From the beginning, followers of Christ have been mocked, ridiculed, suffered in poverty, persecuted, beaten and even killed. Yeshua, the man most people know as Jesus, Himself knew that His mission on Earth was to be the Lord’s suffering servant and bear the burden of both man’s and the Devil’s full assault on His teachings. Throughout the centuries since Christ’s crucifixion, Christians have sacrificed their reputations, fortunes and sometimes even their lives in defense of their beliefs. From the early Roman Empire, where Christians were killed in the Colosseum, to serving out lifetime prison sentences in the modern world, believers in Christ were and still are often forced to live a secretive existence on the fringe of society, forced to hold their worship meetings in hidden places such as caves and dense forests to avoid persecution.
Time of Christ
The Son of God knew the fate that awaited Him and the persecution His followers would have to endure. From the day Yeshua began His teaching He was harassed by the Romans in an attempt to get Him to belie his allegiance to His beliefs. They persecuted his friends and followers, such as sending Daniel into the lion’s den. Jesus frequently warned His followers of the persecution and suffering they would face. His final warning to His disciples came shortly before his death when He told them, “Remember the words I speak to you; a servant is not greater than his master. As they persecute me, they will not hesitate to persecute you.”
Rise of Islam
From the seventh to the 11th Century, the rise of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula and its expansion westward posed new and untold threats to Christians throughout the Byzantium Empire and into North Africa. Christians throughout the regions were persecuted, hunted and killed. Churches were plundered, priests were tortured, villages and towns were robbed and destroyed, women were raped, and men were beheaded for nothing more than their religious beliefs. The decimation and occupation of the Christian territories sent such shock around the world crusades were organized to respond to the threat, with varying degrees of success.
The 13th Century Crusades
During the Albigensian Crusade in the 13th Century, Pope Innocent III sent his troops to hunt down the dualist religious movement, the Cathars, a Christian sect the Roman Catholic Church branded as heretics. The persecution was so great the Roman troops crossed into France, where the Cathars had found sanctuary and acceptance. While a few of the sect managed to escape, the Pope’s army slaughtered every Cathari they could find.
Modern Day
According to research by Oxford University, Christian persecution has reached the highest levels in the last three decades. Over 300 million Christians in almost 80 countries around the world, equaling appropriately one in every seven Christians worldwide, currently live under persecution over their faith. As hard as it is for some to accept, there are more horrendous examples of Christian persecution today than at any time in human history. North Korea has currently reached its highest level of Christian persecution. If people are found practising Christianity, their entire family is sent to prison as political criminals or executed. Recently a couple was found in possession of a Bible for which they and their two-year-old toddler were all given lifetime prison sentences.
The persecution of Christians in countries ruled by Islamic law, including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Libya, involves the brutal murder of Christians. In a country where freedom of religion is enshrined in the First Amendment of its constitution, Christian persecution in the United States is at an all-time high. A 25-year-old graduate student was arrested for silently praying on a public sidewalk outside a Planned Parenthood Clinic in Chicago. Several people were arrested at a public meeting in New Hampshire just for saying “Amen.” These included a registered nurse and licensed foster mother along with eight others, among whom were a 70-year-old woman and a mother holding her four-year-old child.
Conclusion
It would be expected that religious freedom would become greater as time goes on, however, history has shown this is anything but the case. One of the greatest paradoxes throughout Christian history is the church becomes its most virtuous during times of cultural unrest and is more likely to go astray during times of harmony. This would seem to show it takes turmoil for people to stand up for religious liberty.
