Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr - Research Paper Example

01 December The religious convictions of Martin Luther were a source of guidance for him in his fight against racial segregation. On his election as the Montgomery Improvement Association president, he said that God must be kept at the forefront, and all people had to act like Christians. He categorically stated that blacks should love white people. In his statement, he indicated that the Christian faith is founded on love. The formal education he received in theology helped build his Christian faith.

Nevertheless, unlike Douglass, Martin Luther was a great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi. He especially appreciated Gandhi’s non-violent means of standing against civil misconduct. Martin Luther was inspired by Gandhi’s principles. The principles of championing for liberation based on love and not violence. Hence, he championed for resistance against racial segregation without the use of violence. He urged his followers not to use violence against the white perpetrators. Instead, he used his inspirational speeches to motivate them with his faith in God.

Instilling hope in them that God was with them, and they should keep fighting (Moldovan 1).Martin Luther was a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that he utilized to champion for civil rights. He used the Christian body to stand against the segregation and discrimination that the black people were subjected to. Through it, his national fame grew. Martin Luther King used the Christian body to organize peaceful and non-violent demonstrations in various states. Their peaceful nature can be attributed to Gandhi’s principles of non-violence.

He used his great oratory skills to champion for Christian like virtues that disregarded discrimination (Moldovan 2).Douglass also had religious convictions that guided him. How do these religious convictions compare? The religious faith that Douglass had was described by a friend of his who did not believe in God. The friend said that it was his faith in God that prevented them from having a long-lasting friendship. Hence, it was outstanding. Douglass utilized the faith to spur the people. He utilized it to instill hope in the people.

Hope that the oppression they all faced due to their race and slavery would come to an end. He believed that God would change the world, that God would change the predicament faced by black people and redeem them. Through his faith, Douglass viewed himself as a prophet. A prophet who was following God’s instructions (Stauffer). Hence, by utilizing the prophet in him, he was able to pass on theologically spurred messages to those who were under slavery. He made use of teachings in the Bible to take a stand against slavery.

As it is recalled, one of his greatest concerns was how to change the world’s view on slavery. In his time, many people viewed slavery as a norm supported by the Bible. But he contradicted this and pushed on for a Christian world that was free of slavery. Douglass created an underground Sunday school that he used to teach slaves how to read the Bible. His hope was that their understanding of the Bible would instill courage in them to stand against slavery. He hoped that the slaves would gain the inner will power to seek freedom from slavery.

The religious faith formed the basis for the abolitionist activism he had (Stauffer).Works CitedMoldovan, Russell. Martin Luther King Jr.: A HISTORY: No Christian played a more prominent role in the century’s most significant social justice movement than Martin Luther King Jr. 1 January 2000. Web. 02 December 2014. .Stauffer, John. What Every American Should Know About Frederick Douglass, Abolitionist Prophet. 01 August 2013. Web. 02 December 2014. .