This is being published on Human Rights Day in South Africa. Most of us will simply enjoy a holiday relaxing with family and friends, giving little thought to this day’s significance. That is neither a criticism nor cynicism, just an observation. I would assume that most people take the matter of human rights for granted. We assume the right to safety and security, the right to privacy, the right to freedom of expression, etc. In the land of my birth, the Declaration of Independence speaks of a person’s “unalienable” rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” “Unalienable” refers to that which is impossible to take away or give up. This is the basic idea behind the concept of human rights. That is, human rights are assumed to be, well, a person’s rights by virtue of their humanity. The problem, of course, is when it comes to defining or specifying human rights. After all, who says?
For example, is it a human right to have access to clean water? Is it a fundamental human right to have access to healthcare? Is education a human right? Is Greta Thunberg justified in arguing that her generation has a human right to a future without global warming? I don’t think so.
The truth is, only God can determine what is a human right. And it seems to me that he has done so in his revelation of the Ten Commandments. In what is often referred to as “the second table of the law,” Yahweh makes clear that parents have the human right to be honoured by their children; people have the human right to private ownership of their possessions; every human person has the right to life (i.e. the right to not be physically attacked by another; the right to freedom of movement); spouses have the right to exclusive sexual activity within marriage; and everyone has the right to not be slandered. Outside of these parameters, I believe we are on shaky ground to argue for a broader claim to human rights. Rather than being obsessed with human rights, we should be at least equally concerned about human responsibilities.
Some months ago, I heard a United States Senator make the point in a debate that “healthcare for all Americans” is not a human right and hence should not be mandated by the government. But then he added, “I am a Christian and I am also a medical doctor. And though I do not believe healthcare is a fundamental human right, nevertheless I believe that, as a Christian, I have an obligation to care for the needs of my neighbours.” He went on to describe how he has done that for many who are indigent. What he was saying was that he understands human obligation, human responsibility, to be as important as human rights.
A major problem in our society is an overemphasis upon rights and an underemphasis upon responsibility. “Demand your rights” is an unhelpful catchphrase, especially when uncoupled from “fulfil your responsibilities.” Without the latter, chaos is bound to follow. To paraphrase a sad verse in the Bible, when everyone seeks to do what is their rights in their own eyes, prepare for a collapse of a community. Just read the book of Judges.
The Christian is on solid biblical ground to deny the widespread application of the moniker “human rights.” At the same time, the Christian is biblically responsible to affirm our obligations to promote human flourishing. This is what it means to love one’s neighbour as oneself.
For example, though there is no inalienable human right to access to clean drinking water, nevertheless, as a Christian, I am obligated to steward God’s creation such that I neither cause preventable pollution nor waste the water God so graciously and abundantly (like this year!) provides. If my neighbour has no water supply, my love for him means I will share the water I have. Again, though I would not lobby for universal healthcare as a human right, I am nevertheless obligated to do what I can to assist my neighbour who is afflicted with illness. I may not have the ability to pay for medicine or to get them into a hospital, but if my neighbour needs assistance, I am obligated, by the love of God, to do what I can to alleviate suffering.
The education of children and young adults is another hot button “human rights” issue. No one has a “human right” to education, including the “right” to tertiary education. Yet if I have the ability to assist a child to learn to read or to learn maths or whatever, love may very well obligate me before the Lord to do so.
The takeaway from this brief article is that Christians are motivated to do right by and to others not because of manmade laws enforcing “human rights” but rather Christians do right to others because of the law of love mandated by our triune God.
So, while enjoying yourself this Human Rights Day, perhaps give thought to how we can better love God who equips us to love our neighbour as ourself.
Doug