You probably read it here in one of my earlier posts.

It's from a short science fiction story called, "We Hold These Rights" wherein the asteroid belt civilization is preparing to rebel against the Earth government.

A three man mining ship is given the job of destroying a navigation beacon. Two of them are "patriotic", fighting to protect their "rights". The third is a new hand, whom the first two conclude is a coward because he won't get enthusiastic about the fight.

Ships in this story travel by pressor/tractor beams. When they get to the beacon, an asteroid, they see an Earth patrol ship waiting. While the first two are trying to figure out how to destroy the beacon anyway, the 3rd guy locks himself in the engine room and orders them to plot a course away from the beacon as fast as possible. Outraged, but having no choice, they plot the course, and begin fleeing.... and the beacon and patrol ship go up in a tremendous explosion.

The third guy had send a beam to Jupiter, and when it bounced back he cut their ship out of the "circuit", leaving the beacon to absorb the incoming gravitational potential of Jupiter...

One of the "patriots" goes down and tries to relate to the "coward", and only manages to freak him out.

He tries to explain that rights don't exist; there's only power and action. He didn't have a right to destroy a beacon worth more than he'd make in all his life; he did it because he had the power to do it and a decent chance to get away with it. Because he didn't want to be ruled by Earth, NOT because he had a right not to be ruled by Earth. In the end he says (from memory) "Clement Ster, if you have to lie, steal, kill, then do it, but have the character to take responsibility for it."

The DoI does *not* refer to natural rights... but God Given rights.

Just Christianity? Why not Judaism? Hinduism? Islam (ok, I'll give you that one).

People lived like animals for hundreds of thousands of years.

Theology always began, everywhere, as an attempt to understand the universe about us. Pre-scientific science.

As a practical matter, Christianity served as an attempt to get men to live with one another peacefully, to value one another as individuals.

It is Christianity that saved the world from Islam. But you don't care about that, do you?

Just what IS your grudge, db? Why is your blind hatred so strong that it causes you to ignore historic reality?

ironically, I'm watching "The Agony and the Ecstasy" at the moment.

One of the bishops tries to explain to Michelangelo that Pope Julius took up the sword to preserve an independent church as a bulwark of freedom against the kings who will always be wanting more power. Kings who would make Christianity a tool for their own power lust, as did Henry VIII...

Yes, Plato was such a devout Christian.

I don't believe you're right, but it's not worth a fight.

What is that quote from? Sounds to me like something that Heinlein would write, but I cannot place it.

And if you read that quote from the DofI, the full quote is that those "natural rights" are "endowed by their creator" - or given to us from God.

Calling Christianity "anti-reason, anti-learning and anti-human" is itself irrational bigotry and not based in history.

Many of the world's greatest scientists were devout Christians.

"I am in earnest about faith, I do not play with it" - Johannes Kepler on his refusal to convert to Catholocism.

Seriously, was your father a Bible-thumping fundamentalist preacher who beat you for playing with yourself?

Your attacks on Christianity are more and more clearly emotion-based and irrational.

No. The power and control of humans that served as Popes was the cause, not the philosophy. You always get that wrong.

You are full of crap.

What's the matter? Was your daddy a Bible-thumping fundamentalist who spanked you for playing with yourself?

Evidence: From George Wahington's first inaugural speech - Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge.

President George Washington was an Episcopalian. He was a member of the Episcopal Church, the American province of the Anglican Communion, which is a branch of Christianity, and which is usually classified as Protestant.

To say that what he spoke in his inaugural address wasn't in relation to a Christian God is disingenuous.

The founders were mostly of Christian theocracy, although from different branches. They also recognized that not all were and that some had no belief in a supreme being. Thus, they chose to craft their language in as broad a fashion as possible. That said, they all were steeped in Judeo/Christian ethos and it permeates their documents and is oft identified as a fundamental tenet for understanding and interpreting the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

theists, not deists.

They were critical of all sorts of oppressive situations, including an oppressive gov't. That doesn't mean that they were anarchists, merely wanting to ensure that people had the right to their own beliefs, not to be subjected to those of someone else.

NEITHER IS ROMAN OR GREEK LAW.

British common law came into existence in approx 1761 as a compilation of... common British law. Kind of the way the 12 tables of Roman law came into being.

And I'm glad you say that British common law is not part of the Constitution; that way next time SCOTUS refers to British common law definitions for, say Article 2, section 1, clause 5, they'll stand corrected.

If you run across one, stop in. They're delicious burgers and I'm particularly fond of the pot roast sandwich, mmm mmm gooood!