How MLK jr. influenced my faith

Virtual Deaf Church January 13, 2017 in ASL 95 Subscribers Subscribe

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As MLK's Day is coming soon, I reflected on how MLK Jr. had a profound influence on my faith. He did struggle with his beliefs about God and Bible. He despised the fundamental Christianity as it was very dominant in the South. The fundamental Christians used Bible verses to justify segregation.

MLK was inspired by Gandhi's philosophy on non violence. Ironically, Gandhi was in turn inspired by Jesus' Sermon on Mount. Unfortunately, not many Christians faithfully practice what Jesus taught in the Matthew chapter five as such "turning your cheek to that smite thee," "giving your cloak to others that don't have one," "blessed thou be who is persecuted for the Kingdom's sake," etc.

MLK did his dissertation on Paul Tillich, one of preeminent theologian in the 21st century. Tillich believed that the Bible should be not interpreted literally. He believed that there is no form of God, aka as in fundamentalist view of hellfire and wrathful God on a judgment seat. Rather Tillich taught that the God is a concept and a metaphor.

MLK did not believe in the Bible as literal Word of God. He rather believed in Evolution and a modernist interpretation of the Bible. He took some of inspiration from the Bible as such allegorically paralleling the Exodus to the experiences of the black community with slavery and segregation.

This video is signed in American Sign Language (no English subtitles).