It’s Martin Luther King Day today. Yesterday I came across a
Wallbuilders post in honor of the day. David Barton of Wallbuilders pointed out that
he was the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
There are schools that remove the “Reverend” title out of some misguided
idea that mentioning a historical person’s religious affiliation is somehow “establishing”
a national religion.
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| Ten Commandments of Nonviolence image from here |
If that is true of some school—yet another reason to
homeschool.
But David Barton went on to share Martin Luther King’s Ten
Commandments for those joining him in the nonviolent movement. If we share
nothing more about the man today, these Ten Commandments of nonviolence ought
to be repeated.
1. MEDITATE
daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
2. REMEMBER
always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and
reconciliation—not victory.
3. WALK
and TALK in the manner of love, for God is love.
4. PRAY
daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.
5. SACRIFICE
personal wishes in order that all men might be free.
6. OBSERVE
with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
7. SEEK
to perform regular service for others and for the world.
8. REFRAIN
from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
9. STRIVE
to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
10. FOLLOW
the directions of the movement and of the captain on a demonstration.
So, the tenth is directly related to the movement, at that
time, in a particular city, so we may not need that right now. And the second
is worded as time and place specific as well, but the idea of seeking justice
and reconciliation rather than some nebulous idea of victory is still valid.
Not everyone is Christian. Nevertheless, I believe it is
true that meditating on the teachings and life of Jesus. The remaining
commandments are a pretty good description of what a regular person might work
on to be more Christlike—to live a more truly civilized life.
There’s a lot in there about love—even when love isn’t
offered in return—and about being kind, courteous, self-restrained, and
selfless toward others.
The list I use most often to describe civilized behavior is
the summary of the original Ten Commandments: honor God, family, life,property, and truth.
And another good list comes from the description of charity,
the pure love of Christ, in I Corinthians 13:
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind;
charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not
her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in
the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never
faileth
I love the King James English
language, but if you need a quick translation, the list is
·
Long suffering
·
Not envious
·
Not self-centered, no over-inflated ego
·
Well-mannered (courteous, kind, modest)
·
Not self-serving
·
Controlled temper
·
Controlled thoughts to avoid evil
·
No joy in doing bad, but joy in finding truth
·
Tolerant and long-suffering
·
Positive, believing, and hopeful
·
Enduring in goodness through life
As Peter taught, “God is no
respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). In the Book of Mormon, Nephi taught the
same principle, that God “inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his
goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and
free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto
God, both Jew and Gentile” (2 Nephi 26:33).
The required bahaviors of civilized
behavior—leading to the comforts and joys of true civilization—apply to
everyone. Live that way, among others who live that way, and you can fully
enjoy civilization.
Live that way even when not among
others who live that way—and work, as Rev. Martin Luther King did, to persuade
others to live that way as well.
That is still a movement to get
behind.
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