Divergent Foundations: Rights-Based Libertarianism and the Demands of Christian Moral Theology

The thesis argues that rights‑based libertarian ethics (grounded in self‑ownership, negative duties, and the primacy of individual autonomy) cannot sustain a coherent account of moral responsibility, social obligation, or the common good. By reducing ethical life to noninterference and voluntary contract, libertarianism collapses human relationships into isolated, self‑sovereign units with no inherent duties to others. In contrast, Christian moral theology, rooted in divine ownership, relational anthropology, and positive obligations of love, presents a richer and more coherent moral framework in which persons are intrinsically interdependent, accountable, and called to steward their gifts for the flourishing of others. Through the FOUNDATION framework, the study demonstrates that Christian ethics offers a more compelling vision of human dignity, moral duty, and communal life than autonomy‑centered libertarian reasoning.