The other seven articles define rights which cannot simply be secured by constitutions, legislation, or governmental policies and programs. They depend entirely upon the economic resources of a nation, whether indigenous or received as foreign aid.
Ideally considered, every person should have title to property, choice of gainful employment, holidays with pay, adequate food and shelter, education, health care, and old-age security. If these are called rights, however, they cannot be satisfied sufficiently by an impoverished nation ; are they then rights or only human desiderata? Certain nations are so utterly poor that they can hardly begin to provide for all the social, economic, and cultural rights so defined. Others, of whatever degree of wealth, can satisfy the claims only by a relative equalizing of resources so as to achieve a leveling of expenditure for the good things required and desired by all. Certainly this kind of general sharing is in accord with the Christian belief about mutual support in a motivating attitude of love. It also conforms to the recently emphasized biblical theme that “ God is on in the side of the poor.