Quote:
Originally Posted by Baron1710
An argument from silence? Surely you can do better than that. We don't find that those in the military were told to quit, there is at least an inference in favor of my position.
|
Actually for the first 200-300 years of Christianity, Christian soldiers were executed for treason...because they wouldn't shed blood for the Emperor. Also in historical writings we see that Christians who served in a public office (where they had to give the order for execution or military action) had to "lay down the purple", meaning an allusion to the shash worn by public officials. They had to decline the public office.
Christians were never commanded to leave the military of ancient Rome...however they were strongly forbidden to shed blood. For starters...a soldier couldn't just leave the Roman military. The best thing a Christian soldier could pray for is to be kept from warfare. Else they were forced to disobey orders, lay down the sword, and swear a loyalty to a higher authority than that of the crown...at the cost of their lives.
Here's the deal...most folks today want to be a Christian unless it gets dangerous. They'd rather pack heat and blow sinners away than risk dying on their knees before a common criminal as a result of their faithfulness to Christ. What they don't realize is that their temoral death might bring eternal life to the criminal or those who hear of the saint's faithfulness unto death.
Threaded Mode
