IF.. there is a Creator/God, one might expect a Standard.. an innate moral sense.. that transcends time, race, religious beliefs, culture, and region. At least 'Goddidit!', is a plausible explanation for the morality we observe in the human animal.
IF.. there is no God, and morality is only a human construct, we would not expect to see a common thread of absolute morality in the human experience. Morality would be arbitrary and local, mandated by the powerful, with only whimsy or expediency to drive them.
Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place. ~Frederic Bastiat
The 'need', for human Law is a reflection, imo, of the REALITY of a universal moral code. We recognize, collectively, a moral consciousness, define it as 'conscience', and label those who violate it as criminals or sociopaths.
Because human beings do NOT always observe this inner code, we use the force of a collective enforcement agency to compel compliance, or suffer punishment. We believe everyone knows better, and knows that antisocial behavior is a violation of conscience, and thus can enforce law as being 'self evident.' Most 'Law' is merely morality, codified. Some are logistical, for expediency (e.g., traffic laws), but the Important Ones relate to Conscience.
Most of the core laws are directly related to what the Enlightenment philosophers called 'Natural Law'.. a universal, God given set of rights that no one can infringe upon, without violation.
Life, Liberty, Property.
These are the 3 basic rights, from the Enlightenment. This covers laws of theft, murder, assault, fraud, extortion, and many others. These are the universal, core Standards, that we see in every era, region and culture of human society.
The Declaration of Independence reflected those Enlightenment values, with this simple declaration:
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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government..
So, the purpose of Government, from the American perspective, is to secure the basic rights of the citizens.. to enact LAWS, that preserve, inviolate, our Natural Rights.
All of this is based on the ASSUMPTION of a God Ordered universe. A Creator Who created all men equal, and ENDOWED them with unalienable rights. Make the assumption of a godless universe, and there is no equality, nor inalienable rights. All is based on relativity, expediency, and the whims of those in power.
It would be a massive delusion, to believe in Natural Law, and Absolute morality, (and many other things), in a godless universe.
"Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine. . . . Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other." ~James Wilson, Signer of the Constitution, Supreme Court Justice
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