THE NORMATIVE CHARACTER OF CREATION ORDINANCES AS THE FOUNDATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6561215Keywords:
human rights, creation, origins, creation principles, sanctity of human life, sanctity of gender, sanctity of marriage, day of restAbstract
It is acknowledged that our basic human rights must come from outside of man – man is born with them; and such rights are inherent, universal, normative, and interdependent. The best and only proper explanation for such rights is provided by the biblical worldview, and specifically by the story of creation in the first chapters of Genesis. Among other things, this foundational and constitutive narrative speaks to us of the sanctity of human life based on the Imago Dei, the sanctity of gender and of marriage based on the first pair of humans God created, and the sanctity of work and rest based on the pattern of the creation week. Human rights and responsibilities properly stem from and depend upon these creation principles or ordinances, and such principles are in place for as long as this creation endures. However, man’s rebellion against these creation principles subverts the very rights man enjoys; and their interdependence warns us that they stand or fall together based on man’s respect for these ordinances, including setting aside a day for worship and rest.
References
• Abrams, Mere. “64 Terms that describe gender identity and Expression,”
• https://www.healthline.com/health/different-genders. Accessed 09/25/2021.
• Blumberg, Perri O., “A Comprehensive Gender Identity List, as Defined by Experts.” https://www.womenshealthmag.com/relationships/a36395721/gender-identity-list/. Accessed 09/27/2021.
• Carson, D. A., ed., From Sabbath to Lord’s Day, Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 1999.
• Clowney, Edmund P., How Jesus Transforms the Ten Commandments, Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2007.
• „Declaration of Independence, The.”
• https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/. Accessed 09/09/2021
• DeYoung, Kevin, The 10 Commandments: What They Mean, Why They Matter and Why We Should Obey Them, Wheaton IL: Crossway, 2018.
• Dude. “How many genders are there in 2021?” https://dudeasks.com/how-many-genders-are-there-in-2021/. Accessed 09/27/2021
• Istrate, Daniel, „Integrity and freedom of conscience in the Hebrew Bible: Job, and the price of integrity,” pages 715-727 in Jurnalul Libertății de Conștiință 8/1 / Journal for Freedom of Conscience 8/1. Edited by Ioan-Gheorghe Rotaru and Dragoș Mușat. Editions IARSIC, Les Arsc, France, 2020.
• ———. „Leviticul 23 și Adunările Sfinte: Ce Sărbători Au Creștinii?”
• Timotheus, 3/2 (2016), 157-168.
• ———. „Vegetables, Conscience and the Christian Faith: What does religious liberty have to do with human dignity?” Pages 496-509 in Journal for Freedom of Conscience 7/2 / Jurnalul Libertății de Conștiință 7/2. Editura IARSIC: Les Arcs, France: 2019.
• Jewett, Paul K., The Lord’s Day: A Theological Guide to the Christian Day of Worship, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1971.
• Murray, John, Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1957.
• Pearcey, Nancy R., Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity, Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2004.
• Strobel, Lee, The Case for a Creator, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004.
• Trueman, Carl R., The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution, Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020.
