The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham Usher, contributed to a debate on the importance of the rule of law in the House of Lords yesterday (Tuesday November 26).
He talked about the Biblical basis for some of the most important concepts of our society including human rights and everyone being equal under the law.
He said that although the concept of the rule of law predates Judaism and Christianity, both faiths adopted and adapted ancient legal codes to order their community life. They used the core principles to promote wider societies in which all could flourish, and one important way they modified traditional laws was to promote justice for all, regardless of power or social class.
“Christians, together with our Jewish neighbours, continue to believe this fundamental principle of equality of all human beings before the law – just as we believe in the equality of all human beings before God,” said Bishop Graham.
“It is perhaps one of the greatest gifts that Judaism and Christianity have given to cultures shaped by the Bible.
“In fact, the historian Tom Holland makes the case in his book Dominion that much of what is shared in so-called western culture—ideas about human rights and a legal system that treats all equally—has its underlying rationale in Christian belief and its influence on society in promoting the flourishing of all people.”
Bishop Graham said Jesus’ command to love our neighbours as ourselves is lived out in legislative and judicial processes that balance protecting the innocent with the rehabilitation and restoration of the guilty; and in safeguarding nature by honouring our commitments under international law and treaties to, for example, combat illegal logging, poaching and wildlife trafficking.
“We see it lived out also in our work in seeking a just and fair society that uses its laws and its judicial system to protect the vulnerable and marginalised,” he said. “Of course, all people deserve our care and proactive concern, but protection for the most vulnerable may need to be enshrined in law and judicial decisions in order to ensure that the rule of law is administered equitably to all.
“We have seen in recent years a sad willingness to disapply human rights legislation, particularly with respect to the most marginalised people in the asylum and criminal justice systems, in direct contravention of our proud traditions in this country.” Bishop Graham concluded by asking whether, by allowing a chipping away of universal rights, “we are in fact betraying a proud tradition and undermining the society we all seek to build?”