Atheists whom this concerns: Martin Luther King Jr., a bad person?

The problem with Christianity is the easily exploitable nature of the system. First, it can be twisted to say whatever we want it to; whether that's justification for stoning homosexuals, disobedient children, women who were raped and didn't cry out, or for everyone being brothers and sisters.

Second, it can be used to control the way other people think. While Martin Luther King Jr. exploited people for their own benefit, people like Jim Jones did not.

So, like any other tool, Christianity is as evil as it is used. The difference is that unlike most tools, Christianity has more potential for harm than good. We don't need the god belief aspect to unite people as brothers and sisters. We do however need the god belief aspect to convince people to do horrible things to each other.

I'm not sure where you get the idea atheists think all Christians or religious people are bad people. I think religion is a human construct and tool. People use it a variety of ways. Some use it to foster peace and compassion within themselves and seek and get those messages from it. I think that is nice they nurture those qualities. I don't think you need to have such beliefs to do so but I appreciate its a tool some people use that way. Others use it to justify intolerance, violence, bigotry, and oppression though. The problem lies is that when you feel and argue this is the wish of a super being there is no evidence for then it is removed beyond reasoned debated based on actual evidence or consequences. I also think the positive values he embodied have good basis in real world consequences belief in Christianity or god completely aside.

I can't speak for all atheists, but this one doesn't have a problem with people using their silly beliefs to promote social justice. I just believe that the same ends can be achieved through other means. One doesn't have to believe in god(s) to call for equality, march on Washington, etc.

Sadly, for us all, there are far more theists demanding intolerance than there are ones calling for tolerance. This isn't a case of "a few bad apples," it's more like the whole tree is rotten and a few good apples doesn't change that.

How many people would consider tolerance to be a trait of any religion other than their own?

Who ever says MJ are flippin loopy with martin luther king jr there won't be a michael jackson if marin luther king junior did not do what he did, us african american citizens or persons with color should still be hated to these days. And there would of now not have been a black president so martin luther king jr is more essential

Your argument is that because one of the world's greatest human beings grasped the parts of a religion that offer "turn the other cheek" and "good samaritan" lessons and ignored the "I'm going to kill everyone on the planet so build a boat baby cause it's going to rain" or "Turn around now, these cities are gonna blow and pillar of salt is what happens if you look" that all of christianity is automatically golden. His values were his. They may have been derived from a part of the storybook that offers advice in that direction, but it doesn't mean there is an invisible guy who lives in the sky, or that this religion is a good thing. It only means that Reverend Dr. King was an awesome awesome man.

Speaking of Gandhi, almost every form of Christianity says that he deserves eternal punishment (even torture) even though he was an amazingly good and moral person, just because he wasn't a Christian. Also, the reason why black people faced so much bigotry and enslaving them was justified because of the Curse of Ham..a biblical concept.

So yeah, how good is Christianity now?

>Almost all of his ideals and values he directly relates under his Christian beliefs

Is this before or after King committed adultery?

Backfire.

Regardless, it's rather hopeless of you to use King as a tool to berate atheists when King was railing against "Christian" Jim Crow laws.

A good man will do good deeds a bad man will do bad deeds, but it takes religion to make a good man to do bad deeds.

He was asking America to uphold its constitution.

Where did America get the inspiration of segrigation?

I'll give you a clue, it a book and it begins with B

Religion effected a nation of good people to do evil deeds.

Christianity was also used to justify slavery for hundreds of years. It's really quite irrelevant what King claimed as his inspiration. He also associated with Marxists. Shall we also credit them?

I don't believe all Christians are evil. I think many Christians use their religion to justify evil things.