Atheists, what is the evidence for unalienable rights?

Question

America's founders accounted for natural rights as endowments of the Creator, grounding the claim that our rights are unalienable on the "self-evident" truth of the reality of God.

But in the atheist theory, man is simply a species of animal that happened to appear in a cosmic accident. Without a Creator, why should individual humans have unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, any more wolves, rattlesnakes, or trees?

Skalite, did you get to be a "top contributor" by avoiding the question?

Chris, most civilized societies don't recognize individual rights. Those that do, like the USA, have reason to believe in rights because they recognize the Creator ("In God we trust").

Windom, isn't Peter Singer the "ethicist" who thinks animals and people are equal? In other words, he rejects human rights.

Adam, you think rights are simply an expression of power? The Founders didn't deny rights to atheists because they understand that God endows unalienable rights to all people.

Eleventy, "any being" includes trees, right? Whether recognizing rights is a necessity is doubtful; it probably hobbles a society by outlawing workable solutions to problems.

Robin, if people created our rights, people can take them away. That means they aren't really unalienable.

Answer 1

Declaration of Independence: "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."

America was established to secure our natural rights, including the rights to life and liberty, but how do we know we have such rights? We can't see them through a telescope or under a microscope.

The only possible way we could have unalienable rights is if our Creator gave us rights and sustains them. As Genesis reveals, God made us in his own image. As the Ten Commandments reveal, we have rights not to be murdered (right to life) or robbed (right to property). We have a right to a fair trial when accused (no false witness).

If the atheists are right and there is no Creator, then we're going to have to give up any claim to natural rights, too. Wherever the atheists have triumphed, as in the Soviet Union and China, the governments not only took away their rights to life and property, they established totalitarian rule.

CDF

Answer 2

People created those rights.

BTW, we got some of the ideas of rights from the Romans. Why do you think so many legal terms are in Latin?

The people who wrote the Bible usually lived under a king. They didn't have a "jury of their peers". If someone was accused of a crime, they drew lots to see who was guilty.

BTW, some of those founders were slave owners. I don't think they had the last word on the concept of liberty.

Answer 3

It's a great question. Does any being deserve anything simply because it exists? Honestly, it is difficult to argue, but I think that any society who doesn't treat others with respect is destined to fail.

It seems inalienable rights, are not so much a birthright as a societal necessity.

Answer 4

The dominant species on the planet gets all the rights.

I find it interesting that our founding fathers didnt seek to deny those "unalienable rights" pf life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to those who did't believe in God.

Don't you????

Answer 5

It has to do with our awareness of long-term consequences. Read Peter Singer's Practical Ethics if you'd like a full explanation.

Answer 6

Because that his how a civilized society functions.

Answer 7

Lack of aliens.