Reply #52: Well, that's a good question. [View All]

[H2O Man]

And I hope that you do not mind if I try to answer it. Keep in mind that some of Martin's harshest critics were other ministers. That famous letter from the Birmingham jail cell was in response to just that. On 4-16-63, he read an "open letter" from eight liberal white ministers, warning him that his tactics were harmful to America.

We know that as he became more involved in the civil rights struggle, and more famous as a spokesman for blacks, and began to spend more and more time "on the road," and away from his family, Martin was under great pressure. He was, as Arthur Schlesinger, Jr wrote, a passionate man. One friend said he "really believed in the gospel of love." (Schlesinger;1978; pg 389)

Schlesinger, while he does not get bogged down in this, is clear that King's behavior in this area had to be viewed in a larger context. The black experience in America for too long had been one of manhood denied. And I think that it is likely that the unfortunate harshness found far too often among black and even Hispanic religious "leaders" and church-goers, in regard to homosexuality, is rooted in that past experience.

I am confident that Martin would have been outspoken on this issue. He would have recognized that there is nothing "manly" about being homophobic. And that there is nothing democratic about denying any of our brothers and sisters their Constitutional rights. And that there is no room -- NONE -- in the gospel for mistreating any of God's children because of whom they choose to spend their adult lives married to.

Finally, while I do not agree that only religious folks can have a voice in this society, I do believe that those who are religious have a special obligation at this point in time, to take a stance against the ugly and hateful homophobia that is poisoning our culture.

As a married man who loves the Constitution and America and religion, I know that homosexuality is not a sin, but that hatred of gays and lesbians certainly is.