Letters from Birmingham (PHI101: Ethics in Contemporary Society)

Martin Luther King, Jr. was many things, a civil rights activist, nonviolent protestor, organizer, teacher, son, husband, father, and a black man. Many forget that he was first, a Christian Southern Baptist minister and preacher. His religious faith informed his ethical actions. After reading selections from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, Letters from the Birmingham Jail, explore the role of Christian ethics in King’s actions during the turbulent times in the South in the 1960s. Consider the following:

 King was in Birmingham to address the issue of injustice by organizing a protest. Define the injustice and the protest and explain how Judeo-Christian ethics were applied to allow for civil disobedience. How was the injustice in Birmingham tied to all communities in the South?King lists four steps to nonviolent campaigns. Name them. How did these flow from King’s Christian ethical principles?What was MLK’s opinion of the old saying, “an eye for an eye”? How did MLK regard the notion that justice meant “evening the score? How do King’s ethical principles help him defend against the charges that his protests and law breaking were “untimely” considering the political situation in Birmingham at the time?Consider areas of conflict in the world today. Pick one and discuss how King’s actions and his ethical principles might resolve the issue.

 

Reference

 

King Jr., M. L. (1963). Letter from a Birmingham Jail.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost database Academic Search Elite. Letters from Birmingham Jail

 

Post a 600–750-word paper discussing all of the questions above. All written assignments and responses should follow proper citation rules for attributing sources. Please use Microsoft Word spelling/grammar checker.

 

*FOR PROF XAVIER