amnesty international
I enjoy the King James Version of the Bible immensely for the beauty of the language. Just from a professional writers perspective one ought to read the KJV on a very regular basis.
But beyond that it has become obvious to me, later in life, that the Bible and Judeo-Christian culture are somehow inexorably linked with a serious commitment to human rights.
First a bit of background. When I was in university and through my 30s I thought Judeo-Christianity was utter bullshit that had no redeeming value. At 47 I still have a very, very dim view of all (all!) organized religions. I share my fathers view that organized religion-be it Roman Catholicism, Aimee Semple McPherson or the Tibetan Buddhists moving and grooving through Taipei streets-are nothing more than ways to separate rubes from their hard earned dollars. (as a side note, my mom, when she was a kid in Orange County CA, actually met Aimee Semple McPherson and got blessed by her! Which is why my mom went on to have the two outstanding boy children, i.e. me and my brother, that she did).
Well, then I move to the Far East, Taiwan specifically, and work for about 5 years with Amnesty International here. And as part of that work with other AI branches in Asia. And the conclusion I came to is that if a county is going to have a serious and deeply rooted commitment to basic human rights then—its got to have as its cultural foundation Judeo-Christianity. Not Islam, not Hinduism, not Buddhism, not Daoism (which actually is my personal religion of choice) but Judeo-Christianity.
As I have pondered this over the years I have come up with a variety of reasons why this is but I see this post is getting long so I will just list them:
First, Judeo-Christianity has a final judgment date.
Second, in Judeo-Christianity each individual is a unique creation of God, made in Gods image. Ergo each individual has unique value, dignity and is worthy of respect.
Third, Judeo-Christianity has a kind of law basis. There are covenants, commandments and they are not human creations.
So, read your Bible and build human rights!
Having said all that, ummm, I personally find the New Testament to be full of often confusing stories and mixed moral messages—maybe I need to read the Cliff Notes.
Take care,
Daoist Master Brian
bob - I don't believe in God but I believe that each individual has unique value. Not sure that they all have dignity or are worthy of respect but I would fight for their freedom to work towards those things. I'm not sure either that a commitment to human rights needs to be based on the uniqueness of the individual. Perhaps it can be based on the opposite. On the knowledge that despite all our apparent differences we are very much the same. We want to be happy and avoid suffering and we can be pretty sure the other guy does too. Take as a starting point a love of life and of nature and from there move towards guarantees of freedom. No need for absolute laws or eternal judgements. Just appreciation, acknowledgement and respect for life and the apparent facts of human nature.
But beyond that it has become obvious to me, later in life, that the Bible and Judeo-Christian culture are somehow inexorably linked with a serious commitment to human rights.
First a bit of background. When I was in university and through my 30s I thought Judeo-Christianity was utter bullshit that had no redeeming value. At 47 I still have a very, very dim view of all (all!) organized religions. I share my fathers view that organized religion-be it Roman Catholicism, Aimee Semple McPherson or the Tibetan Buddhists moving and grooving through Taipei streets-are nothing more than ways to separate rubes from their hard earned dollars. (as a side note, my mom, when she was a kid in Orange County CA, actually met Aimee Semple McPherson and got blessed by her! Which is why my mom went on to have the two outstanding boy children, i.e. me and my brother, that she did).
Well, then I move to the Far East, Taiwan specifically, and work for about 5 years with Amnesty International here. And as part of that work with other AI branches in Asia. And the conclusion I came to is that if a county is going to have a serious and deeply rooted commitment to basic human rights then—its got to have as its cultural foundation Judeo-Christianity. Not Islam, not Hinduism, not Buddhism, not Daoism (which actually is my personal religion of choice) but Judeo-Christianity.
As I have pondered this over the years I have come up with a variety of reasons why this is but I see this post is getting long so I will just list them:
First, Judeo-Christianity has a final judgment date.
Second, in Judeo-Christianity each individual is a unique creation of God, made in Gods image. Ergo each individual has unique value, dignity and is worthy of respect.
Third, Judeo-Christianity has a kind of law basis. There are covenants, commandments and they are not human creations.
So, read your Bible and build human rights!
Having said all that, ummm, I personally find the New Testament to be full of often confusing stories and mixed moral messages—maybe I need to read the Cliff Notes.
Take care,
Daoist Master Brian
bob - I don't believe in God but I believe that each individual has unique value. Not sure that they all have dignity or are worthy of respect but I would fight for their freedom to work towards those things. I'm not sure either that a commitment to human rights needs to be based on the uniqueness of the individual. Perhaps it can be based on the opposite. On the knowledge that despite all our apparent differences we are very much the same. We want to be happy and avoid suffering and we can be pretty sure the other guy does too. Take as a starting point a love of life and of nature and from there move towards guarantees of freedom. No need for absolute laws or eternal judgements. Just appreciation, acknowledgement and respect for life and the apparent facts of human nature.
posted by david at 6:27 AM
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