He wrote the letter sitting all alone in a jail cell. He wrote it in longhand. The letter is long, very long, and has tremendous depth. I'm in no way qualified to critique its content.
But here are a few thoughts: The first thing that struck me was being reminded of MLK, Jr's academic excellence. He did his under grad work at Moorehouse College. At Crozer Theological Seminary, one of only six Black students, he was president of his class and was awarded a fellowship to Boston University where he received his Ph.D.
One of the criticisms he dealt with constantly was the concept of his being an an "outside agitator." His response was "Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds. "
He emphases to his followers that they must be able to accept blows without retaliating, and to be able to endure the ordeal of jail, as well as other horrible experiences.
He quoted great theologians like Reinhold Niebuhr who said "groups tend to be more immoral than individuals."
St. Thomas Aquinas said: "An unjust law is a heinous law that is not rooted in internal law and nature law." MLK, Jr. said, "A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God."
Jewish philosopher Martin Buber substituted an "I It" relationship with an "I Thou" relationship."
Paul Tillich said "Sin is Separation." MLK, Jr. asked the question, "Is not segregation an existential experience of man's separation?"
MLK, Jr. "One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty."
As examples of extremists he sited, The Apostle, Paul, Martin Luther, John Bunyan, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Jesus Christ.
I used to love moderating discussions on the thoughts of the great minds in our past and present I no longer have the capacity to do this. But good people who have different views, coming together to discuss truth, the nature of God and the nature of us humans is, and always has been, exciting to me.
Wouldn't it be a blessing to have a kind discussion with people of faith, from various points of view, grapple with the underlined statements above?
In the meantime, as for MLK,Jr's question, "Is not segregation an existential experience of man's separation?," following is a little poem I learned years ago to explain "Existentialism."
I and Thou,
Here and now,
Wow!
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