47 years ago. MLK was executed... and his works.. were put into action!

Forty Seven years ago MLK jr. was executed.

A couple of days ago... I was sitting in a local bagel shop hanging out with my son. I overheard two guys talking about Jesus. My son was looking at my phone, checking out his daily dose of Instagram when I decided to strike up conversation with the Christians. I asked them plainly, “Are y’all talking about Jesus?” One of the dudes straight out said yes. He then asked me if I was a Christian and I told him no, not really…. but... I told him that once I was a Muslim and that I still enjoy talking about Esa. He then asked me who that was and I told him that Esa is the Arabic name for Jesus. We then introduced ourselves and I said to them that my name was John Paul.

We mostly talked about:

What Jesus was doing back in the day.

I like to ask folks a question. Why did they execute Jesus and who was "THEY?"  I like to mention that the word execute goes much better with the story, because execute can also mean to be put into action. As in, they killed Jesus and then God’s words were put into action. Our conversation went back and forth for a bit until I was asked, “well, what do you think Jesus’s central message was?” My answer to that question was easy. I think he was rising up against state oppression. This does not sit very well sometimes with “lawful” Christians, but I mentioned in my answer that he was arrested and put on trial.

We talked about Ferguson and I told them that I had written a song about it. We also talked about the disputed “other” Mary. That conversation then led to a conversation about punishment. We then talked about prisons. I asked about law and judges. I then posed the questions. Should prisoners work for private corporations while in jail? Is making money for people deemed punishment to pay a debt to society? 

Question 2: Should corporations be allowed to contribute to the political process if judges are appointed to courts that enforce the laws of the state?

My Christian brothers were starting to get frustrated with the conversation, and the other dude then poised his suggestion that I must be a conspiracy theorist. I suggested that I was a Liberation Theologist muckraker. I asked them if they had ever heard of Liberation Theology?

They said no. 

I asked the question. “What was Martin Luther Kings’ central message and why was he killed?” The brother said that MLK was all about equality. I suggested that MLK was rising up against oppression. I then told them that several things had happened in the days before his murder. I told them to listen to the speech that he gave in Memphis. He was calling for a General Strike and a Boycott. I also told them that MLK had come out against the Vietnam War. I also suggested that MLK had friended Malcolm X. Who had been calling for African Americans to quit the war.

It is in my opinion that it was ok for MLK to rise up for “equality,” but it was his preaching to:

 Stop the machine !!

that ended his March. In April.. 47 years ago.

There was more to our conversation of course, but the meat of the discussion is represented. Today is the 47^th year after MLK jr. and in my opinion, I think there is much in common with the two brothers known as Martin and Esa. My Christian friends kept asking me if I believed that Jesus was the “savoir” I suggested that I believed that Jesus was a very important man in a long line of important people. I also suggested that the Book that tells of him has been manipulated by man and that to use the book as a tool is fine, but one must remember that folk stories often change and morph over time. I also suggested that tools can be used for many things and that sometimes tools are used incorrectly and can cause accidents and even death. I also suggested that the Jews still don’t think that Jesus was the “savoir.” I always like to ask… “Where was Jesus from?” Here is my tune that I was talking about...