Would you give up your faith?

Throughout history, people have died for what they believe in. Saints were tortured and killed for holding on to their faith. Is it really brave to die for what you believe in? Are you a coward if you temporarily pretend to hold back your faith in order to protect yourself?

Let's say that one day this country becomes a dictatorship government, and you must give up your faith or be killed. If you're a Christian, you must walk over a cross and swear that you deny God. If you're a Muslim, you must desecrate the Koran and deny God, and so forth. What would you do in this situation? Would you stand up for your belief, or would you pretend to give up your religion and keep your faith a secret? If you don't give up your faith, imagine some of the torture that can inflicted on you (e.i. skinned alive, cutting off limbs, boiled alive, etc...). Is it worth it?

Right now, I'm not so sure if I'm willing to be tortured and die for my belief. Maybe my mind would change once I've actually encounter the situation. What would you do if you are confronted with this situation?

I have given up my faith many many times.

Somehow God keeps surprising me by not giving up on me, showing me truth.

So would I keep my faith in times of persecution?

Don't know...but if it came down to giving up truth I think I would gladly die.

Things such as freedom, love, compassion are truths I would never give up. I would cast myself upon the help of God.

Peace
WR



[edit on 3-10-2008 by whiteraven]

Bring on the waterboard.


Dying for Jesus is probably the easiest facet of faith; especially since it's not a reality in my zip code.

No, the forces of darkness almost never put your faith to the test that way. Doing so strengthens human resolve and turns spiritual catepillars in to real butterflies.

Dying for Jesus is easy.


It's living for him, day by day, with nobody watching or caring, that is the real piece of work in this lifetime. And far fewer people have the stomach for it that for the martyrdom trip.

Combatting evil makes men saints. Making their peace with evil is what fillls the basement of hell; and it's why the way that leads to destruction is a wide and gentle slope.

What faith?

Side note... I wanted to keep it short and to the point, because there's enough information there to add a new perspective to this thread. Also because it sounds like some cool thing a bad guy in a movie would say. But noooo, ATS won't let me do that. I think I'm losing my faith in ATS.

We all go through what John described as the dark night of the soul, when we dogt or beliefs and our faith. Somehow, God, or the Universe, or the Great Unamed gets us through this, if we will just relax and let it happen.

I will not give up my faith, small though it may be. I am willing to die for my faith, my country, my family.
And when it comes to my family, those that want me better kill me. Because when they harm my wife, my mother, my brother, I will hunt them down, and they will pray to whaterver God they worship for mercy. He may grant it. I will not. They will pray for death and it will be slow in coming. Painfully slow.

That's a tough question to answer. If giving up my faith meant finding something more suitable for positive change then yes. I used to claim to be a Christian. No offense but I saw too much hyprocrisy in it, as I do in all mainstream religions. I consider myself spiritual. More to the point though. Faith can't just be associated with religion. There is faith in science, country, friends, etc. I think you get the point. There is a famous saying, "Death before dishonor" which I am quite taken with. I try to live my life by that quote to the fullest. So much so that I have been inked with the words on my skin I have done my best not to persecute a person for their convictions as I do not like to be persecuted for my own. I will gladly die by mine, especially if it means saving another person's life.

reply to post by dr_strangecraft


The truth...the wide and gentle slope is not having children. The narrow passage, is the hips. Thats the truth and that is what jesus was talking about as "his father is true". Nothing has been hidden since the beginning. Funny how procreation is demonized, being the evident truth. My two sent.

Peace

[edit on 3-10-2008 by letthereaderunderstand]

He is a fool who gives what he cannot lose
To gain what he cannot keep.


No I would not give up my faith.

Since I gave up religion many years ago, my faith is known only to me (and my kids, of course). No one can make me give up something if they don't know what it is they need to demand for me to give up.

Now if the question is, would I profess to believe something that I don't, even if my life was at stake? Probably not. Plus martyrs are so much more powerful than resistors. Martyrs inspire others long after they are gone.

Those of you who have strong religious faith & at the same time believe in the existance of extraterrestrial life really confuse me