Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, a God Given Right
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Written by Jimmie Burroughs 
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Thomas Jefferson, in 1971, said these words, which are engraved on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington: “God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?”
On July 4, 1776, the United States of America declared its independence from England, letting the world know that America was free. July 4th is more than just a celebration, and a time to set off fireworks; it is the recognition of the inalienable and natural right to life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness, a God given right, that we are blessed with in America.
America was the first nation in the history of the world to draw a line in the sand and say that it was willing to fight and die to preserve the rights of individuals to be free from the tyranny of dictatorship.
When Thomas Jefferson wrote that famous line the right to life, liberty and property, he was not the first to conceive the idea. It was another English philosopher John Lodke (1623-1704) who dreamed of and wrote about the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Although, America was the first fully to implement the philosophy of freedom in its constitution, others would follow its example: Just 13 years after America declared its right to freedom, and only five days after the US passed the “Bill of Rights”, the French also declared their natural right to “liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression.”
Since then, other nations have followed suit with similar phrases added to their national documents, including Canada, Japan, Vietnam and many others. The declaration of Independence, as we know it today, didn’t suddenly come about in 1776. It was a dream many centuries before in England. The first step towards freedom was taken in 1215 by the Magna Carta, which was signed by King John of England, and limited the arbitrary power of the king over the people.
Others steps toward freedom would follow: The Petition of Right (1628), the Habeas Corpus Act (1679), and the Bill of Rights (1689) – each of these claimed a bit more freedom for the individual. It was all these that charted the course toward freedom that consummated in the American Declaration of Independence. It was more than just independence from a king or a country; it was liberty from any and all tyranny in every form.
Since America declared its independence on July 4, 1776, it has had to defend its stand starting with the mother country England and many times since. The red in the flag of the United Stated is in reminder of the bloodshed to preserve our liberty.
The Preamble of the Constitution of the United States so apply states America’s determination for individual freedom: “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Conclusion
The inalienable rights of the Individual come from God. God made us to have freedom of choice in all matters. He even gave to mankind the freedom to receive or reject him. It is amazing today how hard the world in general tries to find any way possible to avoid believing in God, evolution being one. Evolution is so far-fetched that not even a fool would believe it were there another alternative other than believing in God. Ironically, one day when God reveals himself with all his power on this earth, there will still be some whose hearts are so hardened towards God that they will still refuse to accept him, but rather will call upon the mountains to fall upon them and hide them from his face.
Rejecting God consistently causes the heart to grow hard. There is a place in time when the hardness of heart will become a point of no return and the person’s fate is sealed forever. To go into eternity without God means that a person will be separated from God’s love forever, alone and separated from all those they knew in life. That is an overwhelming thought. Don’t let that happen to you! If you are a person who is searching for truth and trying to make sense out of life, please take time to at least consider a relationship with God.
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