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Contribution of Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King's contributions to society
A thesis statement about malcolm x and religion
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Black liberation theology is refers to a theological perspective which originated in some black churches in the United States and later in other parts of the world, which contextualizes Christianity in an attempt to help those of African descent overcome oppression. It especially focuses on the injustices committed against African Americans. The symbol of Jesus in black liberation theology is not symbolic of man but rather of oppressed groups of people. Martin Luther King Jr., a Christian reverend believed that in order to overcome oppression the black communities must endure redemptive suffering; to “turn the other cheek” Matthew 5:39. Malcolm X, a Muslim believed that the black community had suffered long enough. In a white dominated society, black has been defined as evil. Thus Christianity for Malcolm X is the white man's religion thus he believed that the black community should create their own religion in which they would be welcomed. …show more content…
Martin had become more like Malcolm and Malcolm had become more like Martin. James Cone being inspired by both thinkers, Martin King and Malcolm X explains that at the core of black liberation theology is an effort to make the gospel relevant to the life and struggles of American blacks, and to help black people to learn to love themselves. Cone suggests that black liberation theology is an attempt “to teach people how to be unapologetically black, and Christian at the same time.” This concept ties both Malcolm’s and King’s ideas on black oppression. Black liberation theology thus should use Jesus himself as a symbol standing for oppressive
The declining conditions in the cities, feminism, and the Vietnam War caused the political and social aspects of society to become tempestuous and aggressive.With less income in tariffs, cities became dilapidated where felony’s and illegal drug use increased, which caused them to be labeled as “black, brown, and broke.” Radical new leaders like Malcolm X promoted “Black Power”,which basically involved the idea of black supremacy. X believed that aggressive movements were necessary in the midst of a revolution, and that pacifist actions like the ones Martin Luther King J.R. promoted didn’t make changes (Document F). Political upheaval and unrest was an outcome of this hostile and inexorable approach. After being jailed, Martin Luther King J.r.
King’s speech is shown when those around him were concerned with his contradictory roles as a man who wanted peace and as a civil rights leader. He justified the contradiction by sharing his philosophy that civil rights movements will only make a difference if they are peaceful. His message is all about peace and that is how he approaches every social situation he faces. Another example of intersectionality in Dr. King’s speech is when he connects his passion for Christ to his civil rights movement. He states in the speech his message is one of peace and lives by the motto created by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, “To save the soul of America.” His journey of attaining peace extends beyond equality for black people, but he wants a peaceful world and believes that explains itself through his ministry in
The idea of loving the person who stood for eradicating the entire African race and to make sure he was always at the bottom was, to Malcolm, comparable to doing nothing. What could love do that self-defense couldn’t? Nothing! The mere concept that love was greater than self-defense was absurd. Because it was incredibility absurd Malcolm continually denounced the idea. He accomplished this by suggesting that “I don 't think that we should run around trying to love somebody who doesn 't love us.” () Along with this statement came two important factors. The First infatuation doesn’t help knock down the wall which blocks the laws from justice in America, it only made it extremely harder to knock it down because it gave people the option to cop-out. Second, the idea of Martin Luther King was closer to foolishness and insanity, than actually substance to help the injustice. When Martin said to overcome the injustice with love and peace, it crept under Malcolm’s skin and continually bothered him, in which he thought, “’Well, let 's overcome them with our capacity to love." What kind of phrase is that?” () Malcolm figured that loving the enemy rather than fighting against the enemy was ridiculous. Not only did Malcolm hate the idea, he felt that when others followed
Some Americans had a difficult time accepting people of color as their equals, for many still believed that that whites were superior to blacks. Even to the extent that “many Christian ministries and theologians taught that whites were the chosen people, blacks were cursed to be servants, and God supported racial segregation.” African Americans were treated as second class citizens and had to follow Jim Crow Laws, which segregated both white and people of color in areas such as school, restaurants, and many more. The Jim Crow Laws along with cases where black people were unjustly murdered by white people acted as a catalyst for the creation of civil right movement groups. Amongst such groups was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which was led by Martin Luther King Jr. King’s method of using peaceful protest paved the way to equal rights, because as King describes in his Power of Non Violence
...ans had for generations practiced and defended not just slavery, but the hatred and demise of anything black or African. Cone's mission was to bring blackness and Christianity together.”# In 1969, Cone published Black Theology and Black Power. In this book, Cone brought attention to racism in theology and proposes a theology addressing black issues, this theology would provide liberation and empowerment of blacks and “create a new value structures so that our understanding of blackness will not depend upon European misconceptions.”# From these convictions, the idea of black liberation theology was created. Black relate Christianity to the struggles they have endured, therefore it has to be black. “In a society where men are defined on the basis of color of the victims, proclaiming that the condition of the poor is incongruous with him who has come to liberate us.”
He begins to talk about how “in the time when the early Christians rejoiced of being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed” and how the church before “was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion”, but a “thermostat that transformed the mores of society.” (MLK 12) He uses logic in order to convince them by using solid evidence in order to back up his argument. This amount of logic that MLK gives demonstrates that he knows a lot about society, even though he is African
Life in America, spanning the entire decade of the 1960’s, categorized itself through rampant racism and discrimination that affected countless citizens. Throughout this time period, segregation created friction between white Americans and those of color. The circumstances constituted a two-sided argument between those who believed in separatism and those who embraced cohesion. Lack of governmental interference caused an uprise of leadership, particularly from people of color. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, preached the advantages of peaceful protest, whereas Malcolm X promoted the power in numbers. Malcolm focused on creating a separate black community, governed by people of color. His religion created a foundation for the rest
Martin Luther King has hardly gotten into why the Negroes should have equal rights and is already bringing the Lord onto his side. While he can count on this having a lasting effect on the black Baptist community, the same assumption cannot be made pertaining to the white population. Keeping in mind that the audience he must now sway are traditional americans, the only common trait amongst them that can be safely assumed is their patriotism. He makes a desperate attempt to incorporate ideals of patriotism such as freedom in his final statement
Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. was one of the bravest protesters for the civil rights movement and was also very well educated. In his letter from a Birmingham Jail to his “fellow Clergymen” he answers some questions the Clergymen have on his actions and views about the civil rights movement. MLK’s contemplative tone shows that he knows what what he wants to do and exactly how to do it. He knows what time of year to do it, where to do it, and why it will appeal to the Clergymen. Also, he doesn’t want it to just appeal to the Clergymen, he wants it to appeal to black families who aren’t as well educated as he is therefore he uses references to the bible and Hitler. He is persuading
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. African Americans are fortunate to have leaders who have fought for a difference in Black America. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X are two powerful men in particular who brought hope to blacks in the United States. Both preached the same message about Blacks having power and strength in the midst of all the hatred that surrounded them. Even though they shared the same dream of equality for their people, the tactics they implied to make these dreams a reality were very different. The background, environment and philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were largely responsible for the distinctly varying responses to American racism.
Throughout the years there have been several social movements that have caused a great impact on the world we live in today. History has so many great people to thank for pushing for what they believe was right. But the one particular movement I found interesting, was the individual who helped preached against Americans who were white, committing crimes against black Americans. This individual was known as Malcolm X.
"God of the Oppressed" is brilliantly organized into ten chapters. These chapters serve as the building blocks to the true understanding of Cone’s Black Theology. This progressive movement begins with an introduction of both him and his viewpoint. He explains that his childhood in Bearden, Arkansas and his membership to Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E) has taught him about the black Church experience and the sociopolitical significance of white people. “My point is that one’s social and historical context decides not only the questions we address to God but also the mode of form of the answers given to the questions.” (14) The idea of “speaking the truth” is added at this point because to go any further the reader must understand the reason and goal for Black Theology. Through the two sources in that shape theology, experience and scripture, white theology concludes that the black situation is not a main point of focus. Cone explains the cause for this ignorance, “Theology is not a universal language; it is interested language and thus is always a reflection of the goals and aspirations of a particular people in a definite social setting.” (36) This implies that one’s social context shapes their theology and white’s do not know the life and history of blacks. As the reader completes the detailed analysis of society’s role in shaping experiences, Cone adds to the second source, scripture.
King was put into Birmingham City Jail where he came across a letter written by eight white clergymen, enclosed in the letter were the views of those clergymen and their beliefs on the protests that King had conducted. In King’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” he questioned them asking how they, as fellow Christians can believe that the unjust of society is just when select groups of that society are subjected under the rules and laws (Jim Crowe Laws) that the others of the society were not obligated to obey it. King believed that they would view his side and see the injust that was held in the society. Questioning and giving them examples to show the unjustness King showed in his letter the dehumanization and degrading that African Americans faced. “when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading ‘white’ and ‘colored’; when your first name becomes ‘nigger’ and your middle name becomes ‘boy’ (however old you are)and your last name becomes ‘John’.”(207) King how the African American race wasn’t referred to as their name like the white man rather than a derogatory name, which made them feel under those who were not colored. Oppressed by society, oppressed by other Christians who believed in the same God as King himself did, he question how and why. How could the clergy men see the society they live in as just, how was it just to hose nonviolent protesters or set dogs on them. Why did they not see the wrong of society, as only the police who were supposed to protect all of the society and ensure their wellbeing turned a blind eye to the wrongs that the white man did and singled out the African Americans, arresting them for simply walking on the same side of the road that a white man did or for not abiding by the Jim Crowe Laws created just for the African American
In history we know that no two men are alike but, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were phenomenal people and leaders. Both had visualized some type of change in the future, yet were not literally able to see it. Both Dr. King and Malcolm X set out to bring a sense of confidence to blacks all over the United States. Their main purpose was to help instill black’s power and strength so that they could overcome racial disparity and prejudice that surrounded them, but both of them had very unique and distinct different ways of promoting their message. Martin was more geared and focused on equality and wellness of the world as a whole, a Malcolm X’s personal interpretation of the world was very well blinded by anger, bitterness, and the desire to get revenge at the expense of the world that he thought treated him unfairly.
The origination of Black Theology was only cracked open by the idea of slave theology. The origination of Black Theology first began when churches began to become segregated. Many could not understand how Whites could continue to behave this way in the Lords house. It was soon realized that this was because according to them their God allowed segregation. The Whites even went on to say that biblical figures had slaves. Many, such as Nat Turner, Marcus Garvey, who is regarded as “the apostle of Black Theology” in the United States, Howard Thurman, and Martin Luther King all contributed to the cause of Black liberation and theology throughout black history. Due to these men Black Theology emerged as a formal discipline. Many black clergy were apart of the “Black Power” movement in 1966. Black Theology began to originate when it was realized that a new staring point was needed in theology. It was realized that just as everything else had been taught incorrect so had Biblical history. James Cone is accredited as the most prolific and sophisticated write of the new Black Theology. Black Theology was developed by early theologians because Black people needed something to believe in and give them help in times of need. The idea of Black Th...