(Christians) What about our rights...don't we have any?
353914
We have all the rights we refuse to abandon.  "Rights" must be preserved, honored and exercised in order to maintain them.  Eternal vigilance.  \n\nNOBODY can take away your right to freedom of speech unless you give up that right.  You may face conflict, but isn't that what Jesus told us would happen?  "Blessed are those who are hated for my name's sake."\n\n\nStand strong, put on the armor of God, and never give up your rights.
645518
Christianity is not about freedom. It is all about rules and forced belief. That is not freedom. If I cannot choose to be whatever I want - Jewish, Muslim, aethiest, or whatever - then you do not truly want freedom.\n\nIf you claim to want freedom, you must accept the freedom of someone else to kill you, even if that will mean they have removed your freedoms as a result. Freedom is paradoxical and you are a joker.
900107
We have the right to think whatever we want to think.  So therefore we have the right to pass judgement in our minds on anyone.  But I do NOT believe we have the right to outwardly judge any human being under any circumstances - I believe that is the sole right of our creator whoever or whatever that may be.  By speaking our judgement we use the power of our words and that action is wrong, in my opinion.  I am not going to say that I live up to that ideal 100% of the time but it's what I believe and I do try very hard to in my life.  Words are powerful and should be used with that in mind.
637883
God doesn't hold the patent to those i'm afraid.\n\nMany atheists are moral & ethical people, so get off cloud 9.\n\nI can do whatever I want, but you know what, I choose not to.  Not out of fear, or god's retribution, but because I don't want to do harmful things.  Isn't that better, I'm not doing it for some distant reward, but simply because I want to.
1116365
Right is right. 'Rights' are inalienable. 'Wrongs' need to be righted.\n\n'Rights' are not priviledges. They are not earned.\n\nBut, I aggree that freedom isn't free.
842154
As a married Heterosexual male, I have been wondering the same thing.  How does it effect us, and since it doesn't why do we think we have the right to tell gay people that they can't enjoy the same rights as us.  They pay taxes too, what ever happened to "taxation without representation"  I say Homosexuals should stop paying taxes untill they are afforded the same rights as us Heterosexuals.  They can't arrest every gay person in the country and If they tried,  It would be a hate crime in my eyes.  And I don't wanna hear "But the bible says..."  I am a Christian and I have two things to say about that 1) Let he who has no sin cast the first stone.  It's not our place to Judge.  2) Amendment 1.  We can't force people to follow Christian values because it is garunteed in the constitution.  Let em get married it aint gonna hurt you none.
1158579
You have just as much right to anything, you can even have your own club, news letter, if they can proclaim it you can, you have just as much right. check out this website, and there are some books on the rights of the student in school. You can do a whole lot more than you thought. I had my own newsletter and held meetings every morning, a prayer and bible reading meeting. In the open. This website also has books on the rights of teachers in the public schools, ... you'd be surprised.
641593
you have rights...you should know that...but not in the respect where church on sunday is concerned.  Apparently you were not a church goer then. perhaps corporation is looking at this with you in a totally different manner. if you want to do something about it go above the persons head who told you, you have to work it one sunday a month.
356251
Very, very good question. \n\nScripture tells us that we are to give up even our own lives for Christ. There is nothing we should hold before God. But life in this world is plagued with commercialism forever taunting us to "please self" and do away with God and His will. We, as Christians, NEED to get back to that place where NOTHING in this life interests us. That's a hard saying, but I think it's true.
137745
I am SO HAPPY you brought this up.  I have been trying to figure out how to bring up the exact same thing.\n\nI am a Christian woman.  I am also a VERY PROUD AMERICAN! I have stated elsewhere here that I think we live in the greatest country in the world. For that, I was accused of being biased on the rest of my answer to a question. My response was something to the effect of, You bet I am!\n\n http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AubWJu0Gnc1GUlucTx9SMdDsy6IX?qid=1006021204382\n\n\nNow with that said we are FAR from perfect. As often as this site has made me feel proud to be a Christian and an American, it has made me equally ashamed to be. Being able to honestly say that, makes me sadder than I can express to you.\n\nFor all the brilliant and wonderful people we have in this country, we also have some of the absolute, MOST ignorant! This is the land of freedoms and opportuntites. Unfortunately some people take their rights to be ignorant and stupid to extremes.\n\nNow granted, a portion of the problem, is the chronilogical age of some of the users. I think most people can recognize them and forgive them for their indiscretions here. There is good reason to believe that they will mature as they grow.\n\nThere are so many people here, who truly do not understand what an amazing thing we have here with Yahoo! Answers. I think there are just so many that do not realize that this really IS a direct link to the rest of the world. Instantly.\n\nI on occasion, go to the Politics and or Religions catagories. The "discussions"  that go on in some of these threads is amazing.  We can actually ask people that we are at war with, What do they think about it. Me! You! Everyone here! CAN actually talk to not only your friends and neighbors here, but ALSO those that we are at war with! Right NOW!  What greater tool for peace could there be. The potential is phenominal!  The war is no longer somewhere, on the other side of the world.  It is with the guy I was talking to about religion or politics or anything else, to last night before I went to bed. And you know what? He had to agree with some of my points, and I had to agree with some of his.  Sometimes we have no clue who, we are agreeing with!  Then you have people enter these threads, that just come out with the most assenine things. The worst of course was a man who claimed to be an Anerican Christian Doctor.  He would enter religious threads and start swearing at people who had a different opinion than he.  He answered some medical questions by prescribing self mutilation.  He had made suggestions in both catagories that people should just go and kill themselves. How ignorant.\n\nThe rest of the world sees us as blind sheep that are led reasonlessly by our media.  They think that we could not put two thought together if we were not told what they were first. They also think that we blindly follow our government, without questioning it. They think that we have no respect for ourselves, let alone anyone else. I think they also think that we greatly abuse our "freedoms", and flaunt them to the rest of the world. They think that we are arrogant, and that we have no vision of existence outside of our own boarders.\n\nI am afraid that I agree, that many users on this site reinforce those beliefs.  I stated in another answer, somewhere else, that I do not think that "many Americans" realize that this IS an international site, and that IF they did, I would hope that they would behave better.
1085187
No, I don't think homosexuals should have equal rights.  I don't support gay marriage, or homosexuality in general.  It confuses our children and has a negative impact on society.  If God wanted two men or two women to be together, he wouldn't have given men a penis and women a vagina.  I'm a firm believer that nobody is born gay, but is either raised or decides to be gay.  So I think it is something you can control and if you make the decision to be gay, you shouldn't be demanding equal rights.
793345
I agree with whoever wrote this article. For too long we as Christians have been contentedly complacent in our belief that since we have accepted God's Plan of Salvation that our work is done. That's not so. Time is so short,and we need to do whatever we can to broadcast the Plan to others,and not keep it to ourselves. I too have been guilty of sitting back and letting someone else do my work for me. As Christians,we each have a work to do,and in whatever way we can,we are to share our faith with others,wether they receive it or not. Fear of rejection or persecution should not be a factor in doing God's Will. I believe the same urgency I feel is felt by other Christians around the world. We see the signs of the times,and it is time to step up to the plate,so to speak,and witness to the world. It is also time to stand up for our rights as Christians and take back what organizations such as the ACLU has taken from us.We have the same rights as others,yet it is our religious rights that are being trampled at every turn. Now is not the time to fear what man can do to us. Now is the time to stand up for what is right and moral regardless of what the world thinks of us.Now is the time to put on the full Armor of God and be the people God has chosen us to be.
613831
ABSOLUTELY NOT! GOD DOES NOT FORCE HIMSELF UPON US! Whom ever is doing this needs to go back and read the bible again. We  have the right to choose how we live. Good or bad. In the end we alone are left with our own end results.
617937
I don't think we need MORE civil rights.  We simply need more clarity about what our rights really are.  The problems we see today are a result of a very cloudy view that most people have over what are rights and what are merely desires.  \n\nImmigrants, for example, do not have a right to citizenship.  I respect their desire for citizenship, but this is not something they can demand.  We need to go back and rethink what it means to have rights.  Until we do that, it all becomes a big power struggle over who gets what they want.\n\nLiberty for all!
960466
Hahahahahahaha\n\nSeriously, I'm not sure - the right to vote maybe?
1023151
I do.  Christianity?  Free?  Never.  Although I am a very religious Christian, Christianity tells people exactly what to do and what not to do.  What to believe and what to scourn upon.  Christianity is not in the least bit 'Free'.  Take 'Inherit the Wind' for example.  If Christianity were free, no one would have a problem with Bert Cates teaching the section of darwinism in his Biology class.
1098098
What civil rights do we have today?