The Myth of Christian Martyrdom as a Source of Othering and Violence One of the main elements of the orientalist rhetoric against Islam was that this religion is pro-violent. The Islamic image as a "sword of religion", once again emerged...
moreThe Myth of Christian Martyrdom as a Source of Othering and Violence
One of the main elements of the orientalist rhetoric against Islam was that this religion is pro-violent. The Islamic image as a "sword of religion", once again emerged as an outpouring of the Islamophobic prejudice with the drawing of a so-called prophet holding a sword in his hand in the cartoon crisis that emerged in Denmark in 2005. The criticism that Islam is a source of violence has reached its peak after the events of September 11, 2001, and has been voiced aloud not only in the media but also in academic circles. In the XIXth World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions held in Tokyo in 2005, the German theologian and historian of religions Hans G. Kippenberg said that September 11 events are related to Islam because of their resemblance to the ghazwas frequently occurring throughout İslamic history and because of the terrorists involved in these attacks being motivated by the prize of martyrdom. After establishing such relations he argued that the source of such violence is Islam. Pope Benedict XVI, in his famous speech on September 12, 2006 at Regensburg University, strongly implied Islam to force people to change religion, violently identifying Islam and giving the message that Islam has spread with the sword, whereas Christianity is the religion of peace.
In recent years, studies by Church historians such as Candida Moss have revealed that the stories of martyrdom in Christianity belong to the category of myth rather than that of history. Moss, remarks that the belief that Christians have been subjected to the oppression of the Romans and that they have been martyred for their religion are not limited to only the first three generations, and that this dichotomical understanding of Romans / Pagans-Christians or Right-Evil have been converted into Christian / others / Jesus enemies / evils or in some cases to such categories as Christians-Muslims kept alive throughout history and still exists today. These narratives which historians of the Church sculpted as a dogma, and which in our country, in almost all of the books about the History of Religions is reflected in the same way is a myth rather than history. The distinction between history and myth and the influence of myth are very clearly seen in this example. Unlike the historical events, myths are archetypal and have the characteristics of being able to be up to date and to be a model at any moment. The positive side of this myth suggests that believers have a strong belief, like the first Christians who have sacrificed their lives for their faith, while the negative side is a serious danger for today's world because it justifies violence.
On the other hand this myth has been an important source of motivation in the Crusades. Papa II Urban in 1095 invited all Christians to fight against the Turks and promised the participants that their sins would be forgiven. This call led up to the 13th century to a series of religious wars - nine in total -Pope II Urban in his speech in Clermont in 1095, stated that he " the new war comprises the prize of martyrdom". Not only those who died in the war, but Christians who were refusing to change religion after being arrested during the war were considered martyrs. The same mindset fed by the same myth can be detected in the statement of the former US President George W. Bush that they were launching the "Crusade" against terrorism following the suicide attacks on September 11th.
The purpose of this study is to show the developmental stages of martyrdom myth in the history of Christianity and to show that it negates the myth that Christianity is a religion of peace and love by standing on the manifestations of today's world. Like all religions, Christianity also includes a discourse that prepares the ground for violence.
