St. Augustine would suport Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. ideas of civil Essay

St. Augustine would suport Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. ideas of civil disobdience - Essay Example St. Augustine illustrated his interpretation of unjust laws with his argument that the motivations of man, that being lust for authority and self-determination, undermined Gods precepts of morality and social equality. Augustine relates Gods law as that of "supreme reason" to which all men should conform (Evodius and Augustine dialogue), even those leaders who Augustine deems unreasonable for implementing legal systems that defy Gods intentions. Having established St. Augustines comparisons of laws which he considers unjust, that is, those laws which defy Christian values, Augustine promotes the concept of "temporal law" under which civilians often turn over their rights as Gods citizens to corrupted leadership who act for private interests. Moreover, these temporal laws can be changed when they are unjustly established without securing the public good, thus Augustine suggests that Christian values can be considered the supreme reason by which society can justifiably refuse adherence to corrupt laws. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a renowned civil rights activist in the 20th century, further supported the idea of unjust or immoral laws by promoting the necessity for civil disobedience, or a somewhat passive approach to refusing immoral or un-Christian laws, through protest and refusal to comply with any law that destroys the civil liberties of society. Moreover, King was inspired by the Eastern philosophy of utilizing truth and love as an instrument to resist injustice, rather than promoting violence (Smith, 1970). In accordance to Christian beliefs, truth and love became the cornerstone for Kings support for civil disobedience. Dr. King also substantiates the viewpoint of St. Augustine in terms of relating moral law to that of corrupt law, thus both Christianity proponents support the premise that any law which destabilizes Christian morality is a law which cannot be supported by blind compliance. This project is designed to not only