What are Human Rights?

Human rights are about human dignity for all people, even our enemies.  The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights was first published in 1948 after the cruelties and horrors of World War II - including the Jewish Holocaust.  It has become one of the most important documents of humanity, and has been referred to as the 'Magna Carta of Humankind'.  The Universal Declaration is an international agreement to honor the human dignity of all people with rights that cannot be taken away.  Human rights include the right to life, liberty and security of person, the right not to be a slave, the right not to be tortured, the right to choose your religion freely and so on.   Altogether there are 30 basic rights outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and include civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.  Human rights are rights each person is born with simply because they are human.  Human rights cannot be bought, sold, given or taken away - they are inalienable rights.

Why are Human Rights a Restoration Christian Imperative?

In our early history the human rights of our people were abused.   We were driven off our lands in Jackson County, Missouri, USA in 1833.   Leaders of our movement were tarred and feathered.  In a conflict in Northern Missouri in 1838 between our church people and other residents, Governor Boggs issued his famous 'extermination order' stating that our people 'must be driven from the State of Missouri or be exterminated'.  This extermination order was not rescinded until 1976, one hundred and thirty eight years later.  In the same 1838 conflict a settlement of our people at Haun's Mill in Caldwell County was attacked and 17 people were massacred, including three boys.  The men who carried out this massacre were never brought to justice, even though they were well known and even publically boasted of their deeds.   Finally, Joseph Smith, Jr. and his brother were murdered in Carthage, Illinois, USA on June 27th, 1844 when a mob stormed the jail in which they were being kept.  No one was charged with the crime.  Stunned church members did not retaliate at the death of their founder, nor when driven out of their city of Nauvoo in Illinois in 1846.

However, in these conflicts our church people were at times partly to blame.  For instance in 1838 we also violated the rights of others in driving non-church people out of their homes and off their lands in Daviess County, Missouri in retaliation for earlier persecution.  For this we need to be repentant and make amends.  A clear learning from our history is that every time we sought to retaliate violently it made things even worse.

Thus our early history in the early 19th century contains human rights abuses that have echoes of events occurring in the twentieth century.  Our own historical suffering as well as our historical need for repentance should foster in us a concern for human rights today.  We now exist as an international church in 50 countries, many of whom are in the poorer two thirds world.  Concern for human rights for people of all races, faiths and nations is an imperative for an international Restoration Christian church.

What though are the theological imperatives of our movement that support human rights?

A Restoration Christian Theology for Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration not a revelation.  It is a declaration to all people whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Humanist, believer or non-believer of the inalienable dignity of all humans.   What though, in the revelation of our restoration movement, supports human rights for all?

The roots of the equal worth of all persons begins for us in Genesis, the first book of the Bible:

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27 NRSV)

All humans, male and female are equally created in the image of God.   There is that of God in every person.  To scorn, brutalize, murder, impoverish, silence, or cause another human to starve, is to insult, betray and crucify God.

Again, in the Genesis account of creation, all humans are described as being the children and descendants of Adam and Eve.  All humans, black, brown or white belong to the same family.  We are all related, all humans are at least cousins.  Thus the abuse of one member of the human family is the abuse of us all.

In the story of Jesus of Nazareth, the Creator God of the whole universe put on human personality and walked among us as a fellow human.  We see what God is really like in the likeness of Jesus.  Jesus was born in a stable not a palace, a Jew not a Roman - a brown child of an oppressed people.  Jesus' passion for the poor, for the dignity of women, and for the worth of the foreigner is seen clearly in his life and teaching.  Jesus' teachings included that it was not a right to retaliate against an enemy.  Enemies also have rights.  Instead he argued that it was the duty of all disciples to love their enemies and pray for them (Matthew 5:44).

When the religious and political elite moved to silence Jesus he was arrested at night just after he had finished praying.  Jesus refused to allow his disciples to be violent in resisting his arrest.  He went through a mock trial and was sentenced to death.  Approval of the sentence was given by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.  After torture by scourging he was brutally executed by crucifixion.   Jesus demonstrated that God loves his enemies when he prayed from the cross, 'Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.' (Luke 23:34) Jesus' life and death exposed the inhumanity of those who oppressed his people and executed not only him but many others.

For the first three hundred years Christians were persecuted and martyred.  No Christian leader in this period advocated violence.  Christians refused to make martyrs of others.  Although persecuted, they refused to be intimidated in caring for the poor, regularly meeting for worship or in speaking the truth as they saw it.  Respectful of government they nevertheless were obedient to God first.

As a 'restoration' movement we seek to 'Hear Jesus!' and go back past later Christian compromises with violence, like the crusades and inquisition, to the New Testament and early Christianity.

Among the inspired words of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of our Restoration Christian movement, this was given as revelation in June 1829:

Remember the worth of persons is great in the sight of God; for behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh wherefore he suffered the pain of all humans, that all humans might repent and come unto God.

And he has risen from the dead, that he might bring all humans to him on conditions of repentance.

And how great is his joy in the person that repents.  Wherefore you are called to cry repentance unto this people. (Doctrine and Covenants 16:3c-e, adapted)

As Restoration Christians, members and friends of the Community of Christ, we are committed to be on the forefront of recognizing the equal worth of all persons in all nations.  We seek therefore to support comprehensive human rights for all persons and speak out repentance without fear or favor to all who abuse human rights.  We gladly join with people from different faiths and races to work together to enable all children everywhere, black, brown or white, to grow up whole and unafraid.