Of tolerance and diversity
From the Ann Arbor News, Thursday, Jan. 20:
Fliers denouncing King found at Ypsilanti LibraryFull story here; discussion at LISNews.
Fliers denouncing the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday were found inside the Ypsilanti District Library on Monday, but did not disrupt the celebration. Library officials destroyed the fliers and continued with the programs.
From the front page of the Sunday, January 23 Livingston County Daily Press & Argus:
Group wants to buy, burn KKK robe
...[T]he Livingston 2001 Diversity Council and community leaders are seeking donations from Livingston County residents and business owners to help buy a Klu Klux Klan [sic] robe that will be auctioned off at 7 p.m. Saturday, at the Old Gray Nash Auction in downtown Howell. If they are successful, they plan to burn the robe immediately after purchasing it.
'We need to make this point for our city,' said Mayor Pro-Tem Steve Manor, who also serves as treasurer of the Diversity Council's governing board. 'It is time for the residents of Howell to make a very public statement that we are a tolerant community and that we welcome diversity in all its forms."From the Tuesday Press & Argus:
Group backing off plans to burn garb
Mayor Pro-Tem and Diversity Council member Steve Manor said Monday it's likely there won't be a public burning of the robe.
'We are concerned with what the burning would represent,' he said.
7 Comments:
A petition has been going around campus here that we acknowledge Martin Luther King Jr. day, whether as a paid holiday or at least through some sort of public commemoration. Practically all the faculty signed it, but I declined. Fortunately we're aren't so P.C. that I fear being stigmatized (as I would were I at a public or elite private university), but I can't see a Christian institution devoting a feast day to a plagiarist, adulterer, and heretic.
Heretic?
He denied the divinity of Christ and believed in universal salvation.
A few queries:
Is your objection solely because of the religious nature of your institution? And if so, is it due to the sinful acts of plagiarism & adultery to which you refer, or due to theological "impurity" for believing in universal salvation? As you yourself have noted in print, belief in universal salvation, in one form or another, is not exactly unprecedented in Christian thought. (I'm taking your word on the "universal salvation" statement, though I haven't seen the source of MLK's connection with it.)
Do you also object to civil institutions having a holiday in his honor? If so, for the same reasons?
In either case, what about the argument that his accomplishments in promoting civil rights, in the face of literally murderous opposition, are significant enough to outweigh shortcomings such as academic plagiarism, etc.? In reference to religious institutions, this admittedly assumes that political and legal equality for all people are viewed as desirable goals by the religion under discussion. Likewise for civil institutions.
A generic "Civil Rights Day" would be preferable, I think, not only because of King's foibles but also because there were other heroes of the movement whom a focus on King might slight. I'm not going to protest if our university does decide to adopt the MLK holiday, but I'm not going to sign a petition to that effect either.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
(Note: "removed" comment above was a preliminary draft of this one.)
I can agree with the idea of prefering to honor the civil rights movement in general rather than one individual in specific. Unfortunately, both mass politics and media seem to demand that the focus be placed on one "strongman" or "hero" rather than on the ideas that inspired thousands and made the cause worthwhile.
Speaking of Baptists and civil rights, did you ever get a chance to hear Will D. Campbell speak? I was poking around on the web this morning, and came across a talk he gave in Fort Worth that is definitely worth reading:
A Personal Struggle for Soul Freedom
Post a Comment
<< Home