In many places and cultures throughout the world, the rise of insights into the basic rights and duties of human beings has coincided with the understanding of the humanity of persons. What is involved here is not an exclusively European or Christian idea, although at the time of the Enlightenment, human rights, not independent of Christian influence, entered into the processes of constitution-making in Europe and North America, and so attained a world-wide political significance.
...
The Church, Christian congregations, and ecumenical organizations have the clear task and duty of identifying, promoting and realizing human rights. Since they are neither private associations nor statutory authorities, yet must exist and work in the public eye, those Christian organizations can be expected to be less influenced by their self-interests, and to be better able to enter the struggle for human rights with less prejudice than other institutions.
The way I would put it is that human rights is a Christian idea.
ReplyDelete