We had to put this definition here since too few people nowadays know what a martyr really is. Especially since lately a destorted view of what a martyr really is, is now being show to the world as a martyr.

 

definition of a mar·tyr:

• a person who is killed or who suffers greatly for a religion, cause, etc.
• a person who (voluntarily) suffers death as the penalty of witnessing to and refusing to renounce his/her religion
• a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially his/her life itself for the sake of principle

the example of a real martyr:

Acts 7:58-60: After throwing him outside the city, they began stoning him. The witnesses laid down their outer garments at the feet of a young man called Saul. 59 As they were stoning Stephen, he made this appeal: “Lord Jesvs, receive my spirit.” 60 Then, kneeling down, he cried out with a strong voice: “GOD do not charge this sin against them.” And after saying this, he fell asleep in death.

a Martyr is NOT:

• a person who kills others or makes others suffer greatly for his religion (this person is maniac)
• a person who volantarily blows himself up, to punish others for refusing to renonce their religion (this person is a terrorist)
• a person who sacrifices something of great value, which does not belong to him, for the sake of his religion, so that he can get what he wants (this person is psycopath)

Common misuderstood words:

• Bible - it does not mean book, the root of the word bible comes from the word BIBLIotheca (meaning the HOLY SCRIPTURES are a library of sacret text kept together) Bible comes from the Greek word βιβλία biblía meaning little books - collection of holy scriptures
  
• Torah - meaning "the Law", which can be found in the books of Deutoronimi and Leviticus. The law that Moses gave to the Jews.
• coran (or the book of mohammad) - means the recitation, but it is entirely unclear which source it is suppose to recite.

What is it?

According to the catholic church, the word refers to a miricale in which the bread and the wine at mass transform into the literal body and blood of Christ Jesvs our Lord.

 

Taught in the Bible?

No. The bible speaks about many miracles, but this is not one of them and is also not supported by the bible teaching. Nowhere do we see in the bible, that the "miracle" took place, even atleast once!

 

So how did this thinking take hold?

Based on the scripture in John 6:53 :"...Unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. " But was Jesvs referring to real flesh and real blood? No of course not! doing that would be caniballism and it would be an abomination in the eyes of God.

Acts 15:19 : says"...tell them to abstain from ... consuming blood."

Acts 15:28 repeats: "you must abstain from ... consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals..."

Would it be logical then that Jesvs would tell his followers to eat human flesh and drink blood? no!

 

Used by pagans

Jews and Romans mis-used the scripture in John 6:53, to make it look that Christians were canibals, which even they (pagans) saw as disgusting! Many Christians died at the hands of the romans as supposed "canibals".

 

It's true meaning

So why did Jesvs then say it? He said it to test their faith and their sinceraty. After all, an hour before, Jesvs performed a miracle of feeding 5000 man (women and children not counted) with only 2 fish and 5 loafs of bread! Seeing this they wanted to make him king! They were only interested in their stomach, in what Jesvs could do for them. Jesvs knew their faith was not deep-rooted in their heart and that they were self-centered and egotistical and to show this, to be evident, he shocked them, and true enough, they were shocked and left him.

 

True faith not giving up

But we see that the 12 apostles did not leave him. They wanted only to know more and know whyJesvs had said this. Their faith did not fail them or collapsed, when it seemed that Jesvs gave them a cause for shock!