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Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail By Dr. King

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In Paragraph 40 of "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Dr. King expresses great disappointment in the contemporary church because the churches tended to lean towards the status quo. They hid behind various excuses and commended authority for treating nonviolent demonstrators harshly. He is, however, able to find hope in the spirits of individuals.

Dr. King expresses disappointment in the inactivity of the church. Rather than act, churches often preached that segregation versus desegregation was a matter of the state. Therefore, churches should have no say in it. However, Dr. King questions the morality of following a law that is unjust. Churches are supposed to preach the law of God and since only a just law would be in harmony with this, the churches should argue for desegregation. In addition, he reminds the churches of America that there was a time when Christianity was not viewed pleasantly by society and devoted Christians fought on to preserve what they viewed was morally correct. He points out that through their commitment, the early Christians were able to get rid of evils and warns that if the church of today does not argue for social issues it will become irrelevant and lose the respect …show more content…

King also comments on the churches' compliments of the police force in handling the demonstrators. First, he points out that the policemen often treated members of the black community very cruelly, cursing and physically abusing them. These details are important because the church should not be perpetuating violence. He does still mention that some policemen acted nonviolently, but he argues that even if they did conduct themselves with some degree of discipline, the policemen are fighting to protect a great evil. Therefore, their actions are still wrong. Rather, Dr. King wishes that the church would commend the people willing to risk their freedom, suffer through the police brutality, and deal with the constant sense of inferiority all for what is truly morally

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