Article: The Silence of Clergy Today versus Rev. King's "Silence is Betrayal!"

If the astounding and miraculous achievements of musicians, poets, philosophers, architects, artists and sculptors, in praise of an Almighty Supreme Intelligence can inspire at least some clergy to redeem these three-millennia-old traditions of holding to socially organized ancient beliefs, then one would expect that now is a propitious time to act and prove to society their merit and efficacy in the space age.

If it ever made sense to limit one’s ministry to getting people into heaven one by one, as individuals, separate and divorced from the social obligations to one another taught in each one of these three religions, it certainly is not working in today’s world of gangs all around us at every level. Clergy has little chance to ‘save’ people from ‘going to hell’, separately, one by one, while commercial conglomerate TV herds them en masse from childhood on, in the opposite direction, arming them with ignorant, arrogant, desperately selfish and violent minds.

Among those who have educated themselves to the famous ‘sacred’ writings of the Middle East as a world literary heritage, some are Chinese, with their own heritage of Taoist bowing to Nature, Confucian bowing to ancestors and each other, and Buddhist seeing the inscrutable, unfathomable, inexpressible, joyful mystery of existence everywhere, above all in all living creatures, - well, apparently they rather enjoy going about pitching in and trying to make a secular and democratic heaven on earth, but with that deep respect for each other which is a mark of Islam, with the caring for each other of Jesus, with the awareness of the sacredness of life of the Hebrews, and with the worship of the ‘Great Spirit’ of Native Americans, and animists in Africa and Oceania.

Martin Luther King Jr. preached and acted to save the State from ‘going to hell’, from making a hell on earth for the majority, through the criminal insanity of a criminally insane racist power elite, whom King believed could be cured by kind, but firm, Christian action in the name of truth and happiness.

King had to face the collusion between the power elites of Church and State – a collusion still masked in pseudo-separation. The military-industrial complex, currently dominant within a corporate governance that exercises control over the three branches of the federal government, and is symbiotic with a conglomerate owned media reaching into school, university, church and home. It is never too late to speak out, and never mind feeling bad for having waited. King himself said he was ashamed of his silence prior to his condemnation of the war in Vietnam, but his anguish made him stronger.

Everyone can have profound appreciation of all the exceptionally wonderful clergy who, like Martin Luther King Jr., when they become aware of the clergy leadership status quo herein described, turn away from its death and hypocrisy, and lead us confidently into the light, in truthfulness and celebration of life. One can recommend Rev. Simon Harak as just such a person. One can also enjoy reading the peace proposals of the orthodox Neturei Karta regarding Palestine.

Below find the URLs of previous articles in this series on Martin Luther King Jr.

Sunday, April 15, 2007
April/Quote A Martyred Progressive's Condemnation of U.S. Wars

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).