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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Evangelization, part 2

So today I’m with my Dad and we’re touring Rome.  I’m really enjoying being here again, and I’m glad to be with my Dad.  Being one of seven children, I think this might be the longest time I’ve ever had alone with him.  We’re seeing everything and loving every minute.

We’re at the Colosseum, and we’re with a tour group.  This is the same group I took a tour with five years ago.  Back then, the tour guide made a comment when we saw a large cross erected inside the Colosseum.  He said that it was there remembering the Christians who were killed there.  But then he adds, “There is no historical evidence that ANY Christians were killed in the Colosseum.  It is just not true.”

WHAT?  WHAT??  WHAT!!??  The rest of the tour is OK, but he still put in that bit about Christians.  Hmm, methinks he doth protest too much.

So now today we’re on the tour, different guide, and I’m waiting for the line.  It isn’t there.  Good.  In fact he talks about Christians being killed there, and why, and how.  OK, this is going fine.  Then he starts talking about WHY Christianity was hated.  He gets it MOSTLY right, so no problem there, but then he says that once Roman Society became Christianized, the empire fell.  Yep, the Roman Empire collapsed because THEY ALL BECAME CHRISTIAN.  Christianity caused the collapse of the Roman Empire.  Christians ruined the social, political and economic foundations of the empire.  His words, not mine.

Now can you see why I’m just a little suspicious of all the private tour guides at the Vatican?  I really think we’ve got to do something ourselves, along the lines of my other post.