# Constitutional rights we all should have.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 6, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087 "2016-05-06T18:42:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/21 "2016-05-07T03:36:32Z")
When the US officially argues for religious freedom abroad, it maintains that the right to not believe or worship is a part of that. So the thread has gotten one already đ
I feel that I should have the constitutionally protected right to get food spicy when I ask for it spicy.
---
### Author:  [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/22 "2016-05-07T03:56:00Z")
I think everyone should have the right to see their favorite band in concert one time for a reasonable price.
---
### Author:  [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/23 "2016-05-07T04:34:53Z")
> [@Miller](#):
>
> Wait, how are _atheists_ the ones who are supposed to be bringing proof, here? Yâall are the ones making claims, not us.
Have you listened to any atheists lately? Iâve heard plenty of them state plainly, âthere are no gods.â Thatâs a claim. You can say that theists need to offer proof, and if they make claims, they do. But that doesnât let atheists off the hook if they make definitive statements.
And I donât buy the whole idea that atheism is a âlack of belief in gods.â Back when I took Philosophy in college, that was the definition of an agnostic. Atheists were those who denied the existence of any God or gods. Agnostics were divided into two categories: âSoft agnostics,â who said that they personally did not know whether God exists, and âhard agnostics,â who claimed that it is impossible for anyone to know whether God exists.
Thatâs a bit of a problem I see with atheists; they like to have it both ways. When itâs convenient for atheism to be a religion, then they want it to be one - like for tax breaks, for example. They also want to go around making definitive claims, but when they are asked for proof on those claims, they retreat to the argument that âatheism isnât a religion or a belief; itâs just a lack of belief.â Seriously? Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens (well, formerly Hitchens) and the like are going on book tours and speaking at colleges and conferences just to enlighten us on their personal lack of belief?
---
### Author:  [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/24 "2016-05-07T04:52:45Z")
I believe I have a right to abstain on an opinions concerning the existence of a deity, but reserve the right to express one later on if sufficient evidence is presented. Is that atheism, or agnosticism?
---
### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/25 "2016-05-07T06:19:01Z")
> [@NeonMadman](#):
>
> Have you listened to any atheists lately? Iâve heard plenty of them state plainly, âthere are no gods.â Thatâs a claim. You can say that theists need to offer proof, and if they make claims, they do. But that doesnât let atheists off the hook if they make definitive statements.
But no one ever said âthere is no godâ until someone first said âthere is a godâ. Itâs simply not possible for atheists to even have existed before that.
To put it more simply (and in a more modern sense). Do you think a single person ever once said âThereâs no such thing as a Flying Spaghetti Monsterâ before 2005. If youâre a pastafarian I can ask you to prove the FSM exists, you canât ask me to prove he doesnât.
To paraphrase Richard Dawkins when you make a claim that canât be proven false (no one can prove god doesnât exist), itâs up to the people that are making the claim to prove itâs true (believers have to prove God does exist). \*
Donât think of âthere are no godsâ as a claim, think of it as a request for evidence. Or rather think of it as 'itâs been thousand of years, lets just say I win by default.
How about this. If I tell you that Iâm dictating all this to my dog and sheâs typing for me and you say âno sheâs not, youâre typingâ is that a claim? No, itâs just you saying that you donât believe me. Now, what if I say, âprove it, prove that Iâm typing and not my dogâ. Well, thatâs all weâre doing. Theists made the claim that thereâs a god weâre just asking for proof.
\*Some interesting reading, really:
> **[Flying Spaghetti Monster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster)**
>
> The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is the deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or Pastafarianism, a parodic new religious movement that promotes a light-hearted view of religion. It originated in opposition to the teaching of intelligent design in public schools in the United States. According to adherents, Pastafarianism (a portmanteau of pasta and Rastafarianism) is a "real, legitimate religion, as much as any other". It has received some limited recognition as such. The "F...
It was a silly joke by a bored high school kid that turned out to have some pretty large societal, religious and philosophical impacts.
---
### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/26 "2016-05-07T07:04:14Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> Thatâs backwards.
> An atheist lacks belief in god(s).
> An agnostic believes that itâs not possible to know if god(s) do or do not exist.
>
> You have to have some faith to be agnostic. You canât have any to be atheist.
For the record, this is exactly my position, and it seems to be the majority position among English-speakers who call themselves atheists.
People who use atheist as an insult, of course, demand that itâs a faith-based position, and there are heterodox atheists who claim it is one as well, but Iâm pretty sure **Joey P** and I are in the majority on this one.
---
### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/27 "2016-05-07T07:10:05Z")
> [@NeonMadman](#):
>
> Have you listened to any atheists lately? Iâve heard plenty of them state plainly, âthere are no gods.â Thatâs a claim. You can say that theists need to offer proof, and if they make claims, they do. But that doesnât let atheists off the hook if they make definitive statements.
Is there five billion dollars in your bank account? How about ten billion? You probably say ânoâ to both of those statements, and offer your bank statements as proof. However, bank statements can be wrong, so they arenât definitive proof of anything. On the gripping hand, however, bank statements are amazingly wrong only rarely, so we can reasonably believe that you arenât a multi-billionaire.
So, is the belief that youâre not richer than most CEOs based on faith or not? If it is, is it the same kind of faith which causes people to claim God does exist?
> [@](#):
>
> Thatâs a bit of a problem I see with atheists; they like to have it both ways. When itâs convenient for atheism to be a religion, then they want it to be one - like for tax breaks, for example.
First, since when do atheists get tax breaks?
Second, working around a faith-ridden bureaucracy has nothing to do with the core of my philosophy. If the only way I can get fair treatment is by abusing language, thatâs what I have to do, and holding it against me is dishonest.
---
### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/28 "2016-05-07T07:43:06Z")
Right to die.
---
### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/29 "2016-05-07T08:01:28Z")
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> Right to die.
This gets my vote.
---
### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/30 "2016-05-07T08:08:01Z")
> [@jtur88](#):
>
> I believe I have a right to abstain on an opinions concerning the existence of a deity, but reserve the right to express one later on if sufficient evidence is presented. Is that atheism, or agnosticism?
Atheism. In fact, itâs also pretty close to my own opinion: I donât believe in the existence of a deity or the supernatural in general in the same way I donât believe I currently have a million dollars in my bank account. I could be persuaded by sufficient evidence, which, given all evidence Iâve seen thus far, would have to be rather shocking indeed.
(Of course, I donât have the luxury of abstaining from forming an opinion on the current state of my bank account: I have to have a very definite opinion or else Iâm liable to get into serious trouble.)
---
### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/31 "2016-05-07T09:54:08Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#):
>
> One orgasm a year? That is supposed to be a good thing?
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#):
>
> Itâs a guaranteed minimum, provided by the government if not obtained by other means.
Perhaps there could be a sliding scale based on type of orgasm. A few handjobs a year could be guaranteed, maybe a blowie every six months, while a large-scale over-the-top full-sex orgasm could be a birthday treat.
---
### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/32 "2016-05-07T10:00:17Z")
Front row seats to the baseball game of my choice at face value, once per year.
---
### Author:  [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/33 "2016-05-07T10:54:59Z")
Iâm all for the stoning, but only 1 per year ?
---
### Author:  [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/34 "2016-05-07T17:49:15Z")
> [@jtur88](#):
>
> I believe I have a right to abstain on an opinions concerning the existence of a deity, but reserve the right to express one later on if sufficient evidence is presented. Is that atheism, or agnosticism?
Iâd call that agnosticism.
---
### Author:  [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/35 "2016-05-07T18:15:17Z")
> [@Derleth](#):
>
> Is there five billion dollars in your bank account? How about ten billion? You probably say ânoâ to both of those statements, and offer your bank statements as proof. However, bank statements can be wrong, so they arenât definitive proof of anything. On the gripping hand, however, bank statements are amazingly wrong only rarely, so we can reasonably believe that you arenât a multi-billionaire.
>
> So, is the belief that youâre not richer than most CEOs based on faith or not? If it is, is it the same kind of faith which causes people to claim God does exist?
I guess it depends on your level of hyper-skepticism. If you really reject my bank statement because thereâs a slim possibility that it could be wrong, then I would say that your skepticism has reached an unreasonable level.
On the other hand, if I look at a DNA molecule and think that the amount of information contained in that molecule certainly seems to me to indicate an intelligence behind its design, I think that itâs a reasonable conclusion to draw (at least on a _prima facie_ basis) that there actually was a designer involved. Now the atheist would insist (correct me if Iâm wrong here) that the DNA molecule arose purely through unguided natural processes. So we have a bit of data in which something appears to a reasonable person (i.e., me :D) to be intelligently designed, but the atheist, says, no it wasnât. It seems to me in that instance the burden of proof shifts to the atheist.
Iâm not sure how faith really enters into that discussion. If we want to speculate about who the aforementioned designer might be, then I could see an element of faith being involved, but on the raw question of whether design was involved, no, I donât think thatâs a faith-oriented question.
> [@Derleth](#):
>
> First, since when do atheists get tax breaks?
>
> Second, working around a faith-ridden bureaucracy has nothing to do with the core of my philosophy. If the only way I can get fair treatment is by abusing language, thatâs what I have to do, and holding it against me is dishonest.
Atheists get tax breaks if they form nonprofit corporations for the promotion of atheism, do they not? Iâve even heard of [atheist churches](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/atheist-church/) - certainly they must get tax breaks. Honestly, if they donât, they should, in my opinion, on the same basis that religions do.
I donât think itâs dishonest for atheists to refer to their beliefs as a religion, because thatâs what I think it is. It certainly represents a set of beliefs about a higher being, even if the nature of those thoughts is that such a being doesnât exist. Have all the tax breaks that churches do; I have no problem with that, as long as itâs done honestly.
What bothers me is when atheists then turn around and refer to atheism as a mere âlack of belief.â If thatâs what it is, then thereâs no point in discussing it, certainly no point in prominent atheists going on book tours and having speaking engagements. Citing a âlack of beliefâ is virtually meaningless in telling us anything about the real world; itâs nothing more than a statement of your personal psychological condition. To say that you lack belief in God does nothing to tell me (or anyone else) whether God actually exists - all youâve told us is what your opinion is. Now, you may be a smart person, and I may respect your opinion. I certainly respect your right to your opinion. But an opinion is really all youâve offered, not a statement or a claim about how the universe really is.
---
### Author:  [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/36 "2016-05-07T18:22:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> a-theism
> without-belief.
Actually, a-theism doesnât mean âwithout belief.â It means âwithout God (or gods).â The root word is [theos in the Greek](http://biblehub.com/greek/2316.htm), which means âgod,â not âbelief.â
Thatâs why I advanced the definition of the term the way I did in this thread. Atheism means a belief that no God or gods exist - âwithout god.â Agnosticism means that the person either doesnât know whether there is a God (âsoft agnosticismâ) or thinks that it is impossible for anyone to know whether there is a God (âhard agnosticismâ).
---
### Author:  [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/37 "2016-05-07T18:30:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> The constitutional right to melvin thread hijackers. đ
I didnât mean to hijack the thread, honest! People just kept responding to my responseâŚ
:o
---
### Author:  [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/38 "2016-05-07T18:57:38Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#):
>
> Itâs a guaranteed minimum, provided by the government if not obtained by other means.
You want the government to rent a woman for you once a year?
---
### Author:  [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/39 "2016-05-07T21:04:41Z")
The Absolute Right to Unmitigated, Child-Like JOY at a simple bit of Nature - remember the first time you saw the inside of a milkweed pod?
A giant goldfish swimming under your feet?
Of all the things we gain and lose when we become âadultsâ, I most miss the ability to experience that unmitigated joy found in only the very young.
(as someone who has done the Atheist Definiton game way too many times, but still wants to hijack a thread (also a Constitutional Right in any sane Empire):
Right to Die at a time and place of my choosing. Ideally, the slab of meat would simply vanish, but as it is, there should be government-paid service to clean up any messes.
Closely related: All surplus organs and other body parts (defined as those whose original owners have died) shall be made available at no more than the cost of harvest and transport.
If I want to continue living, there should be no artificial restriction in supply of replacement parts.
---
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087/40 "2016-05-07T23:27:47Z")
A childâs constitutional right to pick any _one_ food item and say âI donât hafta eat _that_â, no matter how much the parent says âBut itâs good for you!â
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087.md?page=1)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutional-rights-we-all-should-have/754087.md?page=3)