Civil Disobedience

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Civil Disobedience Henry Thoreau wrote an essay about it in the 19th century. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached it in the South. Mahatma Gandhi encouraged it in India. Nelson Mandela went to jail for promoting it. The Bible says that Paul, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were all guilty of it. According wikipedia.org, "civil disobedience encompasses the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government or of an occupying power without resorting to physical violence." As Christians, the dilemma is to follow the precepts of government to the letter and violate the commandments of God, or remain faithful to God, and become an enemy of the government. Martin Luther King fought against government regulations that had effectively placed African-Americans underneath the feet of Caucasians. His faith had taught him that all of God's children were to be loved and treated equally because we were all made in His image . King approached the problem through nonviolent protests which included sit-ins at lunch counters where he was not welcome, boycotting b...

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