Why Hated? (Part 1)
The material that the Amazing Randi puts together in his books is quite valuable in that he debunks religious frauds and charlatans. Flim-Flam was one of his efforts that I completed in May, 2019; this year aith Healers, published in 1987 (okay; so I’m behind in my reading). Most of what he writes is helpful, but as a skeptic, he occasionally takes issue with the Bible, also. In The Faith Healers, he includes a paragraph written by a professor at Columbia University which is not well-thought out for either a skeptic or a college professor; it must be challenged. Morton Smith wrote:
If the Christians were an innocent sect practicing pure benevolence, why did the Romans make such strenuous efforts to stamp them out? It was because the Christians engaged in magical practices, and magic was a criminal act (35).
Seriously? Never overestimate the knowledge of college professors. This one shows nearly total ignorance about both Christians and the Roman Empire. Christians were benevolent. They had been taught to be kind to all and to love their enemies. So, the intellectual professor wants to know, why were they hated and persecuted? The answer is not difficult—the reason is that they were also evangelistic. In order for Jesus to save people from their sins, two things are necessary (which even a professor should be able to comprehend): 1. All have committed sin. 2. All, therefore, need a Savior. The problem, then shows itself when efforts are made to define sin.
Oh, yes, that bothers people. Herodias was so incensed that, when John the Baptizer told her she was living in adultery and was not authorized to have Herod as her husband, she saw to it that he was beheaded. What? Someone was executed for telling the truth? Absolutely. How many people today appreciate being told that homosexuality is a sin? Or adultery? Or fornication (living together outside of marriage)? Yes, if people are going to repent of their sins and be saved from them, they must be taught what sin is. Some people think it strange that those who have become Christians have quit the sinful things they once participated in—and speak evil of them (1 Peter 4:3-4).
Furthermore, Christians refused to say, “Caesar is Lord,” because Jesus was their Lord, and they could recognize no other. How unpatriotic! For reasons such as these, they were persecuted and put to death. Furthermore, the Emperor Nero had his fake news outlets blame the burning of Rome on Christians. Eventually, the purity of life that Christians lived (along with their benevolence, even to their enemies) won over the Roman Emperor Constantine and the Roman Empire as well (to be continued).