Alex Hoehn

Mr. Evans
3/12/16

Persecution of Christians
The persecution of Christians has been occurring for centuries and can be traced back to
the times of Jesus Christ when he roamed the earth. It began with the persecution of the early
church. Then it reached to the times of the French Revolution. However, the persecution of
Christians still occurs today and shows signs of never settling down. Christians are persecuted
for their Religious beliefs and faith. Christian missionaries and people that have converted to
Christianity have been the target of persecution since early times. The persecution of Christians
has been going on since the early ages, but this paper will focus on the early church, French
Revolution, and the modern day.
The early churches persecution of Christians began with Claudius. At the time, Claudius
expelled Christians from Rome. He was the first emperor of Rome and was in fact the first
emperor to persecute Christians in the times 41 through 54 A.D. Christianity was identified at
first with Judaism but people noticed that there were differences between the two religions.
Christians were persecuted because they were a new and strange cut and people began to feel
threatened during the early ages. In addition, Christians refused to worship emperors which was
considered madness by non-Christians. However, the general reason Christians were persecuted
were their refusal to worship multiple gods or take part in sacrifices, which was expected of
people living during the Roman Empire period. Many years past and in 306 A.D, Maxentius
promised full religious toleration, but it still resumed in Egypt, Palestine, and Asia. Then in 311,
Constantine and Licinius, signed the Edict of Milan, which offered an extensive acceptance of
Christianity in the Middle East.

The Persecution of Christians died down for some time, but fired up again during the
French Revolution. According to Christianity.com, On the whole, the French Revolution was
hostile to Christianity and to institutions which the church has built over centuries.
Revolutionists during the time tried to get priests to join their side. The established Church at the
time did not show Christs full love. Philosophes rejected the Church and embraced Atheism.
They attacked churches and many people who held high power agreed with their decisions. In
August of 1789, many church fees were abolished and when the Declaration of The Rights of
Man was assigned, it did not tolerate Religion. Then in early 1790, all religious vows were
forbidden. Before the French Revolution was over, all French priests were hunted, attacked, and
executed. France made the Goddess of Reason the official deity of its nation. Many Catholic
buildings became the sight of brutal attacks and churches were burned. However, Christians still
preached quietly so the word of God would not become extinct, but if they were caught, they
were killed.
Today, Christians are still persecuted for their religious beliefs, but in different ways.
According to erlc.com, An average of at least 180 Christians around the world are killed each
month for their faith. One of the worst countries in the world for persecuting Christians is North
Korea. Christians in North Korea face the risk of being forced into prison camps, torture, and
even being killed. People have been executed for being sighted having a bible on them. In over
40 countries in the Middle East and Asia Christians are persecuted. The Islamic State ISIS has
been the main group that has been terrorizing and persecuting Christians in the modern day. ISIS
has demolished its way from Syria into Iraq. ISIS has even posted disturbing videos on social
media of the group torturing, executing and taunting Christians because of their belief of the
presence of Christ. ISIS targets weak individuals and when they capture people, they tell them to

join their group, or face execution, which raises their population. However, the United States
became involved in the ongoing issue and aids Iraqi soldiers in their endless fight with ISIS.
Overall, the persecution of Christians has been going on for thousands of years. Starting
with the early church, where Christians were persecuted because of their new religion that
brought controversy between the Jews and themselves. It continued till the French Revolution,
where they were persecuted because of revolutionists not agreeing with Christians beliefs. Even
today, Christians are persecuted for their beliefs and resistance to follow other religions.
Throughout every time period, Christians have been tortured and killed for their beliefs.
However, Christians continue to stand up for themselves and put up a fight for what they believe
in and that will not change.