On this day in history, July 17th, 1998, the United Nations established the International Criminal Court (I.C.C.) to prosecute individuals, organizations and nations found to commit crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide. 

The institution of a permanent court directed by the United Nations was sought by smaller member nations who did not have the political, military or economic means to pressure or punish war criminals afflicting their citizens or nation. The first leader who called for a permanent ICC was the small Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago whose citizens were caught in the crosshairs of the drug cartels. 

To date, there are one-hundred and twenty three nations that have signed the Rome statute to be subject to the jurisdiction of the ICC. However, the United States, Russia and China are not part of the ICC. Their citizens are exempt from participating in ICC court proceedings.

That is not to negate the United Nations’ role in establishing international humanitarian law. The United Nations was formally established in 1945, the concluding year of the Second World War. Since mass genoide, torture and direct killing of civilians were all used by many nations, an ad hoc International Military Tribunals were established both in the The Hague in the Netherlands and in Tokyo to put on trial high-ranking officers who carried out ‘crimes against humanity.” 

In 1948, the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights defined universal rights as: 

Article 1: 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. . . .

Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of a person. . . .

Article 7: 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 [1] 

These United Nations humanitarian rights are laudable. It is a universal good that an international organization is upholding human rights and dignity. It’s equally commendable that the ICC is prosecuting war crimes with the aim that such violence is not inflicted upon a fellow man again. 

However, it is a shame that these rights were codified and justice was sought without giving God the credit. “In the beginning” (Gen.1:1), God through His very breath declared universal rights for all men and granted them the highest honor to be made in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26); to be blessed by Him (Gen.1:29); to be given dominion by Him (Gen.1:26); and to dwell with Him in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8). These ‘rights’ are far more comprehensive and far more wonderful than any man-made declaration. 

So why don’t modern men give God credit for His age-old wisdom, love and providence even to bring humanity to a place of a codified statement of rights? Blaise Pascal, the 17th century Christian philosopher, stated that it was because: “Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true.[2] Modern men want to laud their own achievements and progress without acknowledging God. This turns out not to be modern-day thinking at all and extends to the earliest generations of humanity who wanted to make a tower of an example of their progress (Gen. 11:4). 

So what do Christians do? Again Pascal is helpful. He stated Christians should convince men by: “Show[ing] that religion is not contrary to religion, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive: make good men wish it were true.” That is the work ahead of us.  

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[1] United Nations. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” December 10, 1948. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.

[2] Blaise Pascal, Pensées, trans. A.J. Krailsheimer (London: Penguin, 1995), 4. 

[3] Ibid.