights and privileges are granted by man, in the form of the government that exists in the sovereign state."
Steve Sampson, in a letter published March 10, disagreed. "Just because the U.S. Supreme Court or we the people say something is okay, doesn't make it okay." He cited quotes from Patrick Henry and John Quincy Adams, and concluded: "Rights are granted by God, not man."
The dialogue continues with other letter writers weighing in, and with additional historical facts and relevant quotes cited.
On the day Thomas's commentary was published, we raised a related question not about the source of our rights, but of our values. We wrote in February: "The rights and laws cited by Thomas are largely external. Rights are granted to a person; laws are imposed on people to limit and direct their behavior. People asked about the source of their values tend to credit their faith, their parents, their teachers, etc. - and the commandments, laws and lessons they have created."
Federal, state and local governments - from the founding of our nation to the present - are collections of men and women, with varying levels of a faith and a belief in differing higher powers. In addition, they are guided by their experience, education and ethics.
Governments act to prescribe and proscribe human behavior, not unlike divine guidance outlined, for example, by the 10 Commandments in the Bible or the laws in other religions. A key difference may be whether violators are punished in this life or the next.
But back to the question: Are our rights granted by government or by God?
In so far as man's law emulates divine guidance, a reasonable answer is both.