Martin Luther King remembered as an interfaith leader

Blog archive

2012
- May
- April
- March
- February
- January
2011
- December
- November
- October
- September
- August
- July
- June
- May
- April
- March
- February
- January
2010
- December
- November
- October
- September
- August
- July
- June
- May
- April
- March
- February
- January
2009

Bloggers

Martin Luther King remembered as an interfaith leader

Posted by Clint Fluker on Mon, 16/01/2012 - 10:15am

Usually when people discuss Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the eve of the MLK day of service, people tend to mention his famed, “I have a dream...” speech, his sermon on April 3, 1968 when he proclaimed “I’ve been to the mountaintop,” or his cry against America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. However, during the days leading up to MLK’s birthday, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes by Dr. Howard Thurman:

I had to seek a means by which I could get to the essence of the religious experience of Hinduism as I sat or stood or walked into a Hindu temple where everything was foreign and new; the smells, the altars, the flowers, the chanting--all of it was completely outside my universe of discourse. I had to find a way to the place where I could stand side by side with a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Moslem, and know that the authenticity of his experience was identical with my own.

I am reminded of this quote during this time because of what it represents for Americans and the world at large. Dr. Howard Thurman was an established theologian, philosopher and interfaith leader during the 20^th century. He was a prolific author, speaker, and healer of spirit worldwide. He is perhaps best known for being the first black Dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University in 1953, or the founder of the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco.

However, a story that is rarely told is about a delegation called the “Pilgrimage of Friendship” that Thurman led in 1935 to India. During this trip, He met with Ghandi and discussed nonviolence as means to create social change throughout the world.

After this meeting with Ghandi, Thurman continued teaching and writing and eventually finished a book entitled, “Jesus and the Disinherited.’” This is known to have had a great influence on a young Dr. King, and it is claimed that he kept a copy with him in his brief case. I mention Thurman at this moment because he believed very strongly that faiths can come together for good causes, and after his trip with Ghandi, he believed they could do this through nonviolence.

On occasion, you may hear a college student scream out, “MLK Day isn’t a day off…IT’S A DAY ON!!!” in an attempt to rally other people to come and serve on such a special day in America. This is true, Martin Luther King Day is a day on, but it is more than just about serving. We must also take time to remember the history of the movement that Dr. King stood for and the other people like Thurman, who helped pave the way for positive change throughout the globe. When we take the time to remember, we will see that Dr. King was more than a Civil Rights leader, he was an interfaith leader for the ages who came from a tradition of great interfaith leaders, and it is their love and sacrifices that enable us to serve come.

Clint Fluker is the Faiths Act Fellow at MedShare

Previous post Next post

Comments

Posted by jordanefg on Tue, 17/04/2012 - 12:17pm

<a href = "http://sjsinfo.net/">Chicago breast enhancement result</a> forepleasure Divergence <a href = "http://topibsdiet.com/">IBS</a> interestingly cystotomy <a href = "http://dentaljobshop.com/">Erectile Dysfunction</a> Concentrate Epidermis