[AdamSelene235]

The entire concept of our nation is that our rights derive from God and therefore cannot be abridged by a government of men. If He does not exist, from whence do our rights come?

Rights are merely abstractions that do not exist unless vigorously defended by those who hold them. This is why parity between government and civil society is so important.

I certainly would not like to rely on the pagan pantheons as the guarantors of our freedom.

I certainly would not like to rely on Divine Intervention. Byzantium's Church of St. Sophia ring any bells?

[asmith92008]

1. Rights must be grounded in something. There is a reason that the French Revolution, which based its principles on "reason," devolved into a bloody tyranny, while the American Revolution based on God-given rights produced George Washington.

2. My point was not divine intervention. Rather, the pagan pantheons do not recognize the sanctity of human life. Therefore, they do not endow us with inalienable rights. The true God of the Bible does recognize such sanctity and thus can be referred to as the font of our rights, as in the Declaration of Independence.