Each January, we honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s observance of MLK Day happened to coincide with National Religious Freedom Day. That juxtaposition is an opportunity to better understand King’s work—and our own times.
National Religious Freedom Day commemorates the 1786 Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. Originally penned by Thomas Jefferson, the law rejected government coercion of religious dissenters, and it laid the groundwork for the First Amendment right of all Americans to exercise their faith freely.
Nearly two hundred years later, King would bring his faith into the public square to help the country confront deep injustice and suffering. At the Lincoln Memorial, he urged Americans “to make justice a reality for all of God's children.” From his Birmingham jail cell, he invoked the Gospel to challenge white Southern clergymen to support the movement for racial justice.
Reverend King’s use of his religious freedom—to challenge Americans and bring them together—was hardly surprising. At his home church in Atlanta, Historic Ebeneezer Baptist Church, King’s freedom to preach was instrumental in motivating his congregation to combat racism with nonviolence, dignity, and discipline. Southern Black churches like King’s also became meeting places, rally venues, and havens of emotional and spiritual support for civil rights advocates.
King’s position as a pastor allowed him to mobilize and connect coalitions of different religious groups throughout the South to support racial equality. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, founded by King and other religious civil rights advocates, helped to organize boycotts, marches, and other non-violent protests—like the March on Washington—to garner support and attention for the Civil Rights Movement. He also worked with prominent Jewish Americans in the movement for racial justice, like his friend Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who walked with King in the Selma Civil Rights march.
The freedom of religious groups and individuals like King to bring their faith into the public square has always been a cornerstone of American life. In some of our country’s most difficult times, religious expression has been fundamental in creating positive change and unifying people of different backgrounds.
At the dawn of our country—when the pall of slavery undermined public claims of liberty—it was Quakers who challenged our new government to treat all human beings with equal dignity. Ironically, the Quakers would not have been around to make that argument—nor to see it succeed after the Civil War—if their own religious liberty had not been respected. No one could have known that giving religious exemptions to Quakers who could not enlist in the military would later help free slaves and build a better and more just society.
As it was with King and the Quakers, our country can still benefit from accommodating a diversity of beliefs in the public square over divisive and polarizing issues. Recently, an association of almost 20,000 Christian healthcare professionals was granted the right to continue providing loving care to patients without having to violate their religious beliefs or expert medical judgment. And just a few weeks ago, three brave and dedicated Sikh Marine recruits who otherwise would have had to choose between their faith and serving their country recently received accommodations for articles of faith to enter boot camp. This decision will allow the Marines to live up to their commitment to diversifying their ranks while allowing members of a minority religion to serve without sacrificing their faith.
Looking forward to 2023, our nation should continue to honor King’s vision of “transform[ing] the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.” Every person, regardless of race, ethnicity, and yes, even religion, plays a central role in that vision. Today’s dual celebration of religious freedom and Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us of that poignant truth.
Mark Rienzi is president and CEO of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
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