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...from the man who climbed the mountain of racial segregation and saw the other side--- Dr. Martin Luther King 1929-1968 WORDS TO PONDER The church must be reminded that it is not the master or servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. Courage faces fear and thereby masters it. Cowardice represses fear and is thereby mastered by it. I have lived with the conviction that unearned suffering is redemptive. There are some who still find the cross a stumbling block, others consider it foolishness. But I am more convinced than ever that it is the power of God to social and individual salvation. A man who won't die for something is not fit to live. It is still one of the tragedies of human history that the "children of darkness" are frequently more determined and zealous than the "child of light." A doctrine of black supremacy is as evil as a doctrine of white supremacy. Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge; religion gives many wisdom, which is control. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetuate it. Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a permanent attitude. Freedom has always been an expensive thing. History is fit testimony to the fact that freedom is rarely gained without sacrifice and self-denial. Freedom has always been an expensive thing. History is fit testimony to the fact that freedom is rarely gained without sacrifice and self-denial. Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear; only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it. We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lost infinite hope. True peace is not the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice. Love is the most durable power in the world. This creative force, so beautifully exemplified in the life of our Christ, is the most potent instrument available in mankind's quest for peace and security...Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. If there is to be peace on earth and good will toward men, we must finally believe in the ultimate morality of the universe, and believe that all really hinges on moral foundations. The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and therefore brothers. We shall match our capacity to inflict suffering with our capacity to endure suffering. Do to us what you will and we shall continue to love you. Freedom has always been an expensive thing. History is fit testimony to the fact that freedom is rarely gained without sacrifice and self-denial. We shall have to repent in this generation, not so much for the evil deeds of the wicked people, but for the appalling silence of the good people. We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service and our relationship to humanity. Violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers. FREE PRINTED COPY OF "
WORDS TO PONDER," BY MARTIN LUTHER KING Links: Stanford University Martin Luther King Project Brief History of Martin Luther King's and the non-violent civil rights movement
Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963 OTHER CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS |
Martin Luther King -
Words to Ponder...