Wurmbrand: A Critical Analysis

Fulcher of Chartres noted that during the meeting with the council of dignitaries in the city of Clermont, France Pope Urban II gave an eternal decree to all Christians that were willing fight the war.2 He promised that any Christian who died in the defense of Jerusalem would be given remission of all sins. Pope Urban II explicitly states “I grant them through the power of God.”3 By giving such a promise that all sins would be forgiven in death, Pope Urban alleviated the fear any Crusader had of being punished by God of wrongdoing. For some that alone was enough justification to go to battle. This “promise” also gives greater

Another strength, which also seems to be the helpful part of making this article effective and overall worth the read to a Christian as a whole, is seen in his concluding statement of a quote by Timothy Richard of China, “How can we expect an unbelieving world to take us seriously in our talk about a gospel of reconciliation when we remain so obviously un-reconciled to one another?”4

They faced starvation which in some cases caused people to do unimaginable things for instance people fought and killed others for food. He soon lost his faith in God and the justice of God because of everything he had seen. Keep in mind, he is still young and after seeing the gas chambers and crematories. I could only imagine him being scarred for life, nobody should have to go through such trauma that they question God's existence . “For the first time, I felt anger rising within me. Why should i sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?” (Night, Pg.33). Seeing things that can’t be unseen changed him. He didn’t see himself the same anymore. His innocence was taken, he went from a normal healthy teen to a prisoner. His head was completely shaved, he was starved, and then dressed in striped

In the article “Righteous Christians Who Saved Jews During the Holocaust Honored for Their Sacrifice” it talks about many non-jewish people taking grave personal risks to save their jewish friends and neighbors from German extermination programs (“Righteous Christians Who” 1) and how they sacrificed pretty much all they had, to help others in need of material

Sauer responded by explaining, because of what the christian faith stands for, many dictatorships like North Korea dislike organized religion which causes conflict. He believes this conflict will be never ending because when a group or government mistreats, imprisons, or even murders someone because of their faith, people become inspired and even strengthened by the act. So while the persecutors are hoping to break them down and weaken their belief and sense of hope, people of faith actually grow more passionate about defending their faith. Fr. Sauer shared a quote, “the faith grows where the blood of martyrs is shed”. When people believe what is waiting for them in the next life is worth persecution and even death, that becomes an amazingly powerful force, one that dictators will never be willing to tolerate

It is amazing to hear from the people who have actually survived the Holocaust. It shows us how much we still have to learn about the world and the civilizations and how hard it is to understand the reason why we do such things to our fellow human beings. "By 1945, two out of every three European Jews had been killed and the survivors continued to be oppressed." (Telles 51) In addition, thousands of political and religious dissidents such as communists, socialists, trade unionists, and Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted for their beliefs and behavior and many of these individuals died as a result of maltreatment.

There are many examples of people in The Holy Bible either losing their lives or putting their lives on the line for what they believed in. In this case it was for Christianity and their way of life. When Jesus of Nazareth came across the

During the persecutions, churches and scripture were destroyed. Many were killed and tortured. Despite this, many remained brave and unafraid according to accounts. The idea of redemption and a magnificent afterlife led many Christians to almost fervently pursue martyrdom. These martyrs were glorified, and miracles were reported to have occurred in their presence. They refused to reject Christ and, in turn, were subjected to torture and humiliation. Eusebius describes the proceedings during the Great Persecution: “…the rules in question brought a certain man into a public place and commanded him to sacrifice. When he refused,

The persecutions of the martyrs strengthened Christianity because the martyrs if they were willing to be killed for their faith then it must be very significant to them. The martyr’s suffering mirrored Jesus’ suffering and reinforced faith among Christians. “They looking upon her in her conflict, beheld with their eyes, through their sister, Him who had suffered for them in order to persuade those who trust in Him

Due to the inhumane methods towards the Jews during the Holocaust, many lost their faith and commitment to Judaism. Jews were appalled that God, who was supposed to be their savior, abandoned them in a time where they needed him the most. Although many Jews kept their faith and did not question God’s mysterious ways, many did not have the same outlook. People assume that hard times strengthen people’s faith, but that was not always the case. During great tragedy's, people’s faith may disintegrate and become completely absent from their minds. Many prisoners including Elie Wiesel could not accept God’s silence and rebelled against their religious upbringing during the Holocaust.

When many think of the Holocaust as a solely negative experience, and while it may seem easy to write the event off as a dark time in history that seems remote and unlikely to affect us today, there are some positive results, including the lessons that it brings for current and future humanity. The lessons that the Holocaust brings are applicable to every person in the world. While many of these lessons do focus on the negative aspects of the Holocaust, like what circumstances permit such a vast genocide and how many people can die because of widespread racial hatred, there are also those that focus on how some people, in all parts of Europe and throughout the world, retained their good human nature during the Holocaust. For example, what made some gentiles in Europe during that time willing and able to help Jews. Currently, Yad Vashem has recognized 26,513 rescuers throughout the world (Names), and the actual number of rescuers could likely be close to twice that amount (Baron,1). It is important that we analyze the reasons behind these rescuers’ choices to be upstanders instead of bystanders because we can learn about our own motivations when we face decisions between helping others and protecting ourselves, and possibly those we love, from harm. Fulfilling one’s self-interest was a potential motivation for helping Jews that will only be briefly addressed. This type of rescue potentially benefitted both the Jews and the Gentile rescuers; these Gentiles only helped Jews survive because they found personal gain, likely social or economic, in the action (Baron). However, in the situation that existed while rescuing the Jews, most efforts included the high possibility that both the rescuer and the rescued would end up worse off than they had begun with no potential for personal gain on either side. So those rescuers’ motivations are less easily explainable.

It is then realized that the loss of family, being excommunicated from your community and your people force you to adapt so you can maintain the strength to keep moving on and continue with your life. One eventually comes to discover that the

Why should athletes be treated differently than any other citizen? Anyone in another occupation is able to return to their job. So what makes an athlete any different? After an athlete has spent jail time or paid fees depending on how major the crime committed was, the right to their job should still be applied. Just because an athlete has taken the wrong turn in life doesn’t mean they should have their lives ruined forever an athlete lives off of the money they make from basketball, soccer, football, ect.

There is not really a high cost for me to share my faith. At the most, I might get laughed at or labeled. Why do I only share my faith with friends. I was challenged by his urgency to share the faith. My heart is broken for my brothers and sisters who die daily for their faith under the horrors of Communism or even under Islam. As I think about how this applies to my life and future work, Wurmbrand says “I hate the communist system, but I love the men. I hate the sin, but I love the sinner. I love the Communists with all my heart. Communists can kill Christians, but they cannot kill their love toward even these who killed them. I have not the slightest bitterness or resentment against the Communists or my tortures.”

When the early Christians had to keep their faith against the persecutions of the Roman Empire, they had -- obviously -- a visible enemy. Once their religion was legalized and established, however, they had new questions to ask concerning who they were, what could hurt their souls and their way of life. Some of them, at least, concluded that the materialism of the dominant Roman way of life was a non-agressive, but equally corrosive force that would destroy them -- not physically, but spiritually. These Fourth Century Christians, men and women, then left their societies and withdrew into the desert to be able to find true "paradise," not in a safe, secure niche in society, but in their relationship with