YEAR 9 · UNIT 15: HUMAN RIGHTS & SOCIAL JUSTICE · LESSON 1
What You'll Learn
Understand human rights, history, and religious foundations.
Recall: Religion & Science
Time to recall what you learned last lesson
5:00
In Unit 14, we explored how religion and science understand the world differently.
What was the conflict model of religion and science?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: The idea that science and religion are opposed and one must win.
Name two religious teachings about creation.
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: Christianity: Genesis creation; Islam: Quran creation; Buddhism: cycles of creation.
What is a miracle?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: An event breaking natural laws attributed to divine action.
How do some explain evolution religiously?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: Theistic evolution: God used evolution as creation mechanism.
Understanding Human Rights
What Are Human Rights?
Universal moral principles protecting dignity and freedom of all people. Key: universal, equal, inalienable, indivisible. Categories: civil/political (voting, speech), economic/social (education, healthcare), cultural (religion, participation).
History
1689 English Bill of Rights; 1776 American Declaration; 1789 French Declaration; 1948 UDHR after WWII; 1966 International Covenant. UDHR created to prevent future abuses.
Religious Foundations
Christianity/Judaism: Imago Dei (image of God). Islam: khalifah (trustee). Sikhism: Ik Onkar (one God, spiritual equality). Buddhism: Buddha-nature in all. Humanism: rational capacity. All teach fundamental human worth.
Universal vs Cultural Relativism
Universal: rights reflect dignity transcending culture; core rights (no torture, slavery) are non-negotiable. Culturally relative: rights vary by culture; collective wellbeing may be valued over individual rights. Challenge: respect diversity while protecting people.
Categorise Human Rights
Drag rights into categories.
Right to voteRight to educationFreedom from tortureRight to fair wagesFreedom of speechRight to healthcareFreedom of religionRight to housingFair trial by lawRight to participate in cultureRight to rest and leisureRight to peaceful assembly
Civil & Political
Economic & Social
Cultural
Words: 0/300
Guidance
Consider: UDHR created by diverse people. If rights based on religion, what about non-religious? If secular, do they inspire equally? Can both ground rights?
Review
Define human rights.
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: Universal moral principles protecting dignity, freedom, wellbeing.
What is UDHR?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 after WWII.
What is imago Dei?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: Image of God; basis for dignity in Christianity/Judaism.