During this holiday week honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., how many more books, movies, and murdered individuals do we need about those who stood for truth against the status quo — to move beyond the rabble in the marketplace to see and hear truth for ourselves?

We were warned so eloquently in George Orwell’s landmark book “1984” of the consequences and dangers of jumping on the bandwagon against an individual or an ideal based on little bits of information from government, church and media. Now, the naysayers are at the gate ready to “tar and feather” or worst, have a modern town-square hanging of the reputation of Dr. Miceal Ledwith L.Ph., L.D., D.D., LL.D (h.c) about which little they know.

The Holy Mother Church has a centuries-long reputation for burning folks at the stake in speaking up against what they said was truth. That the Church took 350 years to exonerate Galileo for saying the Earth was not at the center of the universe, rather revolved around the Sun, was a disgrace to humanity. That the Church still has not acknowledged their role in burning Giordano Bruno at the stake is worse. This man is considered to this day an icon in the history of free thought and the emerging sciences. And we are expected to trust the Church now? I don’t think so.

I suggest Ledwith’s case is no different today. For the Seattle Archdiocese to classify Dr. Ledwith in with a group of “credible” allegations is beyond all reason. According to their published reports, two judicial bodies in Ireland thoroughly investigated this matter many years ago, along with many other cases, and found no reason to say this accusation against him was credible, as the Seattle diocese has now asserted. The list published by the Archdiocese of Seattle has a small disclaimer stating, “we know that this list may include errors or be incomplete.” That is certainly the case.

I was the University of Miami (Florida) football manager in the 1970s and received an honorary acknowledgement last year from then UM President Donna Shalala (former Clinton Cabinet HHS Secretary), duly reported in your newspaper. That the fine Pastor Jeff Adams and the usual list of others went on the record to defile this man is what is termed in football as “piling on,” which garners a yellow flag, does it not?

The English Standard version of the “good book,” Mark 12:31 states, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Yet, on Jan. 16, 2016, Senior Minister Jeff Adams of Paramount Church in Yelm criticized my friendship with Dr. Ledwith in your online edition, while previously stating on his church’s website:

“Paramount Christian Church is very focused on pleasing God in every way possible.”

How is turning a blind eye and “piling on” his neighbor, about which he knows nothing, “pleasing God in every way possible”? Pastor Adams professes his Christian values in his weekly newspaper column, beseeching others to follow suit, while he does just the opposite. Has he ever reached out to contact Dr. Ledwith?

John 8:7 says, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone …”

Yes, I stand by my word that Dr. Ledwith is amongst my dearest friends and for over 25 years, a small number that I can count on my fingers. A true friend does not turn their back in challenging circumstances. To me, Ledwith is “The King’s good servant and God’s first,” quoting Sir Thomas More.

And last, this is very pertinent from Stanley Jones, a missionary who met with Mahatma Gandhi and heard him to say:

“Oh, I don’t reject Christ. I love Christ.