Persecution in the early church Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Persecution in the early church - Research Paper Example The Reason for Persecution Although there was no recognizable or serious offence with the early Christians professing their faith in Jesus Christ, the Roman Empire and the pagan fraternity did not bother but instead fabricated a number of allegations1. At no point did the Christian religion in the early days interfere with or distract their normal operations or peace of mind therefore one can only read mischief and ulterior motives in their quest to wipe away the early church out of existence2. Unanimously, both the pagans and the Roman Empire leveled allegations of incest, perversions, and cannibalism against their Christian counterparts3. With Emperor Nero in their lead, the persecutors insisted that their Christian brothers and sisters constantly partook of illegal and inhuman ritual and activities contrary to the acceptable norms within the Roman Empire4. Fully appreciating the government’s support, the pagans pressured the Nero, the Roman Emperor who rained from 54 AD to 64 AD, to succumb to their demands. In real sense, the good followers of Jesus Christ only practiced what they read from their respective Bibles like Baptism5. With John the Baptist as the pioneer of Baptism in water, Jesus Christ only sanctified the same through the incorporation of ‘fire’ baptism where He emphasized on the essence of involvement of the Holy Spirit6. It is by this doctrine that the early Christians based and practiced their strong beliefs, irrespective of what their ‘enemies’ thoughts and opinions. When the pagans and some officials of the Roman Emperor saw the relentless worship by the early church, they accused them of ill practices, allegation which cost most staunch Christians their lives while maiming others in the process7. Perhaps one of the most controversial reasons as to why the early church faced senseless persecution was subversion and ungodly behavior, at least according to those who strongly supported the idea of persecution. Ordinarily, the atheists and those who believed in the Roman gods united on some fronts especially those pertaining to the official religious practices as manifested by the Roman Emperor8. Occasionally, all the inhabitants of the Roman Emperor offered sacrifices to the Roman gods as a sign of gratification and honor, a practice the early church came strongly against for their own reasons. During the first century, most Romans and atheists believed that by worshipping and offering sacrifices to their gods, they would receive blessings, protections, and improve in their general wellbeing9. The early Christians on the other hand, believed in and followed strictly the teachings inscribed within the Christian Bible that fiercely condemned the worship, honor, or offering of sacrifices to the so called ‘idols’. Duly guided by this clause, these believers in Jesus Christ objected to the pleas by the vast majority of the officials of the Roman Emperor10. As if that was not enou gh, the cult extended to the honor and offering sacrifices to the Roman Emperors, fully acknowledging the fact that they were sanctified monarchs, who deserved equal and undivided attention as other gods11. The successive Roman Emperors highly encouraged this trend as it they felt that it boosted their ego besides elevating them above normal human beings. Beginning with Emperor Nero to