Originally posted by Dave Miller
As I ponder the beheadings in Iraq and the "Christian" response
to those actions...
From the perspective that Chrisitanity started, and gained
strength and popularity, through the faith of "peace"
martyrs, starting with Christ:
It occurs to me that that kind of faith is nearly non-existant
these days. (This includes my own faith, so don't think this
is a diatribe against anyone or any perspective in particular.)
The traditional Christian martyr was not one who died fighting,
but one who walked into hell with a peace that transcended
the hell that would take her or his life. These people were
saints in that they were completely selfless, to the point
that they gave their lives willingly, even eagerly in some
cases.
St. Francis's greatest dissapointment was when he
went on a Crusade, walked into the Islam camp, and was not
martyred. Rather, he was honored for his genuine faith and
sent back to the Christian camp.
If being so selfless is rare indeed in Christianity in general, it
is rarer indeed, possibly non-existant in these United States,
where even the poorest of us have so much compared to
other cultures. Having so much means having so much to lose,
making martyrdom in the name of peace seem heretical.
Again, I am not capable of this kind of action in faith myself, so
I cast no stones. I would not be willing to go into Iraq and offer
my life, my head, in place of a hostage. But imagine the
power that Christianity would present if that were the case?
The kind of power that swept the Western World in the
few centuries following Christ.
I cling humbly to my faith, I have no delusions regarding how
strong my faith is, because of the many others before me who
have given all in the name of peace and love, and were truely
victorious because of it.
Dave Miller
