Therefore, segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unhealthy, it is morally reprehensible and sinful. Paul Tillich said that sin is separation. Is not segregation an existential expression of man`s tragic separation, of his terrible alienation, of his terrible sin? To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we share excerpts from King`s « Letter from Birmingham Prison, » one of the most important moral treatises of the twentieth century. Sometimes a law is only prima facie and unfair in its application. For example, I was arrested for marching without permission. Well, there is nothing wrong with having a bylaw that requires a permit for a parade. But such an order becomes unjust if it is used to maintain segregation and deny citizens the First Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest. A law is also unfair if a numerical majority or a majority of power imposes it on a minority, but the majority is not required to follow the law. King used concrete examples to clarify his point. As a Christian, Dr.
King adhered to what he believed to be a moral code superior to that of legislation. But as he develops his argument during « Letter from Birmingham Jail », it becomes clear that he doesn`t really hang his hat on religious arguments. It comes from a more nuanced position. Let`s look at a more concrete example of just and unjust laws. An unjust law is a code that a numerical or majority group forces a minority group to follow, but which does not bind itself. It is a difference that is made legally. For the same reason, a just law is a code to which a majority forces a minority and to which it is ready to obey itself. It is equality that is legalized. Notes: This quote was not found in Thomas Jefferson`s papers. It has been suggested that this is a paraphrase of Jefferson`s statement in the Declaration of Independence: Whenever any form of government destroys these goals, it is the right of the people to change or abolish them and install a new government. « , although such a paraphrase seems to remove some radical liberties with the original version. The quote is much more similar to Martin Luther King Jr.`s comment.
In his famous letter from Birmingham prison: « One has not only a legal but also a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. [1] What is an unjust law? According to King, it is the one who degrades rather than elevates humanity. Jim Crow segregation laws were a prime example of unjust laws because « segregation distorts the soul and harms the personality, » as King noted. « This gives the segregationist a false sense of superiority and the segregationist a false sense of inferiority. » Now it`s time to remember that King, while non-violent, was not a dealer. People in the United States see the future of the nation`s multiracial democracy at stake because of unjust laws aimed at further ostracizing marginalized voices. And we shouldn`t just stand aside and watch this happen. We can use the power of our voice and our voices to hold elected officials accountable. Nothing in King`s actions or rhetoric — no matter how some may try to distort them — suggests that he would be satisfied with America`s current position on civil rights. In Texas — where the legislature removed King from the state curriculum and ended the requirement to teach that the Ku Klux Klan was morally wrong — Sen. Ted Cruz praised King`s fight against racial inequality and injustice.
This is the same person who gave his unwavering support to Donald Trump, a president who vilified black women, whose administration ran immigration detention centers, whom a congressman compared to concentration camps, and who advocated for measures that help suppress voters. They express great concern about our willingness to break the law. That is certainly a legitimate concern. One might well ask, « How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others? » The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust.
