The critics of the church...
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The critics of the church have always had difficulty understanding what Christians believe and how they worship. In the first few centuries of the church's existence all kinds of wild charges were hurled against this growing community of faith. Among these criticisms were the following. Christians were charged with being atheists because they would not participate in the pagan ceremonies. Further, they were ridiculed as haters of the human race because they would not attend certain public amusements that they felt contradicted their ethical standards. Still further, they were accused of committing immortalities of the most heinous kind. In particular, the critics contended that Christians met secretly at night and sacrificed an infant and consumed blood and flesh. Not too many people believed this harsh criticism, but the Emperor of the Roman Empire and his officials used these spurious allegations to intimidate and persecute the rising Christian sect. Jesus said, "... unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." It is easy to mock these words, or to use them as a pretext to destroy others. How much more difficult, but more rewarding, to study these profound words aided by the Holy Spirit and seek to grasp their true meaning. -- Hasler
