Constitutional rights is a misnomer.
- Neither the Constitution or any government can grant rights.
- The first 10 amendments to the Constitution (the so-called Bill of Rights) are simply limitations placed on the American Federal Government that they cannot infringe on rights.
I believe rights are natural law.
Meaning,
- no government can give or take away these rights.
- we cannot democratically or otherwise change them.
You mentioned the slaves.
- Did they have the right to be a free man? Yes
- Did the fact they were slaves, mean they did not have this right? No
- Did the 14th amendment "free the slaves?" No
- It simply made other people stop trampling on their right to be a free man.
- Did the 14th amendment "free the slaves?" No
I agree that our rights stem from/exist within the framework of natural law. I also see them as outgrowths from our human brains/social interactions.
The author of the original post recommended for me to stop posting here and just leave (he doesn't seem to like atheists much or maybe just me, which is highly understandable, hahaha) so if you feel like you want to talk more on this or any other topics, then feel free to go to and comment on any posts on my blog and we can continue the conversation there. (I mostly post art stuff but also a few other kinds of things)
Hope to see you there in the future some time! Please don't feel obliged to upvote or follow me or anything like that. Take it easy! :)