Protecting our Humanity

The Church has always seemed to me to have a fairly ambivalent relationship with the idea of human rights. For Christians who believe in the inherent God-given dignity of human-kind, there is clearly a firm basis for what we call 'natural rights' but in spite of this, there has been a tendency to view the 'human rights agenda' with some suspicion. But perhaps the tide is turning... in recent months I attended a seminar hosted by CARE which was a fascinating insight into the historical origins of the Universal Declaration and yesterday, the 60th anniversary since the UDHR, Nick Sagovsky of Westminster Abbey used the opportunity to highlight the plight of people seeking sanctuary in the UK, calling for a more humanitarian approach to asylum policy. Instead of casting doubt over the validity of human rights, which seems rather in vogue amongst some politicians, this is an opportunity for people of faith and of no faith to work together, speaking up for and protecting our common humanity. But we cannot pick and choose - these are human rights for all, not just for those who believe as we do. Everyone for example, has the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution. Similarly, the freedom, enshrined in the UDHR to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, remains as relevant today as it did in 1948.