Human rights and religions - an unholy alliance?

Abstract

The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations is the result of centuries of developments during which the view of the individual as somebody who has to be protected was gaining in importance. These rights hold as universal rights. Recently however, voices are growing louder that claim human rights are an invention by Western cultures, and in cases of conflict between human rights and religious beliefs, the latter takes precedence.Among other things, I would like to pursue the question: “What leads to the conflict between human rights and religious values?” What are so-called “religious values”? Which concepts of mankind and patterns of thought are connected to them? And on which concept of human beings and systems of thought are human rights founded? An analysis of various religions shows that alongside differing doctrinal contents the interpretation of these doctrinal contents is pivotal concerning a positive evaluation of ideas that pertain to human rights – as every interpretation is connected to a very specific worldview and system of thought. It will also be of interest what has to happen in order for religions to come to a positive evaluation of human rights.