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Religion 33rd
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Introduction to
Human Rights
Human Rights
-aren’t given to us by society but entitlements that society
has to respect, promote, and protect
-not subject to any arbitrary and imperious manipulation of
any person, society, or state
-moral powers to do, accomplish, possess, dispose of
something so we can live a dignified life
-human inequalities are welcome but the inequality in terms
of the exercise of basic rights is not acceptable (ignorance is
not acceptable)
-Traditional Definition: titles/claims to a certain material and
spiritual good in order for persons to live a dignified life
-Natural Human Rights: these are rights simply and solely
because we are humans; directly proceed from our dignity
and our very nature as embodied spirits, free, rational,
relational, and historical (specified by natural law)
-flipside: we sometimes forget to respect others’ rights
-if we forget to respect others’ rights, the whole social order
will crumble, only brute force will matter
“We have rights, but we also have the corresponding moral
obligation to recognize these rights in orders”
>implies that there is a separation between enjoying rights
and being morally responsible (“We are free, but morally
obligated”)
Matthew 7:11
If we humans, who are sinful and weak, know how to give good
things to our children, how much more does our Heavenly
Father give good things to us whom He created, redeemed, and
elevated as His adopted children
John 10:10
God thinks of nothing, but our welfare. He puts us in this world
not just to survive, but to have life and have it abundantly
Civil Rights
-given to us by the state/society due to our
citizenship/residence in our country
-enable us to meet our needs and fulfill our duties as
members of the society
>Rule of thumb: must always be in accordance with the
natural human rights
-curtailment of authentic civil rights = violation of human
rights and an obstacle to fulfilling one’s social duties
>Ex. Right to vote
Social Duties
-our duty: see to it that these rights are given to all of us
-for every human right, there is a corresponding moral duty
-consequence is surely a violation of human dignity and to a
certain extent, destruction of human lives
-Church addresses human rights: stresses on the aspect of
social responsibility & call to work for transformation of
society
>envisions a society where everyone can act freely and
responsibly
Pacem in Terris 44
“If a man becomes conscious of his rights, he must become equally
aware of his duties.”
Human Rights Documents
-it was only in the 20th century that human rights were
defined and codified for universal use
-International Bill of Human Rights:
1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948
>proposed by Eleanor Roosevelt and was ratified for
the purpose of avoiding the Holocaust that happened during
World War II, which was the darkest moments of the history
of human rights
2. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
of 1966
3. The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and
Cultural Rights of 1966
4. Optional Protocol
-these 4 documents were followed by more than 20 human
rights conventions
-in PH, we abide by the International Bill of Human Rights
-Catholic Church Documents:
1. St. John XXIII’s Pacem in Terris
> Magna Carta of Human Rights
>social encyclical containing a list of many types of
human rights
2. Redemptor Hominis
>St. John Paul II’s 1st encyclical
>supports St. John XXIII’s Pacem in Terris
>respect for human rights = secret of true peace
Church’s View of Human Rights
-Church’s view is distinctive because of how it defines human
dignity since it traces ultimately to God to provide us with
incomparable contributions to our work for promoting
human rights
The Church understands human rights as:
Principles Meanings
-can’t be violated
Inviolable
-since the source of human rights is God
-for all
Universal
-God created all human persons
-cannot be taken away from us
-also inherent
Inalienable -we can’t lose our rights anymore than we
can stop our being human or God’s love
for us
3 Significant Ways the Church Helps Us
1. Provides us with a solid justification for the promotion &
protection of human rights
>we need to respect other people’s rights because they
are God’s creation regardless
>Ex. Work of the Argentinian priest in Payatas, Fr.
Orlando Nornella of the Sons of divine Providence
congregation
2. Constantly emphasizes our social responsibility
>constant call to appreciate the value of family since they
play a key role in helping us develop respect for others and
solidarity with the oppressed
3. Leads us to an understanding of human rights that is truly
faithful to our human nature
>between various opposing ideologies, like liberalism
and socialism, the church made valuable contributions in
helping Filipinos be aware of the extreme positions of these
>2 Ideologies on Human Rights
>Liberalism: puts too much emphasis on political rights
>Socialism: claims strict equality in economic rights
>the Church strongly criticizes these two ideologies but
recognizes some beneficial elements in their theories
 >ex. liberalism champions many freedoms; socialism temple of the Holy Spirit
promotes some socio-economic principles >may not despise his/her bodily life
-Church leads us to be more critical in understanding what is >good and to hold it in honor
truly essential to human dignity -See: Self-harm
>St. John Paul II: specified the human rights the church -This right includes:
emphasizes in his “Address to the 34th General Assembly of a. Right to Self-defense
the United Nations” >justifies self-defense
b. Right to Free Movement
>based on the fact that all human beings belong to a
Types of Human single human race
>freedom to emigrate (leave one country and settle in
Rights another) and freedom to immigrate (come into a new
country to settle there)
>as long as our movement will do good and not harm
-it’s important to know the types of human rights so that we to our country of origin and destination
will have a critical understanding and sensitivity to our social >Article 13 (UDHR) and Article 14
situation > DOCTRINE
Doctrines Meanings
[Personal Rights] Mt. 2:14-15, 19- Mary and Joseph left to save Jesus, the true
-foundation of other human rights 23 king, from Herod
DOCAT (Social moral duty to provide refuge for those who
Right to Life Teaching of the in their homeland are subject to
-most fundamental right; primary condition of all other Church, 249) persecution/suffering
human rights (UDHR #3)
c. Right to the Inviolability of One’s Home
>we discover the true dignity yet fragility of human life
>because this is the extension of one’s self
when we care for one another
-Human Life: God’s most basic gift to us; to deprive a
Right to One’s Personality
person’s life is morally evil except for cases of self-defense
-right to develop their own character
-Preservation of Life: resisting any unjust aggression that
-Character: influences the moral choices you make
either directly or indirectly puts human life in danger
-challenge to us: go for things that can lead you to become
-if this right isn’t protected all other rights are under threat
the kind of person you really want to be and what God
-Right to Basic Necessities: food, shelter, clothing, sufficient
wants you to be
health care, rest and leisure
-to choose who we want to become
-Respect for Human Life: core of human and Christian values
-nature and nurture are some influences to one’s personality
-The Church will protect the people who can’t stand for
-Jesus underwent a normal human development
themselves.
-started to search for God’s plan for him at 12 years old
-DOCTRINE
-beatitudes set forth the personal values that Jesus
Doctrines Meanings
developed through time
Divine Law: “You shall not kill” (6th
Exodus 20:13
Commandment) Luke 2: 41-52
-inviolable dignity; imago dei He developed good human values as He “advanced in wisdom
Gaudium Et -redeemed by God & entrusted with an and age and favour before God and man.”
Spes 22 eternal destiny no matter how
poor/uneducated
-child is not something owned but a gift
[Religious & Moral Rights]
-child possesses genuine rights such as Right to Education
Catechism of
right to be respected as a person from the -to avail of all possible means and opportunities to help
the Catholic
moment of conception and right to be the
Church, 2378 us develop physically, intellectually, spiritually, and socially
fruit of the specific act of the conjugal love
of one’s parents -it’s the parents’ duty and responsibility to bring their
children to school
-See: abortion of babies with down syndrome -includes responsibility of the children to make the most of
the learning opportunities
Right to One’s Person
>listen to the parents, elders, and authorities
-right over our own bodies and bodily faculties and energies
>study well
-God created us as embodied spirits to carry out our tasks
>choose the right company
that is according to His will.
>acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to become
-DOCTRINE
better persons and members of the community
Doctrines Meanings
-lack of education can ruin a country
Gen 1:27 image of God (imago dei)
-Starts From Birth: from the womb, one has the right to be
Mark 12:33 Love God, others, and self
nourished, protected, and taken care of until one has the
St. Paul exhorted us to take care of our
1 Corinthians capability to take care of oneself
body for we are the temple of the Holy
6:19
Spirit
The human body shares in the dignity of CFC 1026
“the image of God”; it’s a human body The Church teaches that parents have the duty to provide so far
precisely because it is animated by a as they can for their children’s needs, guiding them in faith and
CCC 364 spiritual soul and it is the whole human morals and creating for them an environment for personal growth
person intended to be in the body of Christ, (cf CCC 2221-31)
 In infancy and childhood, parents provide the physical,
emotional, and spiritual needs of their children. As they grow
older, the parents are called to promote their growing autonomy
and independence. Parents have the primary responsibility for the
education of their children, both secular and religious.
Right to Conscience
-to act in accordance when it comes to making moral
decisions and follow what our well-informed conscience
dictates
>both a duty and a right to educate one’s conscience
correctly and follow it all the time
>concrete personal experiences cannot be regarded as the
only basis for moral life because this would destroy all
objective morality as everyone would simply follow what they
want to do
>we gradually form our conscience from the way our
neighbors live their lives in a community
-Tinig ng Budhi: the right to follow that inner voice
-Healthy Conscience: acts like a true friend that helps us
judge what is morally good or evil and tells us to do what is
good
-Person of Good Conscience: knows what is objectively good
and evil, and has the courage to do and defend what is right
and wrong
-Individual Conscience: opening up to the whole reality of
moral law and being sensitive to the signs of the times, more
than heeding the commands of our inner voice
-it is innate within us but needs input and experiences to be
able to judge
-Pope John Paul II
>interior dialogue of man with himself
>witness of God himself
>witness of his own faithfulness and unfaithfulness
-DOCTRINE: Romans 2:14-16
>primacy of conscience (god-given capacity)
-Conscientious Objector: individual claim the right to refuse
to perform military services on the grounds of freedom of
thought, conscience, or religion
-Article 18 (UDHR): Everyone has the right to freedom of
thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom
to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or
in community with others and in public or private, to
manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship
and observance.
Kinds of Problematic Conscience
Kinds Meanings
Erroneous misinformed/has wrong concept of right &
Conscience wrong which is common among children
habitual wrongdoing until the person views
Lax Conscience
the it as less wrong or not wrong at all
absorbed in following the rules perfectly
Legalistic
without thinking of the real meaning/need
Conscience
of the situation or spirit of the law
Right to Religion
-bound to seek the truth and accordingly worship the
creator; can’t be forced to act against their personal
conviction (Article 18, UDHR)
-natural right to relate to God and to freely express and
develop this relationship within the teachings and practices
of their chosen religion
-Privately exercising this right: sacredness of their intimate
relation with God
-Publicly exercising this right: in the exercise of community
worship as well as charitable service and other social aspects
of religion
-as long as they do not impinge on similar rights of others
-Ecumenical Gathering: gathering of different religions
-Interfaith Prayer: being sensitive to the religions of other
people as well as their traditions
-DOCTRINE: James 1:26-27; James 2:14-17
>If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his
tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is vain. Religion
that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep
oneself unstained by the world.
[ Social Rights ]
Right to Honor/Respect
-Honor: credibility and esteem human persons enjoy in
society; key to our participation in community
-due to intrinsic dignity, human persons have a built-in
natural right to at least a minimum respect from members of
their community
-Violations: false testimony, insults, slander, libel, calumny,
detraction, and pother remarks that rob the person of their
good name in society
>when this is violated, some restitution can be demanded
to restore the communal respect due to the victims
-Jesus taught us that like everyone else, the poor and lowly
also have the right to honor and respect
-Social Acceptance
-DOCTRINE: Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10); Bartimaeus (Mark
10:46-52)
-Filipino Attitudes
>Amor Propio: pride; motivated to abide by the law, not
because valuing the law, but chiefly because of dreading the
shame that one may endure once caught red-handed
>Walang Hiya: serious charge against any Filipino
>we feel like our honor is the key to our participation in
the community but it shouldn’t be
Right to Free Expression / Freedom of Speech
-includes the rights:
a. right to freely express what is true in both spoken and
written words (our opinions and views)
b. right to freely form opinions and gather together in
order to push for the things and matters
C. right to voice to the leaders and administrators the
views and feelings on how they could govern us
-Key Elements to a Free Society: right to free expression and
right to assembly
-w/o these rights, we could well have a dictatorship w/ all
other rights suppressed
-inherent right that the people should never be dominated or
manipulated by anyone or by any state
-as long as, we don’t use freedom of speech as a license to
destroy the name of others
-this right obliges us to speak the truth at the right time in a
proper way
-any violation to this right is also a violation of the 8th
commandment (You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor)
Right to Organize
-essential ingredient of a free society
-have the right to form associations w/ common objectives
so that people can achieve more powerful means to express
themselves and accomplish their objectives
-the right to create a group to voice out the same opinions
on a certain issue ; many people expressing the same
thoughts is better than an individual
-shouldn’t be used for one’s personal political agenda to the
detriment of the common good
-this right is constantly threatened by the “kanya-kanya”
syndrome and crab mentality of Filipinos
-DOCTRINE: Acts 5:34-39
[ Economic Rights ]
Right to Livelihood
-primarily through work that human persons gain the means
to satisfy their essential needs in life
-for Filipinos, this right is a matter of life and death
-Unemployment: no job
-Under-employment: you have a job but is not related to
what you studied
-Contractual employees doesn’t receive benefits a regular
employee receives such as benefits ; PhilHealth etc.
-DOCTRINE
Doctrines Meanings
2 Thessalonians In tail and drudgery, night and day we
3:8 worked, so as not to burden any of you
2 Thessalonians If one is unwilling to work, neither should
3:10 that one eat
Right to Property
-right to exclusive control of one’s own possessions
-women before is not allowed to own a property.
-Church: all persons have the right to possess material goods
in order to meet their needs
-In having a property, one must not be harmed and should
be for the good of all people.
-God gave the riches of the Earth for the good of all; this
right is not absolute
-Control: right to acquire, use, consume, & dispose property
within boundary of law
-Property: fruit of sweat and hard work; expression of dignity
-Duty: use property with concern for the poor & environment
-DOCTRINE: Centisimus Annus
>Basis: God gave riches of the earth for the good of all
>People have the right to meet their needs & live decently
>Possession of material goods is not absolute
Luke 12:16-34 (Parable of the Rich Fool)
-Depicts the futility of the belief that wealth can secure
prosperity or a good life
-The rich fool is an example of greed as he becomes a miser to
maximize his income by replacing his barn
-The person whose identity tied up with his or her possessions,
status, and/or achievements -- and is driven by acquiring them -
- can so easily end up unaware of the call of God and the need
of the neighbor
-He was planning to fill his soul with excessive and unnecessary
feasting and was proudly disregarding all those empty bellies of
the poor. He didn’t realize that the bellies of the poor were
much safer storerooms than his barns
[ Vocation Rights ]
Right to Choose One’s Way of Life
-right to choose their career, vocation, and status in life This
right requires us to consider
>For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
-2 Things:
a. What can give you a real sense of fulfillment?
b. How you can be of service to the community?
-obliges our society to have:
a. proportionally equal educational opportunities
b. a properly functioning labor market
c. just and fair economic competition unhampered by class
privileges
d. a peaceful and orderly society
-single-blessedness, married etc.
Right to Marriage
-right of every person to seek a partner in life and enter a
union w/ the chosen person
-doesn’t have to be exercised by all because some decide to
remain single for a special vocation in life
-Duty: Functions of a Family
>Parents: provide essential needs and good moral
education
-obliges young men and women to take this seriously
because it is a responsibility where good persons and society
are nurtured
-Conclusion: All these rights are connected and some even
overlap each other
>example: right to one’s personality = right to education
= right to religion = equipped w/ proper disposition or
knowledge
-DOCTRINE: Matthew 10:9 (Sacrament of Marriage)
>As Christians, we believe that in marriage, the consent
by which the couple mutually give and receive each other is
sealed by God Himself
Peace and Active
Non-violence
Peace
-Etymology:
> Hebrew: “shalom”; peace, harmony, wholeness,
completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility and can be
used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye (as a
WAY of LIFE)
> Greek/Roman: “Pax” peace, compact, agreement,
treaty of peace, tranquility, absence of hostility, harmony (as
an END)
-absence of conflict, aggression, agitation or disturbance –
people mostly find ways to avoid conflict
-conflict is inevitable, even necessary to grow and mature as
a person
>it is the way we handle conflict, and not the absence of
it that brings about peace
-sometimes, serenity, calmness, stillness and tranquility have
been thought of as meanings of peace
-while there is some truth to this, it would be more accurate
to say that these qualities are more seen as effects of
outcomes of peace
-Authentic Peace: should be viewed both as a means and an
end which is essential to our understanding of
living a life of peace (Buhay Kapayapaan)
Buhay-Kapayapaan
-necessitates the realization of peace as both an END and
MEANS
a. Peace as an End:
• Both a presence and an absence.
• It is a presence of harmony or kaayusan in one’s
inner being (loob), in human relationships, and in life in
society. This is marked by joy, unity and well-being.
• It is also the absence of kaguluhan or disturbance
and aggression.
• Authentic peace envisions both the presence of
kaayusan, and the absence of kaguluhan
b. Peace as a Way of Life:
• peace is also a means to achieve a proper way of life
• authentic peace as a way of life is active non-violence
Active Non-Violence
-“an active non-cooperation with dehumanizing and unjust
structures, with a view of transforming an oppressive social
order into one that is liberated and liberating” (Libunao,
Challenge of Active Non-Violence, 10)
> Active peacemaking, persistent reconciliation, and
steadfast resistance to evil
> Denounces and overcomes violence in all its forms, in
all its origins, and setting all peoples into freedom
> Doesn’t avoid violence or conflicts, but rather confronts,
challenges and transforms it through the power of love
-principle rooted on the truth of human dignity.
-should be upheld for all, be they oppressors/oppressed
-founded on the belief that all human beings are good,
oriented towards goodness, and are capable of change
-based on the belief that love alone has the power to reach
out and transform the enemy or the oppressor into a friend
-principle of action; a strategy that aims at renewal and
transformation of society in order to build an alternative
future for the human community
-Main Strategies: forgiveness, conversion and reconciliation
Models of Active Non-Violence
Models Beliefs
-non-violent action doesn’t seek to
overcome the enemy, but seeks to take
the enemy as a friend, and persuades
her/him on the side of truth
Mahatma
-active non-violence of the brace puts to
Gandhi
fight thieves, dacoits, murderers, and
prepares an army of volunteers ready to
sacrifice themselves in quelling riots, in
extinguishing fires and feuds, and so on
-non-violence is absolute commitment to
the way of love; love is not emotional
Martin Luther
bash; it is not empty sentimentalism; it is
King
the active outpouring of one’s whole
being into the being of another
“I could not for the like of me, condone
Benigno Aquino
violence. If you go to the road of violence,
Jr.
it will only lead to more violence…”
The Quality of the Love of Jesus (PCP II)
A Woman Caught in Adultery (John 8:1-11)
-love towards enemies and does good even to those who are
hateful
-it radically puts the truth in place in order to set free both the
oppressor and the oppressed
-it does not tolerate violence, neither a withdrawal nor
avoidance of conflict
Jesus as a Prophet, Teacher and a Model/Sign
Roles Meanings
-Jesus had absolute regard for human dignity.
-Jesus denounced the abuses of those in
Prophet power and their total disregard for the dignity
of the sick, the outcast and the marginalized.
-Basis: Lk. 4: 18-19 and Mt. 23:28
-Jesus taught the way of non-violence-the way
of compassion, the way of forgiveness and the
way of LOVE.
Teacher
ex. The Beatitudes: a list of blessings which
outlines the life of discipleship as the
manifesto of nonviolence.
-Jesus proclaimed, taught and gave witness to
active non-violence by his very way of life.
Model
-Basis: Mk. 11: 15-19; Mt. 10: 34; Luke
23:24; and Jn. 15:13.
Active Non-Violence As
a. Discipleship
-It is an option and commitment to freedom for all.
-It is an option for a willing sacrifice.
-It is an option and commitment towards protest against
violence.
b. Witnessing to the Reign
-“Peace and Active Non-Violence as the quality of the love
of Jesus” (PCP II 307)
-“The road to total liberation is not the way of violence,
class struggle or hate; it is the way of love, brother/sisterhood,
and peaceful solidarity.” – PCP II 309
c. Lifestyle
Types Meanings
-dictated by the supermodel of development
-characterized by values of consumerism,
materialism, ease, and comfort
-definition of success and happiness is
dependent upon material wants instead of
needs; on material gratification instead of
fulfillment, lifestyle of material dependence
-lifestyle of material excesses, of amassing
things, money or prestige more than what is
Dominant actually needed
Lifestyle -material affluence is the measure of
greatness
-insensitive to the needs of the human
community, to the faces of poverty and
injustices in the society
-leads one to isolation and to dissipation as
it attends to physical and psychological
wants , but hardly nurtures the human heart
and the spirit, nor the dignity of the human
person
-lifestyle of simplicity, one that is mindful of
the deprivations of our peoples
-lifestyle of solidarity with all peoples as our
Christian duty (regardless of sex, color or
creed)
Lifestyle of -lifestyle that is Filipino, for the Filipino, by
Active Non- the Filipino
Violence -lifestyle of unconditional love modeled
after the racial and unconditional love of
Jesus for the poor, the rich, the outcast and
even his persecutors
-centered on God in faith, prayer and
celebration
d. Spirituality
-Based on the spirituality (animates, invigorates or gives
force to one’s being) of non-violence.
-The model and source of this spirituality is Jesus.
-Must have an personal and deeper encounter with Jesus if
one is to grow in the spirituality of active non-violence
-This encounter with Jesus is realized by:
• Reading and praying over the stories of Jesus’
nonviolence
in the Bible
• Catechesis or studying the nonviolence of Jesus based
on
the Bibles and the teachings of the Church
• Celebrating peace and non-violence with the Christian
community through the Sacraments
• Practicing active nonviolence in our interpersonal
relationships with friends, family, and even with those
whom we are in conflict with
• Being involved and living in solidarity with victims of
violence through protests and other forms of passive
resistance
• Participating in and networking with peace movements
and peace education groups