The 18th century reformers felt that baptism should follow an expression of faith. The law of the land required all infants to be baptized. The reformers refused to baptize their infants and re-baptized themselves as adults, following their expression of faith in Christ. They became known as the Anabaptists, or “re-baptizers”. The Mennonites, Hutterites, Amish and most other main-line protestant denominations would come out of this movement. (“Protestant” means to “protest”)
The Cathredral Of Last Resort- the Dungeon The State Church reacted with arrests and punishments. The motivation was not meant for cruelty but the desire for conformity to the state church rules. Authorities believed that without total conformity society would crumble. Torture in the 16th century was not crude or haphazard. It was conducted with scientific precision. When torture and incarceration didn’t help, the State Church resorted to burnings at the stake, drowning in the river, etc. Men and women alike were martyred.
Anabaptist CatcherThe people in the state church worshipped in Cathedrals with beautiful stained glass windows. The reformers were tortured in the Cathedral of Last Resort- the Dungeon. It was equipped with stocks, stretching apparatus, chains and many other objects of punishment and torture. When the purpose to obtain a person to recant didn’t work through incarceration and torture the believers were burned at the stake or drowned in the rivers. Men and women alike met death in this manner.
The Dungeon (Cathedral of Last Resort) was the final stop on the way to martyrdom. But, in the end they believed they would be trading the Cathedral Of Last Resort for a beautiful Cathedral in Heaven. I often wonder if my faith would have been that strong. How say you?
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