How Religious Thought is Encapsulated in Martyrdom Myths

 

How do myths of martyrdom encapsulate religious thought? 

This was the question that we explored this week within our discussion group, we focused on two main ways that these myths showcase religious thought. The first being how myths of martyrdom serve as an expression of trust and loyalty to one’s religious convictions, and secondly, how myths of martyrdom represent the idealistic values present in religious narratives.

 

Religion
Tomic Dalibor
2014

 

Martyrdom as an Expression of Loyalty

When exploring the first, we discussed how high levels of loyalty to religious convictions can cause a person to perform extreme acts. Most of our discussions considered the case-study Candida an Ante-Nicene Martyr in Persia and how these concepts could be applied to her story and the larger mythical religious narratives around her.

One of our group members highlighted a modern example of what could be considered an ‘act of martyrdom’ if viewed from the Emic perspective (from inside the religion), the 9/11 terrorist attack. This was discussed in relation to the deeper motivations behind the attack (i.e. the external religious favour they would receive in ‘heaven’ or on earth). 

 

Young Buddhist Monk Watercolour
Iván Erre Jota
2019

 

This concept was further connected to an extreme fasting process that some Buddhist monks perform in an attempt to reach full-enlightenment. In this ritual, the monks eat a specific diet, and partake in a poisonous tea in order to “cheat death and enter a state of eternal meditation” (Young, 2016, para. 4).

It was also discussed that the religious loyalty needed to perform these extreme acts is influenced by the religious socialization that is present within religious families – this can be seen in the prioritization of ‘passing down’ religious values from generation-to-generation (examples could include; praying before meals or at certain times of day or educating children through religious school systems etc.). 

One group member identified that this concept is present within our case-study’s focus, Candida. Illustrating how the religious pressure put on her by her parents, gave her the religious conviction required to “accept death” on behalf of her Christian faith. This action, as the group member described, was also attributed to the framing of martyrdom as an “honour rather than suffering” – thereby providing an additional motivation for these sacrificial religious acts.

 

The Last Supper
Steve Corey
2020

 

Martyrdom as a Reflection of Religious Idealism

Secondly, we discussed how myths of martyrdom represent the idealistic values of religious thought, specifically in relation to religious interpretations of women. This theme was showcased through the insights of one group member who discussed how Candida’s growth in “courage and bravery” was seen as “becoming more of a man”. They further connected this idea to the religious conceptions of women in Ancient Greece, citing that men and women were segregated due to the societal framing of women as having less inherent value as men.

This idea speaks to the religious views of the time – that men and women held gendered qualities in which male qualities were favoured and believed to be rare in women – aside from those who possessed these qualities through seemingly miraculous intervention. 

 

St. Mary Magdalene
Jim Forest
2011

When I considered the implications of religious messaging on the interpretation of women, I thought about one of the potential female martyr archetypes that was explored in the case-study on Candida. The author describes the following common archetypical characteristics:

“(1) a recurrent theme of virginity and chastity linked closely with betrothal to Jesus; (2) the martyr’s youth, beauty, modesty and (often precocious) wisdom; (3) the aforementioned characteristics being at constant risk during her trials, occasionally accompanied by miraculous interventions to preserve them; and (4) the particularly sexual nature of many of her tortures and the sexual interpretation of those tortures which would otherwise be non-sexual.” (Strong, pp. 397 – 398)

With this classification in mind, I thought about the Christian figure of Mary Magdalene, a close friend and ‘apostle’ to Jesus of Nazareth. In an editorial by the Smithsonian on Mary Magdalene,  Magdalene’s narrative is characterized as an encapsulation of religious thought though the ages, as her story is molded to combat the religious challenges of the time such as; “marketing of sainthood or the coming of celibacy” (Carrol, 2006) While her status as a martyr is debated, Mary’s story highlights many of the themes portrayed in the above archetype.

In this way, the story of Mary Magdalene is used as a creative device to quietly introduce and sustain the values held by the leaders of the Christian community. Similarly to how the other myths on martyrdom displayed, assist in sustaining these values over time.

 

Modern Examples of Religious Martyrdom

Martin Luther King Jr.
Dick DeMarsico
1964

Aside from the examples already given I would like to highlight a modern-day, real-world martyr as deemed by the widely respected, Westminster Abbey – Martin Luther King Jr. 

Martin Luther King Jr. was a main figure and leader in the protesting against segregation and battle for equal rights and treatment under the law, leading up to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s’.

The legacy of his father’s ministership, his own ordination, and his sharing of his “prophetic vision which combined explicitly Christian language of freedom and justice with an appeal to American democracy… Violence bred violence only. Love must reply to hate.” (Westminster Abbey, n.d) are were contributing factors in  Martin Luther King Jr.’s designation as a martyr. Aside from his outstanding social political activism, he was heavily involved in the Christian community and publicized modernly-held Christian values through his message (peace, equality etc.). 

 

 

 

 

References

Carroll, J. (2006). Who Was Mary Magdalene? Smithsonian Magazine.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-mary-magdalene-119565482/

Corey, S. (2020). The Last Supper. [Picture]. Flickr
https://flic.kr/p/2ixHoGw

History.com Editors (2019). September 11 Attacks. History.com
https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks

Jota, Ivan E. (2019). Young Buddhist Monk Watercolour [Picture]. Flickr.
https://flic.kr/p/2dD6u9s

Klingenberg, K. & Sjo, S. (2019). Theorizing Religious Socialization: A Critical Assessment. Religion 49(2), pp. 163-178.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0048721X.2019.1584349?needAccess=true

Westminster Abbey. (n.d). Martin Luther King Jr. Westminster Abbey.
https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/martin-luther-king-jr

Young, Davie. (2016) The Monks Who Spent Years Turning Themselves Into Mummies – While Alive. Atlas Obscura.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/sokushinbutsu