Religion and Human Rights: A Personal Testament*
The subject of religion and human rights is something in which I have more than academic or professional interest. It is true I have invested considerable time and energy to the question throughout my scholarly life. In recent years, I have paid special attention to the more practical aspects—namely...
| Published in: | Journal of law and religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Cambridge Univ. Press
2002
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| In: |
Journal of law and religion
Year: 2002, Volume: 18, Issue: 1, Pages: 57-77 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The subject of religion and human rights is something in which I have more than academic or professional interest. It is true I have invested considerable time and energy to the question throughout my scholarly life. In recent years, I have paid special attention to the more practical aspects—namely, the degree to which states and other actors have actually complied with the standards of religious freedom and equality enshrined in the international human rights documents. At the same time, I have come to see that my efforts in this area are not "value-free;" in fact, they express a deeper worldview that, for better or worse, I hold and am pleased to avow. In this article I attempt to lay out the sources and features of that worldview.As it happens, I am a committed Presbyterian layman, and have served at various times as an officer in that church. That means I stand in what is known as the "Reformed" tradition of Protestant Christianity, which stems from the sixteenth-century French theologian and religious leader, John Calvin (1509-1564). Calvin's general approach is summarized by the motto, ecclesia reformata semper reformanda—"the church reformed, ever reforming." Those words signal Calvin's strong concern for church life and organization, both as an expression of Christian commitment, and as a model for social and political life. Moreover, the motto implies Calvin's characteristic emphasis on the obligation of Christians to act out their beliefs in institutional and practical ways. |
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| ISSN: | 2163-3088 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of law and religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/1051494 |