What Makes a Christian Martyr Differ from Other Faiths’ Martyrs?

Have you ever wondered how much persecution and pain you would tolerate for your faith if put into the situation? Are you prepared to face death? I’ve often wondered these things about myself. Here's an insightful article from Answers In Genesis:

“He was a martyr for a good cause.” A person is put to death (often quite brutally) because he refuses to recant his beliefs and teachings when he is demanded to do so by angry opponents. So, we have Muslim martyrs, Jewish martyrs, communist martyrs, Christian martyrs, Buddhist martyrs, Hindu martyrs, etc. They are all the same, right? Not really.

The English word “martyr” is an almost direct transliteration from the New Testament Greek word, martus, which originally meant a “witness.” It was especially used in the early church to signify those who were witnesses of Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (e.g., Acts 1:22), and consequently many of those apostles died giving testimony of their Lord. In current usage it usually means one who is killed for refusing to renounce their religious faith, practices, and beliefs. The unspoken assumption is that if the person would renounce his beliefs, then he would not be put to death—and thereby avoid martyrdom. History is replete with tales of martyrs: from Old Testament believers, to the Apostles, to the early Church fathers, down to our time, especially in areas like the Sudan, the Middle East, the Philippines, Indonesia, and parts of South America. For the most part, these have been either Jewish or Christian martyrs, and the logical question to ask would be why. Why not Buddhists or Taoists or Hindu martyrs to the same extent? We will consider that question in due course...Read More