I didn't read as much as I'd hoped this week, but it's been interesting nevertheless. The chapters I read covered MLK's years at Crozer Seminary, and Boston University.
In these chapters, King delved even more deeply into his religious beliefs, becoming more and more specific. They were combined with his evolving views on moral and political philosophies, and together delivered a complete (yet still developing) set of his opinions. The religious beliefs, however, stood out in particular to me, as I disagree with most of them. As an atheist, it's interesting to read something by a man I respect so much while at the same time I disagree with something he values very much. In the chapter about Crozer Seminary, there was an excerpt from a course paper that he wrote on religion. One passage reads, "It is religion which gives us the assurance that all that is high noble and valuable will be conserved. Such fruits of religion I find to be its greatest virtues, and certainly they cannot be ignored by any sane man. I must now conclude that any atheistic view is both philosophically unsound and practically disadvantageous" (28). This is the first time we see King directly disagree with other beliefs; so far he has only discussed his own. Personally, I don't find it offensive, but I do disagree strongly. I believe that there are many other 'assurances' in the world that are as legitimate as a personal faith, and just as effective. I also disagree that atheistic beliefs are dangerous or impractical. In fact, religion has been more impractical than anything else in the past, as proven by the millions of conflicts over faith in history.
The other thing I noticed in these chapters is King's writing style. I mentioned this in my last post, but I've noticed more since then. The chapters are separated into subsections labeled by headings. Each of these subsections nearly reads like a thesis paper. The main ideas are introduced, then discussed, then recapped with a final thought. While I think this is probably an effect of King's extensive education, I also think it's a natural and easily comprehensible way to write non-fiction. This is not saying that I enjoy writing thesis papers whatsoever.
I can't say that I've found any specific links to what we've been doing in class lately, as we've mostly been working on our stories and finishing up ATPH. I have noticed, though, that MLK's life is beginning to follow the HQP, in a very vague way. This is probably normal, because the HQP must be based off of history and experiences, as it's so common. The teachers and philosophers that he admires act together as a 'supernatural guide,' and we've already been through his 'birth/home' and 'call to adventure.' The 'call to adventure,' I would say, is his quest for a path to social justice.
King, Martin Luther. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Ed. Clayborne Carson. New York: Warner, 1998.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
King's statements on religion, and specifically against atheism, indicate a stronger opinion and narrower tolerance than I thought he would have. Considering that King was best known for supporting toleration of people no matter their race, I would have thought that he would have carried this tolerance into other facets of his life. However, I'm glad that King didn't let religious disagreements stand in the way of his work for racial equality. For this reason, I think King is proof that it is possible to have a strong belief in a religion but to not let that cloud your judgment in other areas of life. This is a skill that I believe politicians, teachers, and many other people need to have.
I agree with you and Kat about the surprisingly low level of toleration King has for atheism and how that almost seems like a contridiction in his character. I like how you brought up the HQP in your last paragraph. It kinda makes you realize why basically every story is written in that pattern. It's so prevalent in our own lives that it just becomes natural to write like that.
I would have to agree with Katherine because I would think that MLK would have a more tolerant view of religion. I would like to point out that there are some athiests that don't have the reassurances that Lida and many other strong people I have met that are athiest. MLK was making a generalization becuase I would presume that there is a great percentage of athiests that don't have that reassurance or morals and they do cause problems in the world. That isn't anything against athiesim because I admire you for your opinions. I have opinions too, and I think that MLK does have a point based off the fact that there are people who tag themselves as athiests but are often impractical, immoral, and don't have reassurance.
I liked your comments about religion because one of the things that interests me most about religion in general is the many ways it affects people, whether they like it or not. Religion does so much, good and bad, that it isn't hard to see it in a contraversial light. Religion can causes wars and genocides, but at the same time churches all over america shelter and feed homeless people and donate their time to help people enjoy their worship with whatever god (or gods) they choose. I like how you gave both your and King's opinions on religion.
Great quotes to show your point on religon. His faith was very strong and that combined with his developing morals helped him to persevere through many obstacles. I am excited to learn about the rest of his life.
Post a Comment