Question: I am not a religious person, however I am interested in finding out about beliefs of all the varying faiths that are existent in the world today and how they relate to the upholding of human dignity and worth. Greg, could you please tell me exactly what the major beliefs of Christianity are as you see them, and how they relate to human rights issues and the human rights bodies in place at the moment?
I know it is a big ask!! How does Christianity uphold the international standards of human rights, and how do they relate? I’m very curious, as I have no set religion of my own.
Thank you!
Loren
Answer: Hello, Loren,
Thanks for the question and for the opportunity to respond. I spent 20 years as a college professor and administrator, and it is a pleasure to discuss my faith with someone who is searching, and with someone like you who believes that values and the meaning of life are important.
Speaking as a Christian, I would have to say that Christianity affirms human worth and dignity more than any other world religion or philosophical construct. It does so because it asserts that God loved and loves humans so much that he came into human flesh (called the incarnation – celebrated by Christians as Christmas) and became Jesus. Jesus, the second person of the Godhead, took on human flesh, becoming something that he had not been before for the sole purpose of dying for our sins.
That is THE major belief of Christianity – it is the reason that we all, whether we believe in God, or whether we are agnostics, or atheists, speak of time as being B.C. (before Christ) or A.D. (year of our Lord). That central event is the fulcrum and watershed event of history. It’s the way we tell time, and mark years and dates on our calendars.
Greg Albrecht