I like Martin Luther King Jr. I mean, he won a Nobel Peace Prize, so that's kind of an understatement. I think he was one of the greatest civil rights leaders, and I have a huge amount of respect for what he accomplished. I say this because the point I'm going to make is one that is going to freak a lot of people out, and I don't want anyone to flip and start suggesting that I hate the guy. He's a hero, whether I agree with his religious believes or not.
Still, I'm always struck by how he is paraded around by religious institutions as a great and mighty figure, made great by his beliefs.
If I mentioned to any Christian whether they thought Dr. King was in heaven or hell, they'd probably laugh, before promptly answering: "Heaven, of course." If one reads the Bible literally, one may find that that's not quite true.
I mean, there are many reports that Dr. King lived his life in violation of the seventh commandment (thou shalt not commit adultery, for those who aren't following along in their text). In fact, a particularly colorful story I've heard told may have him violating the third commandment (taking the Lord's name in vain) at the same time (though I take those kind of stories with a grain of salt).
But that's a major commandment. Certainly a god so vengeful he would punish idolaters with death (as he does in that same bit of Exodus) would have something to say about a fellow who crossed the seventh so easily (and so many times).
Dr. King, by all appearances, is a sinner. I guess since we're all dirty, grotesque beings, it's not that bad, but I'm still surprised that so few Christians acknowledge that. Actually, I'm not.
Christians are hypocrites. They are happy to parade their leaders around, but they all pick and choose which laws they recognize and under which circumstances. They use them to enhance xenophobia or racism or homophobia, or to make points about peace and love to shore up a positive image, without acknowledging the malleability of scripture.
It really makes me glad that I can accept the accomplishments of a man like Dr. King and acknowledge his success as a human being. That, I suppose, is the greatest benefit to not living by a biblical standard.
There is a corollary on Mahatma Ghandi.
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