THE DIFFERENCE ONE LETTER MAKES

Which word did Thomas Jefferson write in the Declaration of Independence? Did he write, "All men are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights," or did he write, "All men are endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights?" Um . . . good question.

Or is it a good question? You might be thinking, "All this sounds pedantic, like, do we say, "potato," or do we say "po-tah-to?" Who cares? It's still a potato, the delicious vegetable that gives us heart attack-producing french fries.

But on the choice of that one little letter, an "i" or a "u," hangs a world of difference.

How so? If the Declaration is declaring that we are endowed by our Creator with "unalienable rights," then that means those rights are "incapable of being alienated, that is, sold and transferred." Black's Law Dictionary, 6th Ed. pg. 1,523: "You can not surrender, sell or transfer unalienable rights, they are a gift from the Creator to the individual and can not, under any circumstances, be surrendered or taken. All individual's have unalienable rights."

That's quiet a mouthful, but an important mouthful because, if Jefferson had written, "All men are endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights," then the Declaration of Independence would be saying that those rights are "not capable of being surrendered or transferred without the consent of the one possessing such rights. You can surrender, sell or transfer inalienable rights if you consent either actually or constructively. Inalienable rights are not inherent in man and can be taken by government.

The Declaration of Independence is saying that human beings have unalienable rights. It's that one little letter that makes all the difference. No one, no government, no circumstance or set of circumstances, not even you yourself can take or surrender unalienable rights.

Paul bases his argument in the book of Galatians on the omission of one letter, the letter "s" in Galatians 3:16: "Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ."

According to Paul, the singular of the noun is also a designation of the one Christ in distinction from all other descendants of Abraham together.

Behold the doctrine of inspiration--the Holy Spirit so carried along the authors of Scripture that the words they chose, the very letters of the words they chose, singular or plural, were those God wanted them to choose.