[catawbasam]

"civil rights gains are not birthed from religion"

I find this statement particularly ironic as we enter the holiday weekend in which we are called to remember the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr.

As Wikipedia says-- "He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs."

[vacri]

It's not that ironic. There were plenty of impassioned essays in the 19th century using the bible to support slavery, for example. And also to oppose slavery. It's not like christianity enshrines civil rights for all.

Similarly, it wasn't anything inherent to christianity that made King behave that way; King chose the parts he wanted to implement. Evidence for devout christians not following the non-violent tenets of the faith is hardly rare.