Monday, January 17, 2011

The Civil Rights Movement's Fatal Decision to Ignore Personal Sexual Morality and Traditional Christian Family Values
Broken homes do no one any good

See the tremendously insightful article: "The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies," by Kay S. Hymowitz (City Journal, Summer 2005).

* * * * *

As we celebrate the true greatness of the accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King as a civil rights leader on this holiday in his honor, it is also good to ponder where the civil rights movement went wrong. I would contend that its fatal decision and crossroads was to deliberately separate social justice and personal (traditional Christian) morality (with the first almost solely emphasized and the second largely ignored).

In 1965, socially conscious liberals like Daniel Patrick Moynihan (and people like Bill Moyers and even LBJ himself) urged the combining of the two, in order to counter already observable trends in the decline of the black family, but liberals (especially black liberals) would have none of it. Consequently, the cohesion of family life in the inner cities and the African-American family are almost in a shambles: causing untold misery and suffering.

As it has been said (by black conservatives like Thomas Sowell): "the black family survived slavery and Jim Crow but it couldn't survive the Great Society."

Until traditional Christian family values are upheld in liberal circles, these trends will continue and will get worse. Until it is considered as scandalous to be a fornicator or an adulterer or a deadbeat dad or lousy husband or wife or parent, as it is to be a racist or a bigot, it won't get any better. A few black liberals, like Bill Cosby, are trying to argue similarly today, but with little outward success.

One thing is no better than the other. Self-destruction of African-American babies by African-American mothers (by abortion) doesn't help anything, either, and is scarcely better than slavery. This used to be called "genocide" by Jesse Jackson, back when he was actually pro-life. Most black people who are murdered, are killed by fellow African-Americans, not white racists (by lynching or fire).

I say this as a great admirer of Dr. King. In 2009 during a trip to the Deep South I visited his home in Montgomery, Alabama and his church there, and in Memphis I saw the auditorium where he delivered his famous final speech, the day before he was killed. We also saw the motel where he was shot.

When I was in the pro-life rescue movement in the late 80s, we saw ourselves as very much in the tradition of the civil rights movement and civil disobedience. The marchers and those who did sit-ins in the early 60s were fighting for the rights of all to equal access. We were fighting for the rights of all people (including the smallest and most helpless among us) to life itself.

We teach our children to honor Martin Luther King, and that racism is a very serious evil. But we also teach them Christian sexual morality.

I've been fascinated with race relations issues since 1967 and the Detroit riots. I majored in sociology in college, so this has always been an interest and concern of mine.


Edward G. O. Radler Rice said...

Mr. Armstrong,

Are you aware of the connection between Planned Parenthood and MLK?

Edward Radler Rice

scotju said...

Dave, are you aware that the so-called civil rights movement was nothing more than a communist front and that MLK was their pppet and dupe? Do a web search and with in an hour, if you're honest with yourself, you'll have to admitt that King was nothing more than a con artist.

Dave Armstrong said...

Are you aware of the connection between Planned Parenthood and MLK?

His pro-life niece, Alveda King says that MLK was pro-life and that he didn't actually endorse their policies (one article, she says, was written by his wife.

She argues that he would be a social conservative if he were still alive:

I don't know. I hope she's right. It would be extraordinary if she is, given the history of liberals on these matters.

Dave Armstrong said...

As to the 2nd comment back, stupidity is allowed here as part of free speech, but I am under no obligation to respond to idiotic remarks.

scotju said...

Dave, King was a Commie dupe. Go to this link I stand by what I said: The so-called Civil Rights movement was a Communist front and MLK was their puppet and dupe. And Dave, most of the 'religious' blacks I worked with before I retired voted for Bamy. All of them were 'evangelical' Christians who voted for their skin, not their 'religious' convections.

Dave Armstrong said...

Plenty of white Christians voted for him, too. He could hardly have won without their aid. So what? People are inconsistent all the time.

scotju said...

Dave, Obama is an outright socialist, who had a communist mentor when he was a young man. That doesn't say much for the blacks or whites who voted for him. and I still stand be what I said about the so-called Civil Rights Movement being a Communist front. BTW, the civil rights movement was dominated from the start by persons of dubious sexual morality. So, it's no wonder it ignored that and "traditional family values". MLK and the people arond him certainly did their best to ignore both.

Edward G. O. Radler Rice said...

Thank you, sir, for responding to my email.

Have you read the address given by MLK's wife upon the presentation of the Margarent Sanger award to King?

Here's the link:

The first paragraph is given below. If you go to the link, you'll also find a letter from King thanking Cass Canfield, chairman of the Executive Committee of the PPFA.

The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
Share +

Upon Accepting










Planned Parenthood is proud to reprint Dr. King's acceptance speech.

Family Planning — A Special and Urgent Concern
by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.


Dave Armstrong said...

I can see how the case can be made, certainly. My post itself was arguing that the civil rights movement decided to ignore personal morality, so if you are right about this stuff it just goes along with what I argued myself.

Edward G. O. Radler Rice said...

My point in bringing up Planned Parenthood was to underline the possibility that the fatal decision was not based on ignorance. Indeed, from my study, especially of Sanger and the eugenics movement, I don't think it is a possibility, but rather, a certainty. Now, how MLK wound up associating himself with PP...I judge him (and his wife) to have been simply, sadly ignorant.

You and your family are in my prayers as you hunt for new work, sir.

Dave Armstrong said...

I appreciate your prayers. Thanks!