Juror hauled off to jail during trial of minister who led beatdown of a gay teen

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14. Poison?

Martin Luther King Jr. was motivated and empowered by his faith. Many passages throughout the Old and New Testament were the source of his passionate advocacy for justice and for the poor, as well as the theology that informed his opposition to the Vietnam War.

There are certainly toxic distortions of various religions. Bad theology distorts the teachings in significant ways that flatly contradict scripture. There's been a huge uptick in fundamentalism in all of the main religions. But that blanket statement ignores many instances throughout history of positive theology as well.

Positive theology motivates those with it to work for healing, for justice, better working conditions, environmental protections, to build hospitals, help the poor, visit prisoners, and to pass laws that establish a safety net – and more. During the Great Depression, clergy pushed for the government to provide help to those without work and starving. Their advocacy and work laid the groundwork for FDR to push for passage of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Public Works Administration, etc.