If Human Rights Aren't Derived from a Higher Authority, Then What?

I changed my mind. Instead of following on with the founding documents of the republic known as the United States, I thought a "what if..." scenario could prove interesting. What if human rights aren't derived from God? Then what...?

Just to recap, we saw that the Founding Fathers were convinced that there was indeed a Creator, who views all men as equals and by extension that the State was obligated to do the same. If it's good enough for God, it's good enough for the State.

If we deny, for any reason, that human rights descend from God we begin to encounter some serious difficulties.

The first is this. The State is not accountable. If rights come only at the whim of the State, then the State (in reality, merely a collection of powerful individuals acting in the name of the collective) has the freedom to restrict, revoke or rescind our rights unilaterally without question. The State becomes the highest extant authority. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Liberty, then, becomes license. Everything that appeals to us as individuals is not in the best interest of the common good, that is, that which makes me "happy" may not be best for the community. The State extends individual rights at the expense of society and society suffers as a result. Don't think that it's true? Take a look at the sorry state of marriage in modern America. It seems to have become nothing more that "serial monogamy". The impact this has on society is reflected in our children's behavior. Soaring teen pregnancy rates, substance abuse, and teen violence all are correlated to divorce rates as children miss the influence of a stable family or the constant model of missing or "absentee" parents. But as long as the individual is happy, what the hey....

As the State denies its accountability to a Higher Power, as liberty becomes redefined to mean that happiness of the individual at the expense of the collective, small, vocal and extreme special interest groups become more powerful. Just take a look at the homosexual rights movement's attempts to redefine marriage. Or the assisted suicide lobby. Or extreme animal "rights" groups.

I'm sure that this subject has been covered in more detail and by greater minds than mine. Maybe I'll find time some day to revisit it and do more justice to it. I think another post may be in order to examine some examples of where the denial of the rights of man as a derived benefit of his Creation by a God might be in order. We'll see.

Till the next time, all the best. Joe