(February 28, 2013 at 2:26 pm)Minimalist Wrote: But the question remains, how much of this alleged "persecution" really happened and how much was made up later on by those same church "fathers" who amended their holy horseshit to make it say what they needed it to say?
Maybe the church fathers made some of it up and then it became a fad once martyrs who died for their faith were regarded as having special status.
Quote:At first, the term applied to Apostles.[1] Once Christians started to undergo persecution, the term came to be applied to those who suffered hardships for their faith.[1] Finally, it was restricted to those who had been killed for their faith.[1] The early Christian period before Constantine I was the "classic" age of martyrdom.[1] A martyr's death was considered a "baptism in blood," cleansing one of sin, similar to the effect of baptism in water. The "baptism in blood" provides an even greater picture, showing the faith that the martyr has for his/her Savior.[1] Early Christians venerated martyrs as powerful intercessors, and their utterances were treasured as inspired specially by the Holy Spirit.[1]
Loony fanatics could have advertised the fact that they were Christians who refused to follow the Roman way so they'd end up dead and go straight to Heaven.
Where are the snake and mushroom smilies?
