The Three Divine Rights in the Declaration of Independence

The most powerful words written by mankind are the following in the Declaration of Independence:

“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, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The Three Divine Rights written into the Declaration of independence (Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness) have a trinitarian dimension. Through the following reflections I hope to invigorate ManHusbandDad’s to live out the Twelve Righteous Virtues in a way that will sanctify our nation.

We need to first understand why the Founding Fathers chose these three specific rights and chose the order in which they are written. Through tremendous reflection, prayer, and study, our Founding Fathers came to realize that life is the foundation upon which everything in the human experience builds. In other words, without life there is no liberty or the pursuit of happiness. This is why our Founding Fathers put “Life” first on the list.

Liberty comes second, because without liberty, we cannot pursue happiness. Even within the broad strokes of liberty, the Bill of Rights are ordered in a specific hierarchy. The First Amendment to the Constitution beautifully articulates that:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The freedom of religion comes first before the freedom of speech because the Founders understood that without us being free to worship God and God being center in our lives, our nation would not be able to function and we would not be at liberty to speak out publicly or to petition our government. This truth can be seen in the real life examples in the former Soviet Union and present day communist China where freedom of religion was stamped out, as were other forms of liberty.

ManHusbandDads of today need to study American history and understand it in order to be successful leaders in the workforce, at home, etc. We in this society have ceased to embrace the Twelve Righteous Virtues and have wandered off the path to sanctification. It is the responsibility of every ManHusbandDad to live out these virtues and implement them throughout our society.

Next, I will explore the “right to life” as it is in the Declaration of Independence, and the trinitarian nature of this Divine right. It is my hope and prayer that this series will enrich the faith of every ManHusbandDad and make a more holy and active citizenry in our blessed nation. God bless America!