“ONE HAS A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO DISOBEY UNJUST LAWS.” ― MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. – In his “letter from Birmingham jail” Martin Luther King jr. writes about something he calls ‘just’ and ‘unjust’ laws. He makes a clear distinction between both of them. In his words:
“A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.“
Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested in Montgomery, AL on 4 Sep 1958. See photo above.
Authority is the machine that defends the status quo. It’s like inertia – a body stays in motion or at rest until a force acts against it. Defiance is that force. When you look at people from all times and cultures who have brought us lasting change, defiance is the one thread that runs through their words and deeds.
The founders of our country were defiant. In the Video below, Mike Huckabee is using the USA Declaration of Independence as an example of when human laws should be overturned in favor of God’s moral law. One quick read of the Declaration of Independence settles that matter.
Watch Video by Mike Huckabee at: http://video.foxnews.com/v/2536676143001
Jesus was defiant: Let’s start with Jesus. He was defiant at every turn. When he said, “if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;” he was preaching defiance, not submission as some people think. In Jesus’ culture you’d only strike someone with your right hand. You’d punch or slap a peer, which would land on his left cheek. But masters backhanded slaves, hitting their right cheeks. It was an insult. So by turning your cheek to present your left side, you are defying both the insult and the authority of the master, thereby treating him as your equal. For a more scholarly treatment of Jesus’ nonviolent defiance, see: http://www.cres.org/star/_wink.htm
Gandhi was defiant. Using the “weapon” of non-violence, he simply refused to accept British rule.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was defiant, exalting the practice of non-violent civil disobedience to new heights in order to bring us the lasting change that paved the way for an African-American to be inaugurated for his second term into the highest office of authority anywhere, on the official national holiday celebrated in Dr. King’s name.
In 2013 activists posted MKL’s I Have A Dream Speech on YouTube as an act of civil disobedience defying the copyright laws that make posting his speeches illegal.
Watch the following video of Dr King’s speech with your kids. It’s not just a lesson in how to bring lasting change. Dr. King is one of the greatest orators of all time. His brilliantly written speeches are full of musical references, quotes from songs, poetry and metaphor — all woven into a moving piece of performance art. Dr. King’s voice is lyrical and musical. It’s like hearing a great song — as entertaining as it is profound. Enjoy!
NOTE: I did not write this article. I saw a reference to this issue some years in 2013 after watching the video by Mike Huckabee above. The article above represents excerpts from a piece by some bloggers in 2013 (see link above) whom I do not know, but I agree with them, provided there is no violence or destruction of property.
Unfortunately, now in 2017, we see so-called protests which are violent and injure police and destroy property. This would have been strongly condemned by MLK Jr. and is nothing less than anarchy, and the methods of hate of Karl Marx and Saul Alinsky.
