The Role of Faith in Dr. King’s Struggle

Martin Luther King is perhaps the greatest champion of justice of the 20th century. With a number of social achievements and accolades to his name, Dr. King was a living example of perseverance, hard work, and shining commitment to principles.

Dr. King is a known pioneer of one of the most defining social movements of this world, and the struggle for the civil rights in America is incomplete without him. However, there is no doubt that Dr. King experienced immense hardships when fighting for the civil rights’ movement.

His political, moral, and social integrity was mainly inspired from his religious motivations. The role of faith and the struggle to uphold the religious conduct played a major role in Dr. King’s civil struggle. It helped him materialize the most important facets of civil freedom in the United States of America.

The most important achievements in human rights advocacy belong to this man because of his spiritual practice and utter commitment to his faith. Even the strongest of leaders need inspiration and strength to keep moving forward and guide their people.

The case was not any different for Dr. King. Fighting for black rights and civil freedom came with its fair share of difficulties. These ordeals were so overwhelming that there was a dire need of spirituality to help him make it out of the storm.

His own words are a testimony of his commitment and love for spirituality and how important faith is in driving the Civil Rights Movement. The immensely celebrated speech, “I have a dream” has undeniable evidence of the role of faith in Dr. King’s struggle.

He uses his faith as a weapon to fight injustice and discrimination. In his own words, “With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.” We can see that religion was, indeed, his main driving force.

In his final speech, titled, “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top”, Dr. King referenced to the prophetic words of Moses in the Deuteronomy. Dr. King frequently used religious anecdotes for inspiration. In a quote in this speech, Dr. King professes, “He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain and I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!”

By using a religious story in history, Dr. King encourages his people to never lose hope. Just as God helped the prophets, He too will help Dr. King in fighting for justice and restoring the rights of the oppressed.

There are many pieces of evidence from the life of Dr. King where religion and faith were of paramount importance. In fact, his followers believe that he was more a believer and a moral preacher than a lawyer. Hence, there is no doubt that faith was the most fundamental aspect of Dr. King’s personal, social, and political struggles.