@article{Stenschke_2020, title={DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS: New Testament Foundations of Human Dignity and their Implications}, volume={14}, url={https://dvkjournals.in/index.php/ah/article/view/3620}, abstractNote={<p style="text-align: justify;">Often closely associated with democracy, human dignity and respect for human dignity have become pivotal values and concerns of our age. This is the case because of the atrocities and crimes that were committed against humanity in all parts of the world during the 20th century and clear signs that these continue unabated in the present century. Throughout most parts of the past two or three centuries the emphasis on human dignity and the “discovery” and defence thereof have often been cherished as an achievement of humanism and the European Enlightenment. The article argues that the New Testament (and with it the Christian tradition) also makes an important contribution to the current understanding and discussion of human dignity. Human dignity is not a characteristic granted (or denied) by humans to other humans, nor it is based on race, nationality, gender, personal achievements, education, material means and so on. The New Testament bases human dignity on the fact that humans are created in God’s image, chosen by God, ransomed by the blood of Jesus, God’s Christ, endowed with God’s Holy Spirit, and called to serve God in their bodily existence and as heirs of eternal life in the presence of God. Therefore humans must act accordingly and must be treated accordingly by their fellow humans.</p>}, number={4}, journal={Asian Horizons}, author={Stenschke, Christoph}, year={2020}, month={Dec.}, pages={828–842} }