David Harsanyi: We Should At Least Act Like God Gave Us the Constitution
Divine or secular, natural rights are universal.
Ted Cruz's God-heavy presidential announcement was widely mocked in the media. But Cruz's contention that we are providentially guaranteed certain rights is a basic idea of American history, points out David Harsanyi. It's sure better than seeing the Constitution as a pliable set of guidelines perpetually bending to accommodate the vagaries of contemporary politics.
The revolutionary idea that America was founded upon is that our rights don't come from man. They come from God Almighty. If that's God's position—or, more specifically, if enough people think that's His position—"well then He's my co-pilot as well," writes Harsanyi, an atheist. Because divine or secular, natural rights are universal. They can't be repealed or restrained or undone by democracy, universities, or rhetorically gifted presidents. Maybe if more politicians treated the Constitution as if it were handed down from heaven, the country would be in a better place.