Forgiveness in Martin Luthers Movement

Forgiveness in Martin Luthers Movement Introduction The best way that blacks can learn to forgive is through seeking God. Martin Luther led the movement that blacks had fighting for their rights in America in the 60s. The bible teachings tell us that God exists in the holy trinity and the only way to forgive others is for us to be able to forgive our own transgressions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Forgiveness in Martin Luthers Movement for Rights Blacks specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More God’s grace is the only way that we can achieve forgiveness. Worthington states that forgiveness is achieved when, â€Å"we yield ourselves to God and [are] guided by God’s Spirit.† (2009, p. 14) Once we have acquired the skills to be able to forgive ourselves, then, we can learn to forgive others as well. Although Everett Worthington Jr. cautions that forgiving oneself is particularly hard, the driving factor should be the end result. No hurt or tr ansgression is too big to bear once a person has learnt the art of forgiving him/herself. The best way of working through a hurtful thing like the way that African Americans were during their fight for their rights is to be in a group scenario. The forgiveness of transgressions against other people is very hard to fathom in many. There are transgressions or hurts that people consider too painful to easily forgive. Martin Luther had a particularly tasking job in attempting to instill forgiveness in the hearts of the African Americans who had been hurt. He insisted repeatedly that the only way that their rights were going to be recognized was through peaceful means. However, a tall order this was, he had to convince his followers that the best option for them was to forgive those people that had hurt them. Discussion There are steps that Everett has developed that are aimed at helping people to become more forgiving in their encounters. The foundation block for this program is that on e has to dedicate oneself to discerning God’s heart. As such, one has to be a dedicated Christian for the steps advocated by this writer to work. The major idea here is that god is the most important agent in order to achieve forgiveness. Therefore, one has to allow God to use one’s actions as the vehicle through which he works. Achieving forgiveness is equated to acquiring any other skill in the course of performing ones duties. Therefore, it is not expected that a person can be forgiving instantaneously. This means that people have to work on their forgiveness skills in order to achieve the forgiveness level that the gospel teaches. Martin Luther had to focus on the religion in order for people to translate the teaching of the bible and apply them in their every day lives so that they are capable of forgiveness. Conclusion Forgiveness entails that a person does not seek revenge for a particular hurt that is done to them. This means that although African Americans fel t that their rights were not being recognized by the regime in America, they should have desisted from taking any actions to avenge this wrongdoing. The only way that a person can achieve forgiveness is if the action warranting the forgiveness no longer hurts them. Events that are far in the past can be easily forgiven since the hurt occasioned by such wrongs is no longer potent.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, African Americans should have first work on the hurt that they felt in order for them to be able to forgive the transgressors. Martin Luther was charged with the responsibility of ensuring that any ill feelings that the African Americans may have harbored were not eliciting hurtful sentiments from his followers. If this was achieved, then the process of forgiveness should not have been difficult. Reference Worthington, E.L. Jr. (2009). A Just Forgi veness: Responsible Healing Without Excusing Injustice. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press.

Wendell Phillips Biography

Wendell Phillips Biography Wendell Phillips was a Harvard educated lawyer and wealthy Bostonian who joined the abolitionist movement and became one of its most prominent advocates. Revered for his eloquence, Phillips spoke widely on the Lyceum circuit, and spread the abolitionist message in many communities during the 1840s and 1850s. Throughout the Civil War Phillips was often critical of the Lincoln administration, which he believed was moving too cautiously in ending slavery. In 1864, disappointed by Lincolns conciliatory and lenient plans for Reconstruction, Phillips campaigned against the Republican Party, which was nominating Lincoln to run for a second term. Following the Civil War, Phillips advocated for the program of Reconstruction championed by Radical Republicans such as Thaddeus Stevens. Phillips split with another leading abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison, who believed the Anti-Slavery Society should be shut down at the end of the Civil War. Phillips believed that the 13th Amendment would not ensure true civil rights for African Americans, and he continued to crusade for full equality for blacks until the end of his life. Early Life of Wendell Phillips Wendell Phillips was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 29, 1811. His father had been a judge and the mayor of Boston. His familys roots in Massachusetts went back to the landing of Puritan minister George Phillips, who arrived aboard the Arbella with Gov. John Winthrop in 1630. Phillips received the education befitting a Boston patrician, and after graduation from Harvard he attended Harvards newly opened law school. Known for his intellectual skills and ease with public speaking, not to mention his familys wealth, he seemed destined for an impressive legal career. And it was generally supposed that Phillips would have a promising future in mainstream politics. In 1837, the 26-year-old Phillips took a profound career detour that began when he rose to speak at a meeting of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. He gave a brief address advocating for the abolition of slavery, at a time when the abolitionist cause was well outside the mainstream of American life. An influence on Phillips was the woman he was courting, Ann Terry Greene, whom he married in October 1837. She was the daughter of a wealthy Boston merchant, and she had already become involved with the New England abolitionists. The move away from mainstream law and politics became Phillips life calling. By the end of 1837 the newly married lawyer was essentially a professional abolitionist. His wife, who was chronically ill and lived as an invalid, remained a strong influence on his writings and public speeches. Phillips Rose to Prominence as an Abolitionist Leader In the 1840s Phillips became one of the most popular speakers of the American Lyceum Movement. He traveled giving lectures, which were not always on abolitionist subjects. Known for his scholarly pursuits, he also spoke about artistic and cultural subjects. He was also in demand to speak about pressing political topics. Phillips was often mentioned in newspaper reports, and his speeches were famous both for their eloquence and sarcastic wit. He was known to hurl insults at the supporters of slavery, and even castigated those whom he felt were not sufficiently opposed to it. Phillips rhetoric was often extreme, but he was following a deliberate strategy. He wanted to inflame the northern populace to stand up against the slave power of the South. When Phillips began his campaign of deliberate agitation, the anti-slavery movement was, to some extent stalled. It was too dangerous to send advocates against slavery into the South. And a pamphlet campaign, during which abolitionist pamphlets were mailed to southern cities, had been met with fierce opposition the early 1830s. In the House of Representatives, discussion of slavery was effectively silenced for years by what became notorious as the gag rule. Joining his colleague William Lloyd Garrison in the belief that the United States Constitution, by institutionalizing slavery, was an agreement with hell, Phillips withdrew from the practice of law. However, he used his legal training and skills to encourage abolitionist activity. Phillips, Lincoln, and the Civil War As the election of 1860 approached, Phillips opposed the nomination and election of Abraham Lincoln, as he did not consider him forceful enough in his opposition to slavery. However, once Lincoln was in office as president, Phillips tended to support him. When the Emancipation Proclamation was instituted at the beginning of 1863 Phillips supported it, even though he felt it should have gone further in liberating all the slaves in America. As the Civil War ended, some believed that the work of the abolitionists had been successfully finished. William Lloyd Garrison, the longtime colleague of Phillips, believed it was time to shut down the American Anti-Slavery Society. Phillips was thankful for the advances made with the passage of the 13th Amendment, which permanently prohibited slavery in America. Yet he instinctively felt that the battle was not truly over. He turned his attention to advocating for the rights of the freedmen, and for a program of Reconstruction that would respect the interests of former slaves. Post-Slavery Career of Phillips With the Constitution amended so that it no longer countenanced slavery, Phillips felt free to enter mainstream politics. He ran for governor of Massachusetts in 1870, but was not elected. Along with his work on behalf of the freedmen, Phillips became intensely interested in the emerging labor movement. He became an advocate for the eight-hour day, and by the end of his life he was known as a labor radical. He died in Boston on February 2, 1884. His death was reported in newspapers across America. The New York Times, in a front-page obituary the following day, called him A Representative Man of the Century. A Washington, D.C., newspaper, also featured a page one obituary of Phillips on February 4, 1884. One of the headlines read The Little Band of Original Abolitionists Loses Its Most Heroic Figure.