| The relation between religion and human rights has becomes ambiguous. In the past, religion had inspired the idea of human rights. Most religions acknowledge that human rights are the rights that a person has due to his status as a human entity created by God. This identity was substantial for his dignity as an individual and his ethical obligations as a member of a community. But after religion was suppressed or replaced by modernity and ideological regimes, the idea of human rights began to be based upon the concept of the good life, the common good, or human flourishing. With this disconnect, human rights needs to be re-evaluated according to different religious traditions. This paper deals with the complexities of the ethical question concerning the ideal of good life under the norms of human rights. It proposes the idea that secular societies should take into account the historical role of religion in shaping the idea of the human to provide a moral foundation. But since religion cannot break away completely from fundamentalism, a new moral foundation inspired by religion but beyond religion is needed. The paper, then, will deal with the problem into three stages: the religious roots of human rights, religion-based-violence, and suggestions for a moral foundation of human rights beyond religion. |