What MLK would say today

[guillaumeb]

From the article:

Fifty years ago, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Memphis, Tennessee on a unique mission.
It was, only in a narrow and nuanced sense, a mission of civil rights.
Dr. King understood intersectionality: between the rights of black people, and the rights of workers, and the rights of poor people – and especially, the rights of poor, black, working people, especially the sanitation workers, who were striking after years of mistreatment and poor wages, and for whom Dr. King had come to Memphis.
Several years ago, I had the honor of being at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta for the commemoration of Dr. King’s birthday.
Dr. King had served as the pastor at Ebenezer. His father, “Daddy” King, had served as its pastor.

To read more:

https://religionnews.com/2018/04/05/martin-luther-king-fifty-years/

Dr. King was, of course, a Christian Minister. That part of him must be acknowledged even as we recognize his incredible vision in linking racism, pacifism, the labor movement, and how these issues interrelated and still interrelate to this day in this country.

[Mariana]

1. Has anyone, anywhere, ever denied that Dr. King was a Christian minister? nt.

[guillaumeb]

2. People are many things.

And given that this is the religion group, it seems to be necessary to point out the positive things that theists do. Or is there no place here for positive news?

[Mariana]

3. "That part of him must be acknowledged..."

Has anyone, anywhere, ever denied that Dr. King was a Christian minister?

[guillaumeb]

4. Again, see #2.

[Mariana]

5. Post #2 didn't answer the question. It's a pretty simple one. nt.

[Lordquinton]

7. Why do you refuse to answer the question?

Please stop reframing.

[marylandblue]

8. Starting another recursive metanarrative?

[Mariana]

9. Habits can be ingrained. nt.

[trotsky]

13. Short answer: No.

Long answer: No, of course not, but gilly must keep up his narrative that a cadre of evil atheists on a message board on the Internet are ruining everything by not praising religion enough.

[Lordquinton]

6. We'll, for starters

He'd tell white Christians to stop trying to claim him and ursurp his message.

[MineralMan]

10. He was, indeed, a Christian minister.

He called upon the God he believed in many times in his speeches. Yet, he did not speak only for or to Christian black people. He spoke from a base of his own belief, but spoke in universal terms about justice, freedom and equality.

I once heard him speak in person. It was in Montgomery, Alabama following the march across the bridge from Selma. It was his "How Long? Not Long." speech. I was 19 years old, and as a young white guy who had driven there from California to join his civil rights efforts as best I could, I stood near the rear of the crowd to listen to his words. It was not a religious speech. It was a speech of promise. It was a speech of defiance. It was a speech of hope. MLK spoke as a Christian, but spoke to everyone in search of equality. His was not just a Christian message. It was a human message of hope.

Today, he would say similar things to what he said then, I'm certain. However, I would not attempt to put words in his mouth. He was more than able to speak for himself.

[trotsky]

11. Much like in MLK's day, we still find ourselves struggling against bigoted Christians.

That part of his enemies must be acknowledged, too.

[MineralMan]

14. Indeed. Many Christian leaders are still preaching racial intolerance.

That is conveniently ignored by "some few" here. Christianity is a broad term. It also encompasses intolerance, as well as racial equality. It is not just one thing.

[trotsky]

15. And if you want everyone to praise it for the good it does...

you're going to have to allow them to criticize it for the bad it does. Gil doesn't appear to understand that full equation.

[MineralMan]

16. Exactly.

Religion works for both good and ill. It always has. One good deed doesn't erase any bad deed. Where criticism is justified, it should be given. There are plenty of people to sing the praises of religion. They are rarely the ones pointing out the evils of religion.

I guess that's up to us, and we're happy to do it, when it's needed.

[Mariana]

18. Racial intolerance has Biblical support.

Even if one dismisses the Old Testament as irrelevant, it's in the New Testament as well. In one of the stories, Jesus himself acted hatefully toward a Canaanite woman who pleaded with him to heal her daughter, because she was a Canaanite woman. His disciples asked him to make her leave, and instead of telling them about loving thy neighbor and that kind of happy stuff, he compared her to a dog begging for scraps. After she thoroughly debased herself and agreed with his characterization of her as an animal, he did finally relent and heal her child.

[MineralMan]

19. Just about every form of bigotry has biblical support.

In fact, one can proof text almost anything from the Bible.

Genocide? Check.
Misogyny? Check.
Religious intolerance? Check.
Hatred of gays? Check.

It's all in there and it has all been used to justify such bigotry.

[Act_of_Reparation]

12. If anyone knows for sure what MLK would say were he alive today...

...it is a middle-aged white man.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

17. No kidding.

Kind of like believers tell atheists what they really mean with that atheism of theirs.