A Light in the Darkness

Before I went into bible study this morning I wanted to blog about this day, December 10th, being the 60th anniversary of the International Declaration of Human Rights. There was enough to do that I couldn't take the few minutes to write. Lo and behold, one of our study members, an "oldy but goody" whose passion for justice still burns brightly asked if we could light a candle in recognition of this important anniversary. I was impressed by her awareness. The others told me that at the last UCW meeting she had given candles to each member, asking them to acknowledge this day.

We see violations of what we have come to consider human rights around the world. The situation in Zimbabwe is a chilling example, as is the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Unfortunately at times nations such as Canada and the United States have violated those rights in the post-911 era. In Canada we were faced with our complicity in sending Maher Arar to torture in Syria, only to discover that he was entirely innocent. We are holding others without charges or prospect of a trial on suspicion of terrorism. A young Canadian has been held at Guantanamo Bay since he was fifteen, and even though he may be guilty as charged he has not been afforded the due process of law. Our government has been silent about this case. Of course, earlier this year our federal government apologized for violating the rights of tens of thousands of our aboriginal peoples in decades past and we have embarked on a process of Truth and Reconciliation.

Today reminds us that human rights shouldn't be subject to convenience, or our level of fear in a particular moment. We can't make the commitment to rights with our fingers crossed behind our backs. Our United Church and many of its members have upheld human rights through the years, believing this cause is a reflection of our faith in Christ.

I like the encouragement of our bible study member to light a candle. It could be a good discussion tool at our dinner tables this evening.