To Defend Human Rights, One Has To Understand "The Genesis of Life”

I love reading my Bible, just as many more people out there. It could be that you too, love to read God’s Word. That’s alright.

Let me read this verse again: Genesis 1:26:

“Then God said. Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Do you hear that? Feels and sounds like a real voice, huh?

In Genesis 2, narration is done on how God created man and placed him in the Garden of Eden; saw that he was not happy thereby causing him to fall into deep sleep; taking out his rib and forming a woman. Adam gets out of the sleep and is excited to see Darling Eve. Not so much time passes and the serpent appears, tempts Eve and subsequently, Adam causing them to eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that God had instructed them not to eat fruit from. What followed was the fall of man and his termination from the garden of Eden with hard conditions: Adam was to till the land to get food; Eve would go through labour while bearing children and the serpent would crawl on its belly – this was life imprisonment.

I find that this has been the case through the ages! Even today, with the sweep of the wind of Corona virus/Covid-19; this has not changed. Man is working hard to till the land, just that this is modified by way of him beating the Presidential, Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation guidelines of “Stay Safe, Stay Home.” The guy can’t bear it anymore because of the question, “what will I eat if I don’t work? I think such a person is guided more by the strict interpretation in the New Testament book of 2 Thessalonians 3:10 where it is provided that “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” Should the government be rather lenient towards man?

Then advocacy is strengthened towards protection of women, especially pregnant mothers. Bambi they are in pain. They need to be rushed to hospital but the security operatives, at first, needed to see approval letters from the Resident District Commissioners, only to be reminded to let God’s people go! They are only obeying God’s command. Labor pains have arisen and they need to be saved and helped to deliver safely. It was never God’s intention that mothers should die while pregnant or in labor. He intended that facilities would be available and means provided to support these mothers of nations.

So who are you to destroy God’s original design? Who are you to limit life? Who are you to prevent people from accessing the basics of life and have their life going on as intended by the potter? Always remember that every life matters.

Article 22 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 (as amended) provides that “no person shall be deprived of life intentionally except in execution of a sentence passed in a fair trial by a court of competent jurisdiction in respect of a criminal offence under the laws of Uganda and the conviction and sentence have been confirmed by the highest appellate court.” Do you get that? So why kill? Why deprive someone of their life? Why deny someone justice or fair trial? How long should it take before someone is heard and judgment passed by the courts of law?

I could write on and on but let’s conclude this write up by saying that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Please find that written in Proverbs 9:10. Whoever fears God, who sees what we do in the most secret place, is the one who is wise; that is the person who will always gain knowledge of what is right and separate it from what is wrong. It therefore implies that the one who has no recognition or fear of God is not wise – bluntly speaking, that person is a fool.  When all is said and done, I know for sure that one thing remains as per Ecclesiastes 13:12, “… Fear God and keep His commandment, for this is the duty of all mankind.”

Robert Mugisa Abwooli,

The Christian Lawyer | Human Rights Defender