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Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Humanity's Intrinsic Rights
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We in the Church of Reality are fortunate enough to inherit through the Tree of Knowledge some of the wisdom of the ages. One such document is the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document written after World War II is a document of peace that is a strong statement for forming the basis of a civilization dedicated to the progress of humanity through Positive Evolution.
From the terrors of war came this decree in which the nations of the world made a personal commitment to each other to form an agreement. An agreement that would bind humanity into a single society where it was agreed to by the nations of this planet that we, as the human race, shall never allow mankind to reach the depths that they came from. The United Nations is an organization that made a commitment to the people of this planet to a path of positive evolution. In order to make it work, great minds met in San Francisco and formed a basis for that peace. That basis is the recognition that the individual has intrinsic value that gives them fundamental rights. These rights are spelled out herein.
This covenant between the nation-states of the Earth, prohibits torture, slavery, arbitrary arrests, government spying, false imprisonment, the right to participate in government, the right to have our own opinions, practice our religion, to be educated, to be secure in our persons and property, to associate, and to speak out. We in the Church of Reality commit as a religion to make it our dharma to help humanity uphold these values.
The Church of Reality shares these same values in our Sacred Principles. We see the Declaration of Human Rights as a starting point. This is a foundation on which to build a world where humanity will flourish. The Church of Reality hereby incorporates this document into our Kernel to become part of our Church Doctrine which establishes our Religious Rights.
The contents, word for word, matches the original except that the articles are titled for clarification of subject matter. |
 On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. |
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
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Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
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Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
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No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
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No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
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Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
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All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
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Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
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No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
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Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
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- Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
- No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
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No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
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- Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
- Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
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- Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
- This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
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- Everyone has the right to a nationality.
- No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
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- Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
- Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
- The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
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- Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
- No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
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Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
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Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
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- Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
- No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
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- Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
- Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
- The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
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Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
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- Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
- Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
- Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
- Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
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Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
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- Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
- Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
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- Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
- Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
- Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
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- Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
- Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
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Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
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- Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
- In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
- These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
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Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
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Although the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights is a good start, we in the Church of Reality see it as something to build upon. We see it as something that can be improved and expanded rather than a static historical document that will slowly become obsolete over time. In addition to these rights and others stated in the Kernel, we add the following to the list as human rights recognized by our religion.
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- Every person has the right to speak for one's self, on one's own behalf. An individual may choose to be represented by another individual or group, but they cannot be compelled to give up their individual voice in favor of the group voice or personal representative.
- Courts of law must allow the individual to represent themselves and to have procedures that allow the individual to speak on their own behalf, free from the threat of legal penalty or requirement that one must be represented by a lawyer. And individual representing themselves in a court of law shall be accommodated by the court and shall not be persecuted or discriminated against in any way for deciding not to have a lawyer.
- A person represented by a labor union shall have a way to bypass union processes and to be allowed to speak on their own behalf to management concerning any issue.
- A person has the right to address the state without being forced to have a state approved representative speak in their behalf.
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No one shall be compelled to publicly recite pledges to any nation-state, to worship any deity, or to make an oath to any organization. Every person has the right to refuse state compelled expression.
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- No person shall be denied the right to fair use of intellectual property, nor punished unreasonably for violations of copyright laws, or punished for innocent infractions of intellectual property rights.
- No person shall be denied the use of intellectual property through unreasonably long patent and copyright protection.
- The right of reverse engineering shall be preserved
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- The right of sexual choice between consenting adults shall be preserved. Sexual morality shall not be imposed by the state or by religions, beyond the scope of their membership. Individuals shall be free from persecution or humiliation on the basis of their sexual orientation or sexual choices.
- A person shall have the right to refuse sexual contact and to be protected from the unwelcome sexual advances of others. No person shall be required to endure rape by the state, in prison, or through inadequate laws protecting the individual from rape.
- No person shall be forced to marry another person against their will.
- Children shall be protected by law from sexual contact with adults.
- Sexual laws shall not discriminate on the basis of gender.
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All women shall have the right to breast feed in public.
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- Government has a duty to be open and accountable to the people. Government exists only to serve the people and for no other purpose. The people have the right to expect honesty, integrity and respect from government officials.
- The right and duty of the people to rise up against oppression shall be preserved
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Women shall have reproductive choice. No government shall deny a woman access to birth control or abortions. A woman has an absolute right to decide not to reproduce.
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Everyone has a right to choose the manner in which they die and to have medical assistance to end one's life if they are terminally ill.
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- Everyone has a right to expose corruption by individuals, businesses, government officials, or any other entity who is committing acts that are unfair or immoral.
- Everyone deserves the protection of the law for exposing corruption even if they have violated other laws for the purpose of exposing the corruption.
- No law shall be construed or applied in a manner that punishes those who expose corruption. Secrecy laws are intended to protect the public, not to conceal corruption and abuse.
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Human Rights