A martyr (Greek: μάρτυς, mártys, "witness"; stem μάρτυρ-, mártyr-) is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce a belief. During the early Christian centuries, believers who were called to witness for their religious belief, and on account of this witness, endured suffering and death.
Based on the meaning of the word "martyr", which makes more sense... a person who through violent means tries to impose their religious ideology on people and in doing so dies in the process, or a person who through care and compassion tells others of the "truth" of their faith in the one and only true God, who is perfectly merciful and at the same time is perfect justice?
Which makes more sense... a person who believes in a god that says that if a person doesn't submit to the will of said god, then it is OK to KILL the infidel... or a God who loves the world so much that He is willing to give His Son as a ransom for sins and evil He never committed so that those that accept this Precious Gift will find communion, peace, and a relationship with Him? See here what Isaiah 53:10 says about God the Father and His Holy Anointed Son... "But the LORD was pleased
to crush Him, putting Him to grief". Now read the scripture in context to show the love of God for us...
Isaiah 53
1Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
7He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10But the LORD was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
11As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
The sad thing is most people do not realize they are slaves... driven by the things of this world and flesh. We are driven by money, cars, clothes, vacations, homes, careers, relationships, sex, alcohol, drugs, music and the list goes on and on. We are slaves but think we are free. Freedom only comes from surrendering to a new Master. That Master is Jesus Christ. He promises that if we submit to Him and His will, He will free us and call us friends.
If we do not submit to His will then the wrath of God abides on us. The choice is ours. By giving us this choice God has shown us His Perfect Love. Think of it this way... if you could force someone to love you... would you? That would not be true love... would it? God's love is so much more than even this example because He gave us a conscience, con means with and science means knowledge. So we were born with knowledge of right and wrong. He has given us a light within us. Yet we invariably choose wrong every time. So He has given His son as His final effort to show us His love for us. Why? because He doesn't want any of us to die the eternal death in Hell. A place He created for Lucifer and his angels. But, if we do not choose His Perfect Sacrifice Jesus Christ but rather, to live in our sins and the things this world has to offer then we are choosing to take on the punishment for our own sins. so how can anyone say God is unjust or uncaring?
So, in one instance you have an ideology that boasts a god that condones murder, is wishy washy in that the only sure way to paradise is through murdering so called infidels and in doing so die yourself. In the other instance you have the true God that loves with such a Perfect Love that He will not force you to love Him but wants you to love Him from your heart, and He will allow you to make that choice based on what He has done and what He has to offer you against what the world, the flesh and the devil have to offer you.
How can anyone call a murdering persecuting religious extremist a martyr? A true martyr will never force his/her faith on you... he/she will only share the Truth with you and in doing so will be persecuted by those that are offended by that message.
