Human Rights: Your Culture on Christianity

Earlier this week, I posted a short piece on PTSD. The genesis of that was Dave Rubin's interview with Jordan Peterson (which, again, was fantastic and you should check out all 2 hours of it on The Rubin Report).

This is something of a continuation of that.

But for this tidbit, I'd like to talk about something else that was brought up. Moving along from psychology, this is more philosophical. And political. Or cultural, depending on how you want to slice it.

Actually, it's a bridging of philosophy and politics. It's how a specific philosophical premise is necessary for the freedoms we here enjoy.

Western culture is built on the notion that all people have an equal, intrinsic value. This value transcends economic factors (such as income or class), biological factors (such as genetics or physicality), social factors (such as contribution to society), and so on (beliefs, lifestyle, etc).

A doctor, for example, can’t just beat up a homeless man. It doesn’t matter that the doctor’s contribution to society is greater; we all stand equal under the law.

This is explicitly Christian.

Really. You cannot arrive at this premise otherwise.

It’s not something you can prove; it’s something you have to assume.

It’s not a logical idea – not from a naturalistic standpoint. If we are merely biological, just sacks of cells trying to keep the species going, then one’s worth must be tied to genetics. A person is valuable because of desirable genes, or a person is valuable because of their contribution to the group.

“A Darwinian society would be a fascist state.” - Richard Dawkins

It’s also not an idea manifest in any other major religion. You certainly don’t see it in Islam, where women are beaten for not wearing the right clothes and homosexuals are dropped off of rooftops. Nor in Hinduism with its caste system. Buddhism is interesting, because it actually goes the other way; all life has equal value, so there’s no real reason that humans should have more rights than any other animal. Logically, stepping on a cockroach is no different than drowning a nine year old girl.

Here's the big idea:

If you believe that every person has some level of intrinsic value simply by merit of the fact they are a person, then congratulations!!! You hold a uniquely Christian moral!

Why do I bring this up?

My goal here is not primarily apologetic. That Christian doctrine offers a better explanation for human equality than any other worldview doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s true. It should get you thinking – it is apologetic power – but it’s not proof proper.

My goal is simply this: Whether Christian or not, I want you to come away with an appreciation for Christianity that accurately reflects the cornerstone contribution that it has made to the life you enjoy. Because, despite the rhetoric that seems so often raised against it in modern pop culture, Christianity has made a contribution to the life you enjoy.

So, if you like free speech, human rights, democracy, and individual liberty, thank Jesus ;)

"So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." - Genesis 1:27

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 28