Religious Foundations for Human Rights and Responsibilities

Abstract

The contributions of Greek philosophy to human understanding are broadly known and deeply appreciated. Perhaps less appreciated are its contribution to the religious understanding of Christianity and Islam. These need to be known and celebrated. At the same time, however, it is important to be aware of the limitations of the ancient Greek mind in order to shed light on the later contributions of the great monotheistic religions to the appreciation of the dignity of all human beings as persons in the image of God. This, in turn, provides the realist metaphysical foundation for the rights of persons and peoples. That is Part I of this study. Part II will examine, in contrast, the secularizing character of the modern humanistic and rationalistic paradigm. This results in the paradox that the very dynamism whereby human rights are strongly affirmed eats away at their foundations. Part III will then search for ways of restoring the religious foundations of human rights for our global age.