With Roe v Wade being struck down, there are many cries for freedom from the “tyranny” of not being able to murder a child in utero. Women's Rights, Workers' Rights, Trans Rights, are all misnomers, but everyone keeps using those words. This elicits the question that Indigo Montoya asks in the Princess Bride: “Why do you keep using that word? I don't think it means what you think it means.”
What does Freedom mean? What differentiates it from Entitlement? Well, Freedom is defined by Webster's 1826 as “1. A state of exemption from the power or control of another; liberty; exemption from slavery, servitude or confinement. freedom is personal, civil, political, and religious.”
Another word worth looking at here is Liberty:
Webster 1826: “Natural liberty consists in the power of acting as one thinks fit, without any restraint or control, except from the laws of nature. It is a state of exemption from the control of others, and from positive laws and the institutions of social life. This liberty is abridged by the establishment of government.”
Let's compare that to what Entitlement used to mean and means now:
Webster 1826:
ENTI'TLED, participle passive Dignified or distinguished by a title; having a claim as, every good man is entitled to respect.
Webster 2022:
1a : the state or condition of being entitled : right. b : a right to benefits specified especially by law or contract. 2 : belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges.
Freedoms and Liberties come from our inherent value as humans, image bearers of God. Entitlements are granted to us by man, or the government. These two can easily become confused when we replace God with Secular Humanism.
Is healthcare a right? Access or the ability to access healthcare is a right, or rather preventing someone from being able to enlist the help of a doctor, for example, would be a violation of one's rights.However, doctors are not obligated to work for free and other people are not obligated to pay for your healthcare. That would be a violation of their rights and an entitlement. However, this is, to varying degrees, what we have here in America.
Government funded infanticide is not a right. It always has been an entitlement, an evil and twisted entitlement bestowed not by God, but by government. It is important that we understand the difference between Freedom and Entitlement, however the core of the issue here is always the heart.
Entitlements, in a way, are a cheap imitation of God-given Freedoms and Liberties. These entitlements, invariably, come at the cost of someone else. What I mean by that is Individual Freedoms come from God, they have an origin. Entitlements are no different than Freedoms, in that they have an origin. However, the source of Entitlements is always someone or something else. Government bestowed Entitlements, whether they be healthcare, school, or abortion always come at the cost of someone else. In fact, this is generally a great measure of whether or not something is a Freedom or an Entitlement: Does this take away Freedom from someone else?
Another aspect of Freedom is that it always comes with responsibilities. There are consequences for abuse with Freedom and Liberty. You have the right to life, but if you take away someone else's life, yours is forfeit. You have the right to economic freedom, but if you steal from someone else, you have to pay them back and you lose your economic freedom.
This differs from the way that many entitlements are handed out. You have the “right”/entitlement to bodily autonomy via abortion, but the infant inside the womb does not have bodily entitlement. You may be “entitled” to money or funds based on your economic, racial, or legal status in America. This money, however, comes from those who are not “entitled” to the same money. From where else does this money come?
You may think I'm splitting hairs with the definitions here, but it is important to know the difference. When you are discussing the issues of Entitlements and someone uses the word Freedom, it is important to understand where their worldview stands. From there we can unpack the lies that the Enemy of Our Souls has foisted upon them and point them to the source of True Freedom and Liberty. Entitlements pass away with legislation or governments, Freedom and Liberty in Christ define what Heaven will be in essence.