- Aug 18, 2004
- 3,055
- 293
- 65
- Faith
- Protestant
- Marital Status
- Married
In the last several years, Muslim extremists have tried very hard to hijack the Christian title of martyr. The modern Muslim martyr is not a true martyr, but is someone who is murdering as many innocent people as he can, while killing himself in the process.
The modern Muslim martyr is a cold-blooded killer who thinks nothing of slaughtering innocent women and children in his attack. His actions are designed to generate terror in the civilian population. The act of Murder/suicide is not martyrdom.
The Greek word marturia from which we get the English word martyr,is found 37 times in the New Testament. It is most often translated as witness or testimony. And in the traditions of the Christian faith, a martyr is one who is put to death for his witness or testimony to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Christian martyr is one who did not attack his enemies, but instead he loved them enough to go to them and tell them about Christ, even when he knew that his witness may (and often did) lead to his own death, at the hands of those he brought the Gospel to.
In the book of Acts we learn of the martyrdom of St. Steven. Steven, the first Christian martyr, was disputing with men who denied Christ and those opposed to the faith were loosing the debate. These men became angry because of what they heard and since they could not defeat Stevens arguments they killed him instead.
Steven did nothing more than disagree with those who killed him and told them why he disagreed. The early church was outlawed, because the Church declared that Jesus Christ was Lord instead of Caesar. The Christians did not take up arms and attack those who persecuted them. Instead they prayed for those who wronged them, and brought the Gospel to them, even when the price of witnessing or giving testimony of Christs Gospel might mean that they would be arrested, tortured and thrown to wild beasts (in the arena), and/or put to death.
A true martyr is a witness to the Gospel of Christ, who gives his/her greatest witness to the truth of that Gospel, in his/her willingness to be killed by those who hate the Christ and His Gospel.
It is a horrible misuse and distortion of the noble Christian title of Martyr to apply the term to someone who willingly murders innocent people because they think differently than he does. Muslim radicals who willingly, and enthusiastically, murder innocent men, women and children, at the same time they blow themselves to bits, are NOT martyrs. These men are bloodthirsty killers, who send themselves to hell by their murder/suicides.
Coram Deo,
Kenith