Today is the day that we celebrate the birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He certainly was a great man. His life and work serve as an example to us all. However, I have a question,
Should we consider Martin Luther King Jr to be a martyr?
I am still up in the air on this issue, but I am interested to hear what opinions may be out there. Let me know what you think. (Come on, for real . . . I don't do polls like other people do. This is your chance!)
**Edit** So, I have been giving it some more thought. I certainly acknowledge that King's political actions were inspired and informed by his faith. It seems to me that it was for his political views that he was assassinated. For me this raises two key questions:
1) Can a persons political beliefs be seperated from their religious beliefs?
2) Is it the case that every Christian who is murdered is a martyr, or does the intention of the murderer have some bearing upon a persons status as a martyr?
I am still up in the air with regards to the first question. However, the second question facinates me. If King had died from injuries sustained while being struck by a car driven by a drunk driver, I do not know that we would still consider him a martyr. I doubt it. Then it seems that it is the intentions of the person who prematurely ends the life of the potential martyr which is of paramount imporantance.
Simply examining the intentions of the martyr-er will not do either. In some cases it may be quite difficult to discern the intentions of the martyr-er. Consider the guy who tried to assissinate Ronald Regan. He was crazy, schitsophrenic, I think. But on the other hand, the context in which the martyr exists influences how we understand him or her.
I suppose that this has always been the case. One would certainly have a difficult time becoming a martyr if there were no one available to do the martyring. Confessing an orthodox catholic faith in one place and time (Spain, during the inquisition) is going to produce different results than confessing the same faith in another place and time (Nothern Ireland).
So there is some mixture of both the actions of the martyr-er and the martyred. I think it is somewhere in this balance that we can find an answer.
About Me
David and Peter
This is me with one of our Togolese hosts, Pastor Peter
Tractor Sunday
My first time driving a tractor, and yes, that guy is making sure I don't break anything.
Robyn and David
This is one of my favorite pictures of Robyn and me.
ONE Campaign
2 comments:
I would say that he is a martyr, and yes, in my opinion, he died for his faith. Equality of all people, men and women, all races, seems to me a Christian ideal. At the end of the day, God created us all from dust, and we are all His children.
Scott
i think the status of martyrdom does rely heavily on the intentions of the person who did the killing. i guess if someone deemed you as a threat to something enough to want to kill you means that you were doing something very significant and meaningful. i guess to answer the question, i think MLK Jr did die for his faith - i don't think that can be separated from political beliefs; it's who you are.
Post a Comment