Faith and Human Rights

Intro

Huge battles raged in the twentith century over human rights. In the news of everyday Western countries, universal human rights has been used again and gain. Some Asian rejected the whole notion of universal human rights as an imperialist imposition of Western thought on Asian cultures. Totalitarians of many varities trampled the human rights of hundred of millions. Coming to today’s world, two cases came up as I thought about this topic. The first is religious freedom, or rights on religion. Australia has been debating about this since the rights of LGBTI rights has been raised. What kind of rights does we have as believers ? We have been the dominant force in the scoiety and culture for so many years. Do we as Christians have a right to assert our religious freedom ? The seocnd is freedom of speech, with all the tensions that have been happening in HK, some say there is a reduce in the freedom of speech? Is there such a thing as a right to speech? What should we do about it?

These paradoxes of the modern human rights revolution underscore an elementary, but essential lesson – that human rights norms need a human rights culture to be effective. The regime of law, democracy, and human rights needs religion to survive.

And so today, I would like to explore this topic with you, about human rights, about its associate freedom, about its foundation. But what’s more important, how God would see it, as it does not matter so much how much you or I see it. And how when being transformed by God’s view, how do we interact daily with others, others human beings, but also as a society. Let’s pray.

Biblical Foundation of Human Rights

Before we get into the biblical foundation of human rights, maybe we would have to first look at what is human rights. Fundamentally obligations have do with we owe to others, and rights have to do with what otherw owe to us. It claims all human beings possess the same basic rights, irrespective of their difference, that these rights place human beings in a state of reciprocal obligation toward one another. We discover this foundation in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 . Alluding to the horros of the Holocaust and Second World War, The preamble of the declaration we read such phrases as:“equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family, The declaration promotes: “freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want,” “the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women,”

If that is human rights is all about, we Christians could support it. In some way, from a biblical perspective, the ultimate foundation of human rights is God, who created every person in the divine image and commands every person to respect GOd-given -dignity of all persons. Human rights are not something that human beings possess on their own or earn by their conduct. Human rights flow directly from God, from the way God made us, the command sGod gives us about how we should treat our neighbour. Last week, Philip gave us the creation, where Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” The dingity, freedom and equality which today are presented as a human right was given by God right at the beginning in the fact God created people in HIs own image, male and female in front of him. But not only so, as we know how sin enetered the world, the respect of humans against each other has gone. And it is immediately obvious in Cain and Abel and the rest of the history of Isarel. peple take each life, their right to religiontheir right to food, property etc. While the moasic law, the ten commandments did give us a hint of what humans should treat humans in general, it was Jesus the Messiah came onto this earth, he brought redemption, and also, a dignity to each person. this is where we at in our passages, Galatians 3:26-29 “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Galatians talks about what faith in Christ meant, here first, it meant the that we are all son of God. And by that it means all are descendents of Abraham as God promised all who have faith would be in him. And so at the end all would inherit his promise, to receive blessing, eternal life, salvation from God. And in explaining this to Galatians has singificant impact to their community. By putting the foundation in faith, it means because of sin, because of the boundaries imposed in the past is no longer there anymore. It calls for a singificant reverse, this is a total reverse of the Jewish prayer, “Thank God I’m not a Gentile, I’m not a slave, and I’m not a woman”. But because of Christ, in him no culture barrier is away from the power of gospel. Culture different should not be in church. It took a long time for a church to realize this as we see in Acts, but it’s god’s heart, no matter JEwish or Greek. But no only that, but the barriers in of society classes is gone, slave or boss. And last, gender, man and woman. This is probably even mot explosive then the two, that man and woman have the same level of dignity. In a world where woman is always discounted, as witness, as porperty, segregated even in worship, Paul said there is no distinction. And some way, isn’t that the foundation of human rights?

Under this foundation, if you would like to categories it into two, there are first, civil and political rights - this is probably called the first generation human rights. It includes the right to life, the right to freedom of religion, the right to freedom of speech. There is also social and economics rights, probably more secondary - the right to food, the right to rpoductive assests, a right to health care, a right to work. And as we say, we probably could talk a little more about freedom of religion and freedom of speech. We probably use a bit of time to

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of Religion

For freedom of religion, while it is clear within the Israel who blaspheme God or worship false God is described as sinful, both Old and NEw tetament reveal a God who invites but does not compel us to respond in faith and obedeicne. Right from the start GOd gave Adam and Eve the freedom to disobey. Again and again we see God pleading with peopl eo fIsrael to embrace his commands. Just as often we observe God giving the Israelites the space to reject God’s way. When God becomes flesh, he invites but does not force anyone to accept the gospel. In fact, Jesus’s parable of the wheat and tares underlines the importance of religion freedom. IN JEsus’ parable, after a framer sows wheat in his field, an enemey spread weed sees in the same land. WHen both wheat and weeds spring up, people urge the owner to pull up the weeds. But he refuses, sa ying both must be allowed to grow together until harvest. Jesus intepret the weeds are the people of the evil one. The harvest is the end of the age. In fact, Jesus is saying the society is the place where evil persons may grow along with good people until the end of age. People’s freedom to reject God and still enjoy God’s gift of life in society continues to the end of age. In this way, individual and religious communities have the right to practive and hsare their faith without interference from the state. Individuals have the right to religious beliefs when family, friends disagree. Respsecting and protecting the right to religious freedom of every person is one of the most basic way Christians respect the dignity of every person. Actually, us Baptist also have one of our core values of religious freedom, that only those who perseonal committed to Jesus is baptized into the church, and church is seperated from state control. In a way, out of all denomination we should be advocating for the freedom of religion of everyone.

For freedom of speech, it seems not an explicit demand in Bible. In fact, the OT even specifices what speech we should not speak. But following on through the freedom on religion, at the basic level it could protect religious speech and also the ability of individual to think and decide issues for themselves, as we see the Bible throughout places a high value on respecting human freedeom of choice. But protecting people’s ability to think and decide issues freely for themselves means that they must be able to have access to arguments on all side of an issues. Another side of the coin, is that the bible says it should prevent the abuse of power by government. There is atendency to sin in the heart of every human beings, same as ruler as they obtain government power. But if a society safeguard freedom of speech, that tends to restrain government officials, because in a way it makes them more accourtable to the people.

In some way, so far it seems our faith agrees with the human rights project. But is there any challenges as we advocate for human rights. let’s look at the second passage from Paul.

Challenges of Human rights

1 Cor 4:1-5 “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.”

Paul in this passage highlights an important principal when engaging with soceity. As Paul continue to engage with Christians, especially Corinthians who has deep entreched in the wordly ways, he is judged by these people. HIs wisdom, his speech his weakness. Basically Corinthians are not really respecting Paul and even divied amongst themselves. But as a servant of God, as in some sense we who believe in Jesus today, we are to be faithful, faithful to his gospel and his word. The right attitude then is to search the scriptures, Acts 17:11 “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” We must examine Scripture to see what is true, we need to live by the truth of God, and be critical with all the world is saying.

And so in some way with human rights, we need to understand that true justice doesn’t start with our rights. It starts with God’s righteousness and his understanding of what’s right, which includes respecting people’s rights. What do justice by doing first what’s right, which includes respecting people’s rights. What God say is right is the root, rights are the flower. To put it another way, we should never stop asking waht makes human rights right. THe answer for a Christian must be that rights are right because God say they are right. And that’s why Christians would have some reservation to the whole human rights project. Many western thinkers sought to ground human rights in autonomous humanity rather than God. One such thinker John Locke argued individual liberty is the most precious human value. Freedom to do whatever one desires is the ssence of persons. By contrast, CHristians thinkers insist that persons in their essence are communal beings with mutual obligations imposed by GOd to serve the common good and use their freedom to obey God. THe result, is today’s highly individualistic western society that have trouble affirming persons responsibilities and obligations to promote the common good.

Just giving two examples, I know they are highly contentious by I guess we really need to come back to the Bible and see what God wants. Firstly, do we have the right to abort babies. Because of this highly indivdualized language of right, woman rights for their bodies have been elevated, in this what GOd inteneded for the unborn babies when scientifically we knew all organs are formed at 10 weeks and God said do not kill ? Also, the whole insituation of marriage. Because of the highly elevated individualistic rights language, we have allowed no-fault divorce, we have allowed redefinition or marraige from one man and one woman. Is that what God has intended? Have we as the church slowly following the society in destorying the basic fabric of society, the family unit?

As we embrace liberty and freedom, let’s not forget seekign God’s kingdom and GOd’s righteousness first. Let’s search the scripture and live in truth. Let’s treat others with basic dignity but proclaim the gospel with gentleness. and at the end, would like to share how JEsus transforms the human rights.

Jesus transforms Human rights

Let’s look at the last passage from Paul 1 Cor 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

I guess in some ways Christians think beyond human rights, this two verse talk about how we should treat ourselves, our bodies. For those who believe JEsus Christ as Lord, spirit is already in us. We are not only ourselves, our bodies in the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, the Almighty God. We have a very intimate relationship with God, and we let our boides be an offering to God, we obey how the Holy Spirit. And it is important again, understand it is God who bought us, he went on the cross, he brought himself all the sin, he actually was a human right’s victim, so that we now have a relationship with God, our life is renewed, we are washed from sin, we lordship is not for ourselves and for God. This is all because of JEsus, and so each day we use our body to glorify God.

In some way this passage brings us back to Philippians 2:6-10 “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,”

Jesus himself, not only emptied himself of God’s right, but also even human rights on a cross, who was not a sinner. But he rose again. He conquered death and sin. And in some way, we have the power to not hold grasp of our own rights, our own rights so hardly but because of the love of Jesus we could be free to love, free to fight for others right, fight when there are many injustices that we are able to bring reonciliation and forgiveness to places that desperate need it. And so CHristians who those who could in some way put down our own rights to serve others in love.

One such example is in China, the practice of food binding, started in nith century in China and extended to sixteenth century. It tightly wrap the feet of young girls in roder to rehspae them and prevent them from growing too large. The goal was to produce lotus feet, no longer than 4 inch, only to manage small steps. In nineteenth century, foot binding were almost nearly half of all women in CHina and almost all upper-class Han women. Yet in the space of one generation, foot binding dispappersed. THe successful campaign against foot binding was jointly led by Western missionaries and native CHinese Christians. John Macgowan,a missionary with the London Missionary Scoeity was a key figure. Ini 1875, he called a meeting of CHinese Christian women to oppose binding. Nigne of them agreed not to bind their daugher’s feet, this was the beggining of Quit-foot-binding scoiety. Macgowan also conviced CHinese intellectues, including people in the buddish religion. In the end, CHiense CHristian women took the lead to end foot binding. In 1902, the empress Dowager Cixi banned foot binding.

As we step into 21st century, the world is complicated. LEt’s think globally about human rights as ours is an increasly interconnected world. What happens in one part of it affects people in other parts. The denial of human rights in one place is a scandal to evereywhere. But act locally, start where we are, start where we are likely to be most effective. Two areas we can think of, locally, Baptist has a public engagement arm to deal with different issues in Australia, and Baptist world aid deal with some of the global issues. You are free to go to their websites, and if you want to follow up of any of it, I’m happy to discuss with you. But only the other hand. as we work through these issues, let’s also be cautious, let’s search the scriptures and make sure these justice issues are indeed God’s issues. Let’s live under his truth. But finally let’s practice peace and reconiliation. Let’s not be embittered by the worlds’s evil. Support those who are victimized, but don’t confuse vengeance with justice. Let’s in some way even follow Jesus in giving us our own rights for others. Let’s pray:

Think global, act local

Search the scriptures

Practice peace and reconciliation