Martyrdom can step outside of grace
Inside the context of grace, martyrdom and suffering are a “cup” that we may hope will pass, but that we are willing to accept as Jesus did in a “not my will but thine” posture. It is not a heroic act, or something to be sought after in order to attain a standing with God that grace has already provided.
When enduring trauma, freezing is another adaptive response. During trauma, stress hormones cause a loss in executive functioning that make the victim unable to choose a course of action. So we freeze.[1]
Freezing occurs in response to physical threats and also in response to social threats.[2]
One of the problems with freezing is that it can lead to guilt on the part of the victim as he asks why he did nothing.[3] It may also lead to confusion on the part of the victim about what happened.[4] Those who freeze may believe their lack of action proved willingness to participate.
So, when the victim of trauma tells themselves a narrative of guilt or willingness, that narrative gets tied to whether the trauma results in PTSD,[5] and trauma victims may formulate additional stories that help them cope.
It’s interesting to wonder if religious glorification of martyrdom and sacrifice is kind of narrative in response to trauma. Historically, early Christians faced an inability to fight persecution, either through lack of power, out of obedience to “turn the other cheek,” or simply as a freeze response. They may have created a narrative of heroism around their martyrdom as a way of making meaning of such meaningless evil – as a way to deal with trauma. Religion can be used as a coping mechanism labeled “spiritual bypassing.”[6] in the hopes of providing meaning to traumatic events.[7]
As this narrative caught hold in the Christian community, it evolved into an actual desire for martyrdom as a path to God. Ignatius “speaks of his martyrdom with great enthusiasm and begs the Roman Christians to do nothing to prevent it.” [8] He says, “I shall never have a better chance than this of getting to God.”[9] Polycarp makes meaning of martyrdom when he claims the martyrs, “purchased for themselves life everlasting.”[10] But with this claim, martyrdom and suffering can step outside of grace. Grace is a willingness to accept, be present and hospitable to circumstances, people, and ourselves despite the present conditions. Grace is an act of acceptance without forcing our will. Inside the context of grace, martyrdom and suffering are a “cup” that we may hope will pass, but that we are willing to accept as Jesus did in a “not my will but thine” posture.[11] It is not a heroic act, or something to be sought after in order to attain a standing with God that grace has already provided.
[1] Amy Arnsten, “Stress signaling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and
function.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 10:6 (June 2009): 412.
[2] Marret K. Noordewier, Daan T.Scheepers, Leon P. Hilbert “Freezing in response to social threat: a replication.” Psychologists Resources. 84:7 (October 2010): 1890.
[3] Sonya B. Norman, Kendall C. Wilkins, Ursula S. Myers, Carolyn B. Allard. “Trauma Informed Guilt Reduction Therapy with Combat Veterans.” Cognitive Behavioral Practice. 21:1 (February 2014): 5.
[4] Lori Haskell and Melanie Randall. The Impact of Trauma on Adult Sexual Assault Victims. Report Submitted to the Justice of Canada.(2019): 18.
[5] Deryn Strange and Melanie K.T. Takarangi, “Memory distortion for traumatic events: the role of mental imagery.” Frontiers in Psychiatry. 6:27 (February 2015): 3.
[6] Alejandra Motiño, et al. “Cross-Cultural Analysis of Spiritual Bypass: A Comparison Between Spain and Honduras.” Frontiers in Psychology 12:658739 (May 2021): 2.
[7] Kenneth Pargament, Margaret Feuille, and Donna Burdzy, “The Brief RCOPE: Current psychometric status of a short measure of Religious Coping.” Religions 2:1 (February 2011): 53-54.
[8] Andrew Louth, ed. Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers. Translated by Maxwell Staniforth and Andrew Louth London: Penguin Books, (1987), 56.
[9] Ignatius, Epistle to the Romans 2.5 Louth, Andrew, ed. Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers. Translated by Maxwell Staniforth and Andrew Louth London: Penguin Books, (1987), 85.
[10] Polycarp, The Martyrdom of Polycarp. Louth, Andrew, ed. Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers. Translated by Maxwell Staniforth and Andrew Louth London: Penguin Books, (1987), 125.
[11] Luke 22:42 NRSV.