Martin Luther King Search for Meaning
King’s interpretation of the scriptures was not a literal one, in The Humanity and Divinity of Jesus, he clearly explains how he interpreted Jesus: “the orthodox attempt to explain the divinity of Jesus in terms of an inherent metaphysical substance within him to me seems inadequate… In an attempt to expand his understanding of God, and apply it to his life, King searched for the deeper significance of the history and context of the Bible, suggesting, “we should delve into deeper meaning… and somehow strip them of their literal interpretation”.
By searching for a deeper interpretation of the events of the bible, King was able to extract a sense of meaning from Jesus’ life. For King, God’s giving of his only son, came to represent God’s infinite love and forgiving nature toward all human beings. By believing in God’s love for humans, King was able to mimic Jesus’ forgiveness, by fighting for equal rights between black and white citizens, even though white citizens had abused and discriminated against him; suggesting in his speech Strength to Love, that “we must have compassion and understanding for those who hate us”.
By spending his life advocating this message of racial equality, and continuing to believe in the innate goodness of mankind, King was able to receive meaning by living a Christ-like life, motivated by the fundamental spiritual concepts of Christianity.
For King to play such a significant role in Civil Rights Movement, he required a firm worldview to act as a reference point for his ideas and actions. King saw Christian theism as “the most valid conception of God” . King used his worldview of Christian Theism as a way to respond to the world around him, and apply his religion to his life in a way that motivated him and gave him meaning.
King believed in the infinite, personal nature of God, and drew meaning from the idea that God was a constant presence in his life, “ The most precious thought in Christianity is that Jesus is our
By searching for a deeper interpretation of the events of the bible, King was able to extract a sense of meaning from Jesus’ life. For King, God’s giving of his only son, came to represent God’s infinite love and forgiving nature toward all human beings. By believing in God’s love for humans, King was able to mimic Jesus’ forgiveness, by fighting for equal rights between black and white citizens, even though white citizens had abused and discriminated against him; suggesting in his speech Strength to Love, that “we must have compassion and understanding for those who hate us”.
By spending his life advocating this message of racial equality, and continuing to believe in the innate goodness of mankind, King was able to receive meaning by living a Christ-like life, motivated by the fundamental spiritual concepts of Christianity.
For King to play such a significant role in Civil Rights Movement, he required a firm worldview to act as a reference point for his ideas and actions. King saw Christian theism as “the most valid conception of God” . King used his worldview of Christian Theism as a way to respond to the world around him, and apply his religion to his life in a way that motivated him and gave him meaning.
King believed in the infinite, personal nature of God, and drew meaning from the idea that God was a constant presence in his life, “ The most precious thought in Christianity is that Jesus is our