Mack: "... didn't Missy (his daughter, who was murdered) have a right to be protected?"

Sarayu: "No Mack. A child is protected because she is loved, not because she has a right to be protected."

Mack: "But what about ...?"

Sarayu: "Rights are where survivors go, so that they won't have to work out relationships."

As I see it, you are correct in stating that "human rights" are a man-made (sorry gurls!) construct created in response to tyranny and oppression. Even today, most humans live under some form of tyranny or oppression, be it based on class (India), creed (Zimbabwe), age (paedophiles exist world-wide), gender (women, and en-femme CDs on this forum have expressed a sense of heightened fear of attack on the streets because of their sex) or whatever.

The book that I am reading is all about relationships. The message is that any one-sided "relationship", especially one which is based on cruelty or selfishness, is not really a Relationship.

"Rights are what you get when you consider that all should be equal when they currently are not treated equally. "

The Christian God-in-Trinity considers that all should be equal AND TREATS THEM EQUALLY. We could write a book on this ... how do I elaborate, briefly?

Ah. "God causes the rain to fall on the good and the evil alike."

As I recall, someone asked Billy Graham's wife how God could have allowed 9-11 to happen. I thought her answer was profound ... I must look it up. That would be another aspect ...

Here's a third. As humans, how do we decide what is good and what is evil? One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Mack puts it this way,
"I guess I would say that something is good when I like it - when it makes me feel good or gives me a sense of security. Conversely, I'd say something is evil that causes me pain or costs me something I want."

It's subjective, in other words.

What I find so overwhemingly attractive about Christianity is it's inclusiveness. John 3:16 uses the word "whosoever" - no-one is excluded, for any reason! There are many, many other instances.

Christianity (as opposed to those who profess to be Christians, too many bad examples there!) is all about healing relationships, binding up wounded souls, rebuilding broken lives.

Christianity is all about service to others. Why do you think that servants are exhorted to obey their masters? And the ultimate act of service is to lay down one's life for someone else. It is the highest expression of human love.

Human rights are not about human love. They are not even about justice. Because in order to be effective, they have to be enforced through some form of judiciary. True human love is not forced upon anyone; it is freely given, without having to do so, but rather, by choosing to do so.

Matthew 5 is amazing! It runs counter to everyting that normal humans would consider to be natural behaviour. Forgive your enemies; bless those that curse you; turn the other cheek; if someone asks you for your jacket, give them your shirt as well; go the extra mile ... Every one of these is an act of human love, freely given from within, not imposed from without.

This is how we create and sustain good relationships.

As I see it, human love is a God-made construct in response to human tyranny and suffering. Everyone is capable of loving (it is reported in today's NZ Herald that one of the murderers of 3 year old Nia Glassie told the court that he loved her), which makes everyone a candidate for redemption.

The saint and the sinner, the rich and the poor, the master and the servant, the old and the young, the living and (amazingly!) even the dead.