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It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt.

This just cracks me up!
Hannah

You've got to be kidding me. I almost fell out of my chair I was laughing so hard.

Pure. comedy. gold. Someone obviously got a little over-zealous with the clip art.

Chris T.

Someone saw "Martin Luther" on some clip-art and got confused. Maybe they didn't get enough sleep that night, as their judgement was obviously impaired.

Ah, yes. It illustrates my goal for the Lutheran confirmation students I teach. I tell them that if I can get them through knowing the difference between Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr, I will have succeeded.

Martin Luther? Discovered America, right? or the Mississippi River...?

You know, I didn't catch on at first either... It wasn't until I read the entry and went back and looked at the picture that I realized that the clipart was a white man in a robe.

Thanks for the pre-coffee chuckle!

Unreal. I think this oversight is a pretty accurate reflection of the lack of care--no, lack of awareness--no, white privilege & IGNORANCE that most white folks experience with regard to issues of race.

I'm not sure if this is funny, sad or (most likely) a mix of both. With my Lutheran colleague above, I struggle for my kids to recognize the difference and importance of both King and Luther. For my confirmation kids, I think it's mostly the ignorance of youth - they won't realize the importance of these two historical figures until their work impacts their lives in some major way.

For a public institution, however, one would expect better. All the same, wouldn't we be better served by using MLK Jr. Day to educate one another about the importance of the civil rights movement? Say, by possibly holding events dedicated to King at the local library? Just a thought...

All right, if not a careless person with clipart -- Maybe, just maybe, it was a purposeful joke by someone? Or a lot of people are just really stupid...

I also think it ironic that in order to honor MLK Jr. we close our public libraries for a day....

you are all retarded - obviously somebody played a joke, and you are ALL the butt of it! Somebody did it on purpose and you all think 'there was a mistake or something

ok...I could see this kind of slip-up happening at the local donut shop, but this is the LIBRARY! The supposed repository (suppository?) of knowledge and learning. yikes!

If it was a joke (which I doubt) I don't find it funny. Not at all.

Don't you also think it's a bit ironic that on a site called "Real Live Preacher" there'd be a post numbered "666"?

I can remember as a youngster having great difficulty understanding the difference between MLK Jr. and Martin Luther. Perhaps the librarian, in a hurry getting ready for work, asked his or her child to make the poster.

Mark of Utah

To laugh is my first impulse. To be saddened is the second and more real response. RLP, did you inform the library of this gravest of errors? According to my road atlas, Schertz TX is a town of 20,000 plus. In the window for a week unchanged. Phone number is (210)658-6011 and the address is Schertz Library, 608 Schertz Pkwy, Schertz TX 78154.

RLP, did you take this pic?

Oh, I thought that was supposed to represent a functionary at the city offices (or a public librarian). I mean he doesn't have a hammer in hand or anything like that. But you are probably right.

It's strange because usually the mistake is the other way -- people have no idea who Martin Luther is and automatically substitute MLK for him when they read church history.

oops. nope. my theory is wrong. Martin Luther had a ring of Little John hair or wore a funny little hat. This white guy has a full head of hair and no funny hat.

That is absolutely hilarious. Please tell me you passed this on to Bob Darden at The Wittenberg Door. That *has* to qualify for their "Truth is Stranger" section.

You know, even though I'm 35 and know he was German, to this day my initial mental picture of Martin Luther is as a black man. When I saw the picture, I didn't realize who that was supposed to be until I read your accompanying text.

-- david learn

Those Germans! Well usually people think King when you mention Martin Luther. This is funny but seriously wrong at the same time. I am Lutheran BTW

Actually, it's such a cultural thing. I had a Koren student wonder why we took a special holiday for milk. "You Americans so funny. You have holiday for MILK."
Or the student I had in class after I told him "Please work on your homework now" stand up and tell me the "Martin Luther died to set me FREE from this." From homework? Really?
-------
http://reverendmommy.blogspot.com
If God intended us to be vegatarian, why did He make His critters so dern tasty?

And then there's George Washington and George Washington Carver to consider. Being not onlly a patriot but also a peanut lover, I hold them both in high regard. But that hardly makes them the same guy! Katy Raymond www.fallible.com

That man is neither MLK Jr nor Martin Luther, I don't know who it is. It is funny, though, and more than a bit disturbing....

sozzled
www.lightblog.com/member/elisabeth

oh my.

Our library was still open. We only get union holidays.

BTW, just wanted to tell you I finally got a copy of the book.. on loan from the library :).

Fish

In the Episcopal Hymnal (1982), Hymn # 666 is "Out of the depths I call" (Ps. 130)

I've always found that amusing.

Oh dear. Oh dear. Writing from Canada, I'm tempted to say that that horrible man in MY library today,claiming loudly to OUR librarian that Americans are ignorant...no...Of course, he is wrong! Unfortunately, HE was also of the opinion that the library would be greatly improved if the whole of the fiction section were removed! And so it goes...Did you ever get a reply from the people at the Schertz Public Library?

I saw the Schertz Librarian this week outside of her library. It was all I could do not to mention this. Now someone surely will. BTW, jokes about Protestant legends and Civil rights legends are not funny and not condoned by Librarians. I presume some volunteer or staffer made an egregious error and the staff members that are in the know come in by another back door. The patrons...well I cannot explain that. BTW2, I showed this to the folks at my library. They fell off their chairs, then they saw it really happened and was not a photoshopped picture and were chaupined,,,uh, chagrined. OldPoet

I guess the moral of the story is this:

Parents, don't name your children after historical figures! If they become famous, all sorts of confusion will result!

Fraser

Jay Leno needs this one for his Monday headline segment :)

Martin Luther????? Dang, I thought we were celebrating Martin Lewis day! I got out all their old films and everything... shoot... wasted all those NetFlix cue entries for nothing! Dang...

I'm embarrassed to admit that it took me a minute. Then it cracked me up. I guess we still have a ways to go.

A man that cheats on his wife doesn't deserve his own Federal holiday... I don't care what other good stuff he did.

No one noticed - or no one complained ???

Although I share everyone's concensus of opinion that this is funny but also a terrible indicator of the status of education and race consciousness in America today..... the funniest part was reading The Token Catholic's comment!

I can just picture the two of them meeting eyes as the music director announces "Hymn 666"... and then I picture some kind of awful, growling, snarling music playing, and the congregation starts howling along with the music!! I'm cracking myself up with those images, here. Thanks for sharing that story, Token Catholic!!!

(By the way, I've also read that 666 is a mistranslation, and the real number is 616. Oh well. Live and learn.)

http://blogs.salon.com/0003947
www.wanderingwillowblog.blogspot.com

So how did MLK feel about being named after ML the original? Did he ever write or speak about it that we know of??

From the "blowing it out of proportion" dept:
  The RGB of the preacher's (chiorman's) face is 170,154,155. I.e. pretty close to gray.

I looked at the picture and got the missing "Jr", but I didn't take that as an obvious "whitey". But then again, the shot thru the window may have changed the hue from the original.

Okay. So how funny is it that where you're raised has such an influence on your perspecitve? And my perspective is totally different.

I saw the picture before reading your post thinking, "Wow, how cool is it that they've got Mahalia..wait, is it the picture? Or was the printer off that day because Mahalia's looking a wee too pasty here."

The Mahalia would be Mahalia Jackson, arguably one of the best Gospel Singers of all times. She was also a huge fan of Dr. King's. And he was of her. She sang at many of the rally's he spoke at.

Mahalia sang "I been 'buked & I been scorned" right before King's I HAVE A DREAM speech. In fact, he supposedly had a different speech planned when Mahalia screamed out something akin to "Tell them about your Dream Martin!" and the rest is history.

Now Mahalia did wear robes QUITE frequently. Ya know...Gopsel singer (and not svelte and all). Though I don't think she was wearing one that August day in 1963.

And the clipart does kinda' look like she might have if they'd gotten her skin right.

And given Dr. King, was the active Pastor at the Dexter Ave. Baptist Church in Montgomery when he first motivated his community to boycottt the buses for a year. And he was president of the SCLC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference...well...

Guess I kind of thought they were trying to link his faith with the man. The idea of a gospel singer graphic seemed a little logical to me. Though if the singer was white...that was a bit off.

The idea of Martin Luther didn't even enter my mind. Of course, once I read your take, I was WHEEZING with laughter.

Thanks Gordon.
--Shari

This has now been forwarded to all the staff of the Northern Baptist College, Manchester, England who work in, yes..... Luther King House.

It is, without a doubt, the Martin Luther that nailed the 95 theses and translated the Bible into German, so that people besides priests and scholars could understand it. This explains the book he is holding. I've spent more time than I care to admit teaching Lutheran Sunday school students that there is another Martin Luther, besides ML King Jr., who made some enormous contributions to humankind. It's interesting to see the reverse problem! They were both great men of the church, and I expect that they are laughing with the rest of us at this mistake.

that is way too funny. thanks for the much needed smile...kinda reminds me of that hockey player for the New Jersey Devils whose name is John Madden

My first reaction. Luther day is the 31 of October and it is called Reformation day anyway. Then I read the poster again and saw the King.

Cultural perspective...

I've been through Shertz, Texas. It's a fairly "out of the way" suburb of San Antonio. There are not very many blacks living there, and probably quite a few Lutherans. Hmmm.

Steve Collins
Charleston, SC

Obviously not much going on this week is there?

Maybe all young Americans should learn the significance of the name given to our civil rights hero. After all it shouldn't remain a white central Texas German privilege thing.

all u shut up. Martin L. King did not cheat on his wife.

I have studied MLK Jr. In deapth for the last 4 years. He did cheat on his wife, but let you who is without sin cast the first stone.

Dr. King did more to get a movement restarted than anyone else. A movement that went basically nowhere in 100 years since the American Civil War. Like him or dislike him, honest or dishonest, he is a man who made things possible and made things happen. He gave his life for the effort. I wish there were more dishonest people like him.

Great pic! Made me laugh.