A Declaration of Obligation

Independence Day commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence and its assertion of human rights:

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.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men. 

Our history in the centuries since has been a long discussion of those human rights: how far do they extend?

Women, immigrants, slaves, indigenous peoples: do THEY have those same inalienable rights?

Do those rights extend to unborn children?

Do we all have the right to carry guns in the public square? To say what we like, when and how we wish? Do I have the right to endanger your health? Do you have the right to threaten my safety?

The Declaration of Independence states that the source of our rights is our Creator, who endows them on “all men.” Yet I see very little in scripture about rights and what I do see instructs us to hold those rights lightly.

The most extended discussion of rights I can find is in 1 Corinthians, where Paul consistently encourages and models a willingness to set rights aside on behalf of others:

• 1 Corinthians 9:12: If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
  
• I Corinthians 6:12-20 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.… Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price.
  
• I Corinthians 7:9-13 Be careful . . . that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. If what I eat causes my brother or sister to faall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
  
• 1 Corinthians 9:4-18  Don’t we have the right to food and drink?  Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? . . . But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. 

My friend Rabbi Michael Pollack first introduced me to the idea of obligation rather than rights. I invited him to speak on this at a Fair Districts. PA conference last year. You can hear that here. He suggests that while rights separate and put the focus on “ME”, an understanding of obligation can draw us back together: 

• You don’t have a right to life in the Bible. You have an obligation to not kill.
• You don’t have a right to shelter in the Bible. You have an obligation to house the homeless.
• You don’t have an obligation to be accepted in as a refugee. You have an obligation to take in the stranger. 

The current controversy surrounding face masks has become, for me, an immediate example of rights and obligation. Many of us are doing all we can to learn about the spread of coronavirus, to sort through the latest research and follow the most current advice to help keep ourselves and others safe. Many are depending on directives from leaders, and quickly complying with whatever they’re asked to do. Some are scornful of every caution, insisting on the right to assemble in large numbers without the use of masks, or accusing leaders of tyranny when precautions are put in place.

 

If we think of it in terms of rights: sure. We have the right to go where we like without a mask.

But if a mask protects those around us, don't we have an obligation to wear one?

If not wearing a mask adds to the anxiety of others in an already anxious time, why not make that sacrifice, even if we’re not completely sure a mask is helpful?

A friend’s church has decided to gather for services, socially distanced and wearing masks. But some members of the congregation insist they don’t need masks and can sit as close to each other as they like. The church has accommodated this, creating a section for those who won’t wear masks.

As a result, there are other congregants who simply won’t attend.

Some may never attend that church again.

I can imagine Apostle Paul: Don't we have a right to refuse to wear masks, to sit where we  like? But we do not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ

In political discourse shaped by assertion of rights, the trajectory seems to be ever increasing division, as you assert your rights in opposition to mine and every faction fights for expanded rights that diminish and dismantle the rights of others.

What if we start instead from a place of obligation? 

What if we start from love of neighbor, the obligation to see that all are safe, cared for, welcome, heard?

The prophet Micah says:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.And what does the Lord require of you?To act justly and to love mercyand to walk humbly with your God.  

There is obligation there: obligation to neighbor, to God, to a deeper understanding of our role for good in creation and community.

As I celebrate this Independence Day Weekend, I pray we set aside our rights and independence and focus instead on obligation and community.

May that shape our politics, our priorities, our prayers.