Christian
To be a Christian today is a bold choice. It is bold because it is a choice and a way of living to honor God and his creation.
Christians are followers of Jesus Christ. Some may ask why are Christians hated today and why were they hated at the time of Christ? What follows is a very brief summary of the tie of religion and the quest for power.
Very brief history of early Christianity
Lessons from our history note that emperors and rulers relied on religion to unite peoples. If they captured this aspect of life above all, as well as other facets, they had a kingdom. I.e. look at the early roman persecutions before 300 a.d. At this time, the emperor and lords demanded that everyone worship and offer sacrifice to a pagan idol. Simply said, the authorities indicate to which idol the people are to worship. If they worship it, they are part of the emperor’s kingdom. If not, the sword awaits them. Mind you, Christians were at this time not a publicly accepted form of religion. They were considered trouble makers and dividers. Why? Well this notion of Jesus Christ raising from the dead that prophecies and scriptures tell of, took place and is spreading.
As Jesus and the promised land of heaven echoes throughout regions and foreign lands, it makes every king shiver. Why? Because Jesus is not an acceptable form of worship. This means that whole hosts of people rejected offering sacrifice to strange idols. It means that their kingdom was not united. It means those who followed Christ were slaughtered wholesale. No different today whether be it a physical, political, emotional, or psychological death. Anyway, continuing on, as the persecutions continued it was the bishops, priests, and deacons who met the sword first before the rest of the faithful. Why? because these were the leaders spreading the faith. The rationale behind this is, If they kill them, they kill the resistance within the kingdom, and if they kill them and all other Christians, they have a united kingdom.
How was Christianity officially recognized?
How was Christianity officially recognized? Briefly, the emperor Constantine was outnumbered 5:1 in battle. One account suggests that in his sleep Christ revealed to Constantine that “with this sign” you will conquer. That sign being, the sign of the cross. So, Constantine ordered his troops to put the Sign of the cross on their shields and so forth. Just like in the Old testament, the Lord of hosts delivered his people from death and won victory. Part of the agreement between our Lord and Constantine was that he would ratify the Christians in the kingdom. Constantine was baptized on his deathbed. He is considered along with Charlemagne as a Christian Civil defender. These two people are recognized in bronze statues in the breeze way of the facade in St. Peter’s basilica in Rome.
More Christian history to be continued…
Our Catholic Deaf Community shares the same faith as those who gave their lives out of Christian witness. We aspire that in Orange County California we may spread the faith to peoples that know not Jesus Christ. To join our Deaf ministry crusade contact us.
