My human rights organization is sponsoring a community celebration for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Kings birthday. Montana was one of the last few states to observe the holiday, so I feel it important to celebrate in this state. One of the things I have observed about the celebration is that often the media will not focus on the fact that this great man was a christian and a minister. And that his actions were a reflection of his commitment to Christ. Therefore whenever I speak on this holiday, the role of faith, and God for transformation is equally stressed along with actions of the civil rights movement. What are your thoughts?

-- Anonymous, January 02, 2001

Answers

Denise, Your observation about the marginalization of King's spiritual tools is an uncomfortable truth. It is up to us to correct this distorted depiction of his legacy. I believe King's greatest works are Strength to Love and Letters From A Birmingham Jail. Both demonstrate his deep spiritual convictions. QED

-- Anonymous, January 02, 2001

Talk about timing! Here's a perfect discussion exercise for the thread on the role of the church. What can you do to make the observance of this holiday eternally relevant? People are dying without God, backsliding, and living weak Christianity in and around your churches and mine. That matters in the eternal sense. How can your observance of this holiday be used to help remedy this unacceptable situation? I'll bet you can come up with some fine answers. I think Sister Rogers is on the right track. Hint: Eternally relevant work draws people to Jesus in one way or another.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001

One of my dreams is that the AME church will have a ministry on the Native American reservations. In the state of Montana we have eight reservations, there is such a sense of dispair and alcoholism on some of the reservations. Couple this with racism and high unemployment, suicide becomes a way out. The AME church was founded because of racism, if ever there is a church that can offer hope, encouragement and a gospel of liberation it is the AME denomination. As we celebrate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday I hope we will look at areas in this country and in Africa that can use a spiritual message of hope. My dream is that every local church will adopt a mission project, family, or person who does not belong to a church. And show them the love of Christ and of MLK>

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001

Dr. Martin Luther King stood for righteousness, truth and diversity. I believe that he was (is) a powerful teacher who taught us to embrace the totality of God's greatest gift to humankind---love. Dr. King taught me how to look to great teachers, such as Jesus the Christ, Dr. Johnson and Gandhi for answers/solutions to human suffering. He understood how to peacefully coexist with others without losing himself in the process. It is important that we honor his birthday with love and respect. I believe that we must also honor his birthday by practicing the principles, morals and values that he gave his physical life defending.

When I observe people hypocritically celebrating his birthday and not honoring the principles of equality and justice, it saddens my heart. For I KNOW that he would not have allowed the injustices of Florida to exist. Yet, many people who claim to understand and love Dr. King, ignore/support the foolishness which disenfranchised a people. Tell me how can we celebrate his birthday with a clear conscience knowing that President Bush is man who does not embrace the philosophy of Dr. King. He will destroy many (if not all) progress made by this powerful man…starting with the blatant suppression of the Afrikan votes to the Supreme Court Judge appointees to destruction of the any programs that promote equality for disadvantaged people.

I am not confused by the rhetoric of religious folks. They use the word Christian loosely without actually embracing the principles of Christ. Many injustices have been done in the name of Christianity such as slavery, colonization, murder (Christian crusades, holy wars, and lynching) segregation, prejudice, lies, cheating and brainwashing. Dr. King was a very spiritual person who LED by example, identifying the falsification of religious practices. He was a God Conscious person who touched all that came into his presence. He walked like a King but NEVER lost the common touch. I believe that many of us have forgotten about our less fortunate brothers and sisters. We are too busy allowing a materialistic society to define our essence.

I pray that on his birthday we continue his dream of uniting people, eradicating injustice and building a great nation.

In Love and Light, Brenda

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001

What if we just enjoyed getting a paid holiday on MLK's birthday? That's what most holidays except Easter and Christmas mean to me. Does that mean I have a problem? Blessings Pastor Paris

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001

“Many of the ugly pages of American history have been obscured and forgotten....America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay. If it loses the will to finish or slackens in its determination, history will recall its crimes and the country that would be great will lack the most indispensable element of greatness-- justice.” Martin Luther King

In reference to Easter and Christmas…Please research Saturnalia, Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox celebrations. Note the similarities of traditions, signs and symbols adopted by the Christian Church and used today. What are your feelings on these borrowed traditions? My feelings are that you will know the tree by the fruit it bears. I believe these holidays are reflective of the root. Jesus did not practice/observe holy holidays of his day (correct me if I am wrong). If this MLK holiday is meaningless to you…so be it. I am not in the position of analyzing you, Pastor Paris.

In Love and Light, Brenda

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001

“Many of the ugly pages of American history have been obscured and forgotten....America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay. If it loses the will to finish or slackens in its determination, history will recall its crimes and the country that would be great will lack the most indispensable element of greatness-- justice.” Martin Luther King

In reference to Easter and Christmas…Please research Saturnalia, Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox celebrations. Note the similarities of traditions, signs and symbols adopted by the Christian Church and used today. What are your feelings on these borrowed traditions? My feelings are that you will know the tree by the fruit it bears. I believe these holidays are reflective of the root. Jesus did not practice/observe holy holidays of his day (correct me if I am wrong). If MLK holiday is meaningless to you, so be it. I am not in the position of analyzing you, Pastor Paris.

In Love and Light, Brenda

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001

I don't know anything about those other day that you mention. On Christmas, I celebrate God becoming man to save me and others like me. I know he was not born on that day (25 December), which by the way is my birthday also, but I don't know any other day so I celebrate then. On Easter, I am so grateful that he died for me, but more than that he got up from the grave, which tells me that I too will rise again. Eternal life with him; that is good news. Now the rest of the holidays are not holy, I just enjoy them. Blessings Pastor Paris

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King day!! Tonight my human rights organization will hold our MLK celebration. We will have jazz music, dance and speeches. Living in a state that is 98 percent white, heightens my love and respect for the work of Dr. King,it also helps me see him through the eyes of others. The young people in this state want to learn about Dr. King and the civil rights movement. And tonight half of the participants are high school students. I got a call from one of the students performing tonight and she wanted to know if it was o.k to sing a spiritual in honor of Dr. King. I said yes! The feel his dream has not come true and want to continue the work. Many people lost their lives during the fight for freedom during the 60's. Dr. King was assinated for his beliefs. For me this is not a day off from work. For the reality is for people of color many of us would not have the jobs we have if it were not for the efforts of Dr. King. Tonight Dr. King's "Christmas Sermon for Peace" will be read by my daughter and a white student will perform a dance interpretation of that speech. Tonight we will come together, white, black, native american, asian, and latino. To celebrate the life of a man who made all of this possible. Please do not take his efforts for granted. There is only one other man that has a national holiday for his birthday and that is George Washington. Dr. King was a brilliant man and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001