MLK Day

I am old enough to remember the day Martin Luther King, Jr., died: 4 April 1968. That date is immortalized in U2 song In the Name of Love. I also recall the rioting that followed his assassination. It was a scary time in Baltimore. There seemed something incongruous, even to an eight year old, about violence and looting in the name of a man who preached non-violence and peace. It also seems incongruous that today we celebrate the slain civil rights leader's birth with sales at department stores. "It is the characteristic of capitalism to tame rebels and make them consumer goods."

There is a new play starring Samuel L. Jackson (of Pulp Fiction fame) as Dr. King. That's kind of hard for me to picture. Samuel l. Jackson once held Martin Luther King, Sr., hostage (check that out on Wkiipedia). Of course, in this new play Dr. King curses, drinks alcohol, and smokes. Some people says it makes the saintly Dr. King more real to them.

I once heard an African national say that Americans look at Dr. King as a politician, but Africans read him as a theologian. As often happens to the deceased, many people claim that Dr. King would be on their side if he was alive today. For instance, many LGBT supporters claim the blessing of Dr. King while others, including several of his close family members, say he would never support such a position. People tend to forget that Dr. King was a Baptist Christian, with generally conservative biblical and social views. Equal civil rights for all races is a Christian and conservative ideal.