Why Rights Come From God, Not Government

My friends, there’s a foundational question that sits underneath nearly every political debate we’re having today—and most people don’t even realize it.

Where do our rights come from?

If we get that wrong, everything else begins to fall apart. And candidly, I think that’s exactly where we are as a culture right now.

Today on the Toddcast, I walked through why I firmly believe—and why our Founders believed—that rights do not come from government. They come from God. From our Creator.

Now, I know that makes some people uncomfortable. In fact, there are folks who immediately jump to the conclusion that this somehow leads to a theocracy. That if we acknowledge God as the source of our rights, we must be trying to impose religion on everyone else.

But that’s simply not true.

There’s a massive difference between recognizing where rights come from and forcing people into a particular religious belief. Government’s role is not to create faith. It’s not to enforce theology. Its role is much simpler.

Government exists to protect rights, not invent them.

Think about that for a moment. If government is the source of your rights, then your rights are only as secure as the next election. They can be expanded, reduced, or eliminated depending on who is in power. That’s not freedom—that’s permission.

And permission can always be revoked.

But if rights come from something higher—Someone eternal—then government is bound by those rights. It has limits. It has guardrails. It cannot simply redefine reality based on political pressure or popular opinion.

This led us to a discussion about the moral law. Whether people admit it or not, we all live as though there is an agreed upon standard of right and wrong. When someone wrongs us, we instinctively appeal to that standard. We say, “That wasn’t right.”

But where does that standard come from?

If there is no higher source—no moral lawgiver—then right and wrong become nothing more than opinions. And if that’s the case, then who’s to say what’s truly wrong? Who’s to say one system is better than another?

That’s where things begin to unravel.

Because if there’s no objective truth, then government doesn’t protect rights—it negotiates them. It redistributes them. It redefines them. And eventually, it weaponizes them.

That’s when you start hearing things like “the right to outcomes” or “the right to services.” But those aren’t rights in the true sense. Those are entitlements—things that require someone else to provide something for you.

True rights don’t work that way.

They’re inherent. They’re part of who we are. They exist before government ever enters the picture.

And once we lose sight of that, we open the door to instability, conflict, and ultimately, control.

My friends, this isn’t just theoretical. This is the battle we’re living through right now. And if we want to preserve liberty—not just for ourselves, but for future generations—we have to get back to understanding this truth.

Rights come from God. Government’s job is to protect them.

Not redefine them. Not distribute them. Not take them away.

Just protect them.

Conservative, not bitter.
Todd

⚖️ Rights come from God—not government
🏛️ Government’s role is protection, not creation
🚫 Recognizing God ≠ establishing a theocracy
📜 Moral law requires a moral lawgiver
🔄 Government-made rights become political tools
⚠️ Entitlements are not the same as rights

^{The Stack of Stuff honors the memory of Rush Limbaugh by keeping his iconic phrase alive — only this time, it’s digital. These links give you context for today’s Toddcast, including pieces that back me up, push back, or simply lay out the facts so you can decide for yourself.}

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My friends, in case you didn’t know this, Senate Republicans are absolute wimps. The House passed a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, but we’re told it is not possible for the Senate to pass the House’s version.

Instead, Senate Republicans allowed the Democrat version of the bill to pass the chamber, and that version does not include funding for ICE. Democrats have been filibustering every Republican effort to pass a funding bill, yet Republicans allowed the Democrat bill to go through without filibustering it.

This proves a funding bill can be passed without allowing Democrats to hide behind the zombie filibuster. Republicans need to make Democrats actually do an old-fashioned filibuster and run things in Washington with the votes they have, according to the U.S. Constitution.

Anything less is cowardly and completely uninspiring.

Ideas have consequences. And when we get the role of government wrong, we don’t just drift philosophically—we start to see it play out in real time through weak, ineffective leadership.

That’s exactly what we’re witnessing right now.

On the Toddcast, we talked about a foundational truth: government exists to protect rights, not create them. That means leaders aren’t elected to sit back, wait for permission, or hide behind process. They’re there to act—to use the authority voters entrusted to them.

And yet, what do we see?

We see leaders who have the votes … but not the will.

Take the recent Department of Homeland Security funding situation. House Republicans passed a bill that reflected their priorities. They did their job. They acted. They made a decision.

Then it got to the Senate—and everything changed.

Instead of standing firm, instead of using the tools available to them, Senate Republicans allowed a version of the bill to pass that didn’t even include funding for ICE. No real fight. No forcing accountability. No willingness to make the opposition actually work for their position.

Why?

Because it’s easier to blame process than to actually lead in the face of opposition.

But here’s the thing: process doesn’t govern the country—people do.

And when leaders refuse to use the authority they’ve been given, they aren’t being prudent. They’re surrendering. They’re outsourcing responsibility. And ultimately, they’re failing the very people who put them in office.

This is where philosophy meets reality.

If government’s role is to protect rights, then leadership requires courage. It requires clarity. It requires conviction. Not theatrics. Not noise. But steady, principled action.

Because when leaders won’t lead, someone else will step in—and they may not share our values.

My friends, this isn’t about political strategy. It’s about understanding the moment we’re in. Weak leadership doesn’t preserve liberty. It erodes it—quietly, gradually, and often under the cover of “procedure.”

We can—and should—expect better.