Guess Who Said It - Bishops, Pope, or, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Guess Who Said It   (2012-01-04 in the St. Francis Parish FORUM)
Also at: http://www.stfrancisa2.com/sites/all/files/documents/2012MLK-GuessWhoSaidIt.pdf


In January we observe the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and recall his important teachings.  He was a spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, and made important contributions to the anti-war movement. He also took a strong stance for economic justice.  While he was not a Catholic himself, there is tremendous overlap between the teachings of our Church and the ideals promoted by Dr. King.  Test your knowledge by trying to determine who made each of the statements below:


Civil Rights / Human Rights

1. “Racist attitudes can linger in subtle ways, even when people get to know one another, unless we vigorously educate ourselves about our neighbors, learn to appreciate their heritages, encounter their own images of us, and strive to work with them on behalf of common causes.” 
a. Pope Paul VI
b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops
c. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2. “We must rapidly begin the shift from a ‘thing’-oriented society to a ‘person’- oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important 
than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable to being conquered.” 
a.    Pope Paul VI
b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops
c. Martin Luther King, Jr.

3. “Within a country which belongs to each one, all should be equal before the law; find equal admittance to economic, cultural, civic, and social life; and benefit from a fair sharing of the nation's riches.” 
a. Pope Paul VI
b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops
c. Martin Luther King, Jr.



Peace / Anti-War

4. “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” 
a. Pope John Paul II
b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops
c. Martin Luther King, Jr.

5. “It is clear to us today that the only way to peace is by destroying enmity, not the enemy.  Someone once took Abraham Lincoln to task for being too courteous to his enemies and reminded him that his job as president was to destroy them.  Lincoln answered, ‘Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?  Enemies are destroyed with armies, but enmity with dialogue.’” 
a. Pope John Paul II
b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops
c. Martin Luther King, Jr.

6. “Humanity should question itself, once more, about the absurd and always unfair phenomenon of war, on whose stage of death and pain only remain standing the negotiating table that could and should have prevented it.” 
a. Pope John Paul II
b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops
c. Martin Luther King, Jr.



Economic Justice

7. “The profit motive, when it is the sole basis of an economic system, encourages a cutthroat competition and selfish ambition that inspires men to be more concerned about making a living 
than making a life.” 
a. Pope John XXIII
b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops
c. Martin Luther King, Jr.

8.  “We have many partial ways to measure and debate the health of our economy:  Gross National Product, per capita income, stock market prices, and so forth.  The Christian vision of economic life looks beyond them all and asks, ‘does economic life enhance or threaten our life together as a community?’” 
a. John XXIII
b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops
c. Martin Luther King, Jr.

9. “’All people have a right to life, food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, education, and employment. … The amount a worker receives must be sufficient, in proportion to available funds, 
to allow him and his family a standard of living consistent with human dignity.”  Society must ensure that these rights are protected. 
a. Pope John XXIII
b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops
c. Martin Luther King, Jr. St. Francis of Assisi

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Guess Who Said It:  ANSWERS 

Civil Rights / Human Rights
1 = b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops 
2 = c. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
3 = a. Pope Paul VI 

Peace / Anti-War
4 = c. Martin Luther King, Jr.   
5 = b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops  
6 = a. Pope John Paul II. 

Economic Justice
7 = c. Martin Luther King, Jr.   
8 = b. US Conference of Catholic Bishops  
9 = a. Pope John Paul II.
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