A few weeks ago, at the rededication of America to the Declaration of Independence, it reminded me of when I was still in grade school, back in the 1940’s, we were learning about the Declaration of Independence. The opening lines always made me proud to be a citizen of the United States. They read: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” I remember I was okay until we got to the term “unalienable.” In fact, I wasn’t sure I pronounced it properly. Later, when I looked it up in the dictionary, this is what it said: “Unalienable is an adjective describing something that cannot be surrendered, taken away, or transferred to someone else.”

So, I decided to dig deeper and find out what psychologists had to say about things unalienable. It appears that psychologists view unalienable rights—such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—less as magical or divine decrees, and more as fundamental psychological needs necessary for human flourishing. They ground these concepts in evolutionary science, developmental milestones, and social-cognitive theory. While classical philosophers argued that rights are derived from a creator or natural law, evolutionary psychologists suggest humans evolved a biological predisposition for morality. Darwin himself noted that humans possess an inherited “moral sense” driven by empathy, social cooperation, and mutual aid. From this perspective, inalienable rights are the cultural and societal codifications of these evolutionary instincts, aimed at ensuring group survival and individual dignity. 

However, psychologists working in humanistic and positive psychology categorize inalienable rights as the basic psychological requirements for optimal human development. Under Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory, these rights translate into three universal, innate psychological needs. It involves the need to feel in control of one’s life and choices (Liberty). It also involves feeling effective and pursuing one’s potential (Pursuit of Happiness), and feeling connected and safe in society (Life and Security). 

On the other hand, clinical and social psychologists focus on how the perception and guarantee of these rights impact mental health. It appeals to the impact of deprivation: Oppression, discrimination, and the denial of independence degrade self-respect, induce toxic stress, and cause severe psychological trauma. The role of protection: The American Psychological Association (APA) explicitly champions human rights as central to its mission, using psychological science to combat systemic inequity and advocate for fair, dignified living conditions for all populations. In addition, many secular psychologists and cognitive scientists point out that rights do not exist as physical objects in the natural world. Instead, they are social constructs invented by humans to protect individuals from systemic hostility and oppression. Because they are human-made, psychologists emphasize that these rights are not self-enforcing. They require compassionate, engaged human effort, vigilant societies, and protective institutions to remain viable. But that wasn’t enough.

Since the writers of the Declaration of Independence said these inalienable rights came from our Creator, I wanted to see what the Bible had to say about these rights. While the exact phrase “unalienable rights” does not appear in the Bible, Scripture establishes the foundational concept that human beings are granted inherent dignity, life, and free will by their Creator. These God-given concepts underpin the fundamental rights to life, liberty, and personal stewardship. The Bible addresses these concepts through several core teachings: The Bible teaches that human life is sacred because all people are created in the image of God (Imago Dei). Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 9:6 establish that God is the author of life, making human life inherently valuable and protected. Then the Bible goes further by saying that God grants humanity free will and the ability to choose how they live. Passages like Deuteronomy 30:19 and Joshua 24:15 illustrate that humanity has the God-given liberty to make moral choices. In the New Testament, Galatians 5:1 emphasizes spiritual freedom: “For freedom the Christ has set us free.”

The Bible also affirms the right to the fruits of one’s labor and the ownership of private property (e.g, Acts 5:4, Ecclesiastes 5:19). People are encouraged to enjoy the results of their honest work as a gift from God. Therefore, because everyone is created equally by God, Scripture commands fair, equitable treatment for all people and forbids partiality (e.g., Acts 10:34, Galatians 3:28). The one unalienable right, however, that I cherish most was when the Apostle John wrote: “He [Jesus] came to the world that was His own. And His own people did not accept Him. But some people did accept Him. They believed in Him, and He gave them the [unalienable] right to become children of God.” (John 1:11-12).