Where Do Human Rights Come From?

The atheist says¹ that human rights come from the government. America’s founding document, the Declaration of Independence says:

<i>”All men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights among them the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”</i>

So who do we believe, the atheist who believes that everything just happened all by itself; or do we believe the geniuses who designed the American Republic, the greatest, most just, most prosperous, most technically advanced nation in human history?

The atheist goes on to say,

<i>”In reality, rights are granted by governments. Period. If a government does not grant and protect a right, it is not a right.”</i>

Why is this so wrong?

First, from the Founding to about the mid-1960’s American government was small and its citizens free. The Bill of Rights stated for the first time in history, the rights of citizens and limits of government. Human rights are stated as an undisputed given and then government is told explicitly to back off. Human rights exist first and take precedence over government.

Therefore, if human rights really came from government, America could have never come into being. The atheist stands refuted. Human rights do not come from government.

Then, where do human rights come from?

Human rights come from our human nature.

Human beings have the power to think rationally, to speak, to freely choose a course of action. When human beings organize politically into towns, cities and nations, governments are formed. Here, again from the Declaration of Independence concerning government and human rights:

<i>”That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government
becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government.”</i>

Government secures the human rights of its citizens. But American government derives its power from the citizen. Logically then, the citizen possesses human rights first and then creates government to secure them. We can easily infer that the citizen possesses human rights because he or she was born with them. Citizens organize politically to establish governments that will secure the natural human rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Human rights are actually the basic needs of the human creature. If the human being is allowed life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, he or she will flourish. Life, liberty and happiness are inherent to the human creature. Human beings organize politically and form governments intended to protect human flourishing.

¹ The Spartan Atheist Word Press Blog; Please visit. I have been banned from that site.

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