Abstract
The idea of human rights is widely accepted as a foundation of legislation and political action. It is the cornerstone of liberal democracies, the ideal held out against oppression and injustice all over the world. At the same time, it arouses debate, and criticism from all parts. Different groups fight for different causes appealing to the same principle of human rights. For all their disagreement, they could perhaps agree on one thing, that is the origin of human rights. But even then, there is disagreement. The commonly held view that human rights are the fruit of the European and American Enlightenment in the 18th century, is now being questioned. In this article, we shall see that Protestantism has played a crucial role, especially one branch of Protestantism in the English-speaking world, the Baptist movement in the early 17th century. Our interest is not only to set the historical record straight, but also to see how the particular origins of human rights are relevant for the development of this principle in today’s societies.
Highlights
Эверт ван де Пол века – сыграл в этом видную роль
What do we mean by human rights? According to one formal definition, Human rights are rights belonging to every human being, which every human being is obligated to respect1
What can we conclude from the history of early Baptists and their three main representatives, as far as the plea for religious freedom is concerned?
Summary
How and where did the idea of universal human rights emerge? As Richard Amesbury has formulated succinctly, Human rights are said to be universal, but thinking about human rights, and the language in which this thought is expressed, is neither universal nor ahistorical. Amsterdam became a haven of refuge for persecuted Protestants, Catholics and Jews alike Another example is the Hungarian Reformed pastor Ferencz Davidis who influenced king John Sigismund of Transylvania to issue the first Edict of tolerance in history, granting freedom of worship to all the different Christian confessions in his territory (1568). They called in question the authority of civil authorities and of the established state Church in matters of religious opinion and religious practice It is in these circles that we hear, for the first time in European history, a plea for religious liberty as a universal human right, for Christians of different confessions but for all men, whatever their religious or non-religious persuasion.
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