Name: Matthew Tsuda

STEP 1:TOPIC SELECTION - (knowledge - ______marks)

Students will select one theme / topic to research for World Religions essay and answer the following questions.

TOPIC / THEME: Christian martyrs are heroes of Christianity.

  1. List the religion (s) that will be researched and argued based on the above topic or theme.

I am going to focus on Christianity throughout my essay because my topic is specifically geared towards Christianity and so therefore I’m only arguing a Christian viewpoint of martyrdom.

  1. Give TWO reasons why you selected this topic and TWO reasons why you selected the religions.

1)I selected this topic because I feel that martyrdom is an extremely controversial and yet dedicated act that I’ve always been intrigued by.

2)I also selected martyrdom because it stands out as being the ultimate holiest act in most religions, and so I find that it’s a touchy yet deep topic that provides a wide range of arguments regarding it.

1)I selected Christianity as the religion I’m going to discuss simply because I’m a Christian, and so therefore I already know some information pertaining to Christian martyrdom, and I firmly believe that martyrs are the true heroes of Christianity.

2)I also selected Christianity because I just read a book about Christian martyrs, and it captivated me because the plot and conclusion of the story was miraculously amazing. I’m hoping to be able to use some quotes from the book in my argument about how Christian martyrs are the heroes of Christian faith. I really believe that Christian martyrs are heroes, because as it states it in the Bible many times: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matthew 5:10–12).

  1. Based on your initial survey of reference material, what are three important issues pertinent to the topic / theme and religion?

1)Jesus Christ was the first martyr. He died for His father, God, and he died for every human (He died for our sins). So technically, Christ was the first martyr who died for us. Today’s martyrs now die for Him.

2)The earliest Christian martyrs are first talked about in the New Testament of the Bible (martyrs like Stephen, James, Peter, Paul, etc.). They were all brutally killed because of their faith.

3)Thousands of courageous Christians have been persecuted/martyred ever since the death of Jesus Christ.

  1. Create TWO controversial questions about the topic/theme and religion.

Ie. Was Marx correct when he wrote that “religion is the opiate of the people”? or “To what extent has religion changed due to modernization?

1)If God is so loving, then why does He want certain individuals to sacrifice their lives for Him?

2)How is dying for your faith considered a “reward?”

  1. In proper bibliographic format, list FIVE sources from a variety of resources that you have consulted.

1)Henderson, Patti, ed. Exploring World Religions. Canada: Oxford University Press, 2001.

2)Morehead, Albert. “Martyr.” Illustrated World Encyclopedia. 1988 ed.

3)Sproul, RC. Chosen By God. United States: Library of Congress, 1989.

4) “Chapter Seven.” The Christian Martyrs.

(22, Feb. 2003).

5) “Crying Voice In The Wilderness.” Christian Martyrs Up To The 20th Century.

(21, Feb. 2003).