Mustafa Sheikh-Mohamed

Religious Studies 012

American Religious Experiences

The “I have a dream” speech is one of the most monumental speeches in the world. The

writer of that speech is Martin Luther King Jr., who was a man of my talents. He was a great

writer, speaker and leader. During the 1960’s, King was a main contributor and the driving force

of the Civil rights movement. Without his contributions, his voice and his amazingly

motivational arguments, the civil rights movement might not have progressed beyond the steps

of Harlem. His nonviolent and diplomatic approach to the movement brought about great

changes for African-Americans and the vast minority groups that were being mistreated in

America. Martin Luther King wrote the book The Strength of Love, which discussed the values

patience, tolerance and most importantly, love. The book contained many different sermons that

all came together to reveal a bigger message of love. The sermons and King’s analysis

demonstrates the various intricacies that dominate the political and religious environment. Many

of the sermons had messages that were connected to the current struggles that his people were

facing. His book also reveals much about the American religious experience, which included

American’s emigration from the spiritual world, the misuse of Christianity as a tool to oppress

the minority and finally the power of the few to reconstruct and reclaim the religion to transform

as well as uplift the nation.

Martin Luther King’s book discusses a divide between Americans and religion. He

analyzes the people’s mass departure from their spiritual association and connection to god.

According to the book, religion gives meaning to the world and purpose to man. This concept is

first presented with the first story about a ‘fool’ who had everything yet found no meaning to
life. In the story, Martin Luther king Jr. brings up the idea that there have been many great

advances in technology that allows mankind to grow. This growth ultimately leads one to build

more than they can store, which in due course keeps them materially inclined but spiritually

vacant. To further expand on his analysis, King addresses the disproportion of people that suffer

daily in the midst of all these innovations and technology. He relates that though science is

critical in modern society, it still needs religion to give it meaning. King says that if a scientist is

religious, she or she will develop innovations that will relief the impoverished state of many

people in Africa, Asia as well as the modern societies like America.

Moreover, he further discusses the divide between American and their relationship to god

in his sermon. In one of the sermons, he states that, “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual

power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” Here, he emphasizes that humans without

spiritual affiliation, are like empty shells that are easily misguided. These empty shells have no

purpose and therefore have nothing to look forward to and eventually try to do better. In this

sermon, one conceptualizes the American religious experience in the heart and mind of King.

According to King, people easily give up their spiritual connection to god and deeply rely on

their material possession, which eventually leads them stray and brings about harm to the world.

In King’s perspective, it is only by listening and understanding the word of god does one become

a better being.

In his book, King uses sermons to show that the American religious experience was

demoralized by using religion, Christianity, as a tool to discriminate. With the use of the phrase

“it is the word of God” and Christianity, many racially motivated crimes have been committed

for centuries. Martin Luther King Jr., used the same phrase and the same religion to advocate

love and fight against hatred. According to King, it is not the color of the skin that determines the
morality of the person but the content of their character. Per King’s analysis, god teaches to love

and by loving, to become better. He states that god relates messages of love not hate and

discriminating and killing someone for the sole reason of color is hateful and thus reprehensible

in the eye of god.. According to King, hate is “like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the

personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his

objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to

confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.” This, according to King does not

create a good human being worthy of eternal bliss in paradise.

Furthermore, he warned that hatred was a dreadful feeling and to fight hate with hate

would cause more problems then solve it. King says that God has given his people a better way

to combat hatred and that is through Love. King defines love as a character emanated from a

person that is tough minded but gentle hearted. This also supports his idea of nonviolent protest

to fight against racial segregation and to give equality to all people. By demonstrating that it is

thru love one can overcome, the American religious experience is uplifted in king’s sermons.

Through King’s perspective, people find something to hope for in their fight against hate and

racial segregation. In their fight, god will be present and supporting those who fight against the

injustice of the world.

The last aspect about the American religious experience that palpitated in King’s book

was his calls to those who were willing to fight with him against hate. King stated that it is hard

to fight hatred with love but those that are able join the ranks of Jesus. He admires Mahatma

Gandhi and asserts that through non-violence one can discrimination. He shows his amazing

character by preaching love through Christianity while he is nonetheless courteous of the truths

found in other religious traditions. King expands on his bold and revolutionary perspective on
ending discrimination through religion. In one statement, king states that “hope of a secure and

livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and

brotherhood,” and he adds that "the world's most dedicated nonconformist” was Jesus and any

body that follows in his steps is beyond hate.

In summation, the book The Strength of Love written by Martin Luther King Jr. is one of

the most provocative texts that reveal various aspect of the American religious experience. One

aspect of the American religious experience that is discussed in King’s book is the movement of

society away from the spiritual facet of life and more towards the materialistic and destructive

constructs of the world. Another feature his book discusses is the misuse of Christianity by

various discriminatory people to foster hatred and bigotry in the world. The last component that

is discussed in this paper that revealed a piece of the American religious experience was King’s

call to all nonconformist to join the ranks of Jesus and to peacefully fight against the hateful

messages of the world. By reading King’s book on sees the evolution of America through their

past religious experience.