{"id":22509,"date":"2024-01-15T08:00:06","date_gmt":"2024-01-15T13:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509"},"modified":"2024-01-05T11:19:50","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T16:19:50","slug":"honor-dr-king-choose-love-over-hate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2024\/01\/honor-dr-king-choose-love-over-hate.html","title":{"rendered":"Honor Dr. King: Choose Love Over Hate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Violence is front and center both globally and in America. We began the year with another school shooting. Wars are being fought, violent protests are happening on college campuses. As we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., his approach to hate and violence is more important than ever. Most of all, he knew the importance of love to transform the heart –a solution we hear little about today. He chose non-violence and love over hate.<\/p>\n

In his first book, Stride Toward freedom,<\/em> Dr, King advocated nonviolent resistance with the idea that you confront evil with the power of love. He believed that the Christian doctrine of love is the most potent weapon for those who are oppressed. Hate has no role. And he practiced what he preached when he confronted racism. He serves as a powerful example of how to respond to hate and violence.<\/p>\n

Here are his 6 principles:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Resist evil without resorting to violence.<\/li>\n
  2. Win the friendship and understanding of your opponent.<\/li>\n
  3. Evil itself, not the people who commit evil acts, should be opposed.<\/li>\n
  4. If you are committed to nonviolence, you must be willing to suffer without retaliation. Suffering can be redemptive.<\/li>\n
  5. Avoid external physical violence and internal violence of the spirit.<\/li>\n
  6. Refuse to hate.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Many current movements have rejected these principles, but it is time to return to MLK’s approach. Are we choosing love over hate? We have a choice. While we can\u2019t control the press, hate groups and violent people, we can control our mouth and actions. We can look to the Bible for guidance.<\/p>\n

    May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Psalm 19:14<\/span><\/p>\n

    Pause and mediate on this verse. Now, think about what you have said in your day-to-day conversations with friends and family. Have your words met the standard of\u00a0Psalm 19:14<\/span>?\u00a0\u00a0The way we talk about our differences is important because it expresses what is in our hearts. You don’t have to like someone or agree with their positions, but you should not hate them.<\/p>\n

    1 Peter 2:12<\/span>\u00a0tells us, \u201cKeep your conduct honorable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

    Honorable conduct includes words. No name-calling, gloating, elitism, fear-mongering, hate, lying and disgust. Instead, we are to guard our hearts and mouths because words are powerful. Let\u2019s not be guilty of behaving in ways that are\u00a0disturbing. Let\u2019s resist the urge to retaliate against those who are mean-spirited. Matthew 5:44 tells us to bless those who curse us and pray for those who spitefully use us. Ultimately, we are to love our enemies. This is only possible with a transformed heart.<\/p>\n

    James 3 tells us that we can praise our Lord and Father, but also curse our brothers and sisters who have been made in God\u2019s likeness. The tongue is a fire, capable of consuming others. It must be tamed by the Holy Spirit in us.<\/p>\n

    Martin Luther\u00a0King, Jr. said, \u201cLove is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.\u201d Now is the time to model love, humility, and civility toward one another\u2013whether you like or hate\u00a0the direction of our country.\u00a0Haven\u2019t we had enough verbal attacks and negative messaging? Have we forgotten that mercy triumphs over judgment?<\/p>\n

    We, the people, can behave differently. Let\u2019s start by controlling our tongue and actually treat each other with respect. Today, honor Martin Luther King, Jr. and God by choosing love over hate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Violence is front and center both globally and in America. We began the year with another school shooting. Wars are being fought, violent protests are happening on college campuses. As we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., his approach to hate and violence is more important than ever. Most of all, he knew…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[925],"tags":[7605,732,4350,300,2402,6858,4351,2406,471],"class_list":["post-22509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mintle-mentions","tag-dr-king","tag-hate","tag-jr","tag-love","tag-martin-luther-king","tag-mlk","tag-mlk-day","tag-nonviolence","tag-violence"],"yoast_head":"\nHonor Dr. King: Choose Love Over Hate<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., his approach to hate and violence is more important than ever. He chose love over hate.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Honor Dr. King: Choose Love Over Hate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., his approach to hate and violence is more important than ever. He chose love over hate.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Doing Life Together\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-15T13:00:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-05T16:19:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2024\/01\/martin-luther-king-jr-7721339_1280.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Mintle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@drlindamintle\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Honor Dr. King: Choose Love Over Hate","description":"As we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., his approach to hate and violence is more important than ever. He chose love over hate.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Honor Dr. King: Choose Love Over Hate","og_description":"As we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., his approach to hate and violence is more important than ever. He chose love over hate.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509","og_site_name":"Doing Life Together","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/","article_published_time":"2024-01-15T13:00:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-05T16:19:50+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2024\/01\/martin-luther-king-jr-7721339_1280.jpg"}],"author":"Linda Mintle","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@drlindamintle","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509","name":"Honor Dr. King: Choose Love Over Hate","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2024\/01\/martin-luther-king-jr-7721339_1280.jpg","datePublished":"2024-01-15T13:00:06+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-05T16:19:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#\/schema\/person\/1e16a9c7332cfcc5b5d89e4ba3a36142"},"description":"As we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., his approach to hate and violence is more important than ever. He chose love over hate.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2024\/01\/martin-luther-king-jr-7721339_1280.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2024\/01\/martin-luther-king-jr-7721339_1280.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=22509#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Honor Dr. King: Choose Love Over Hate"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/","name":"Doing Life Together","description":"Relationship Doctor, Mental Health, Emotional Wellness, Relationship Advice & Entertainment","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#\/schema\/person\/1e16a9c7332cfcc5b5d89e4ba3a36142","name":"Linda Mintle","description":"It is rare that a trained academic who speaks passionately to the heart of people providing real answers to real life problems is so relatable. Dr. Linda\u2019s fun personality and expertise comes through whether she\u2019s helping her audience stress less or make peace with their thighs! Dr. Linda has her Ph.D. in Urban Health and Clinical Psychology and is a national expert on mental health. She has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety, depression and pain management. With 30 years of clinical experience working with couples, families and individuals, she brings her common-sense approach to people who want to live in positive mental health. Dr. Linda is also a bestselling author with 21 book titles to her credit, a radio host of the Dr. Linda Mintle show, professor, national speaker, winner of the Mom\u2019s Choice Award, a national news consultant, featured writer for Beliefnet and hosts her own website. Her academic appointments keep her abreast of current research in her areas of expertise. Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. Check out her latest book Hope and Healing for Anxiety, a whole-person approach to eliminate anxiety. .","sameAs":["https:\/\/drlindamintle.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/x.com\/drlindamintle"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/author\/lmintle"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22509"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22524,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22509\/revisions\/22524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}