Article November 10, 1986 Issue

Addressing human-rights issues through prayer

Injustice, prejudice, abuse, call for vigorous spiritual protest.

Robert W. Jeffery

We hear a lot these days about suppression of human rights. This may take the form of outright discrimination by laws or more subtle means of separation by color, gender, nationality, social rank, or physical characteristics.

To the casual onlooker the "correct" solution may seem obvious, for it is easy to endorse the ideal that everyone is equal. But to those embroiled in a specific case of discrimination, it is usually a far more complex issue.

To sort out these issues and be true "peacemakers" of the sort that Christ Jesus required, we must see that although people have intrinsic human rights, what is even more important is their divine rights. One's rights as a spiritual idea of God are infinitely greater than any rights accorded by mortal code or classification. Defending one's divine rights through prayer simultaneously enforces human rights that are just to all—enforces them naturally and in a timely way that blesses everyone.

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