They Died With Their Beliefs On Quiz

Answer: Thermopylae

In reality there was more than just 300 Spartans as other city-states had provided warriors to fight (e.g. Thespians and Thebans). However, the battle of Thermopylae was always going to be certain death for the small Greek armies which faced the Persians under Xerxes I (many historical accounts claimed the Persian army numbered in the millions).

Therefore the warriors who entered the battle under King Leonidas were, as he was, in the belief that if they were to sacrifice their own lives they could delay the Persians and save their country.

Answer: Saint Barnabas

Saint Barnabas, like many early Christians, was born Jewish. Originally named Joseph, he was re-named Barnabas (meaning "Son of Encouragement") by the apostles.

He and Saint Paul intended to defend gentiles from those who strictly imposed the Jewish laws onto them (known as Judaizers). A follower of the two men, Mark (thought to be the author of the Gospel of Mark), who had abandoned them during their first journey then returned and asked for forgiveness. Saint Paul was said to have refused to travel with Mark, but Barnabas forgave him and so he and Paul now went their separate ways.

Knowingly and willingly in the face of danger, Barnabas continued to preach his message everywhere he went. It was in Salamis, Cyprus where some Jews who were travelling to Syria had heard Barnabas' beliefs and, after extreme torture, stoned him to death. The fact that Barnabas put himself in such danger throughout his life is recognised by the Monastery built in his place of death which is said to hold his remains.

Answer: Edward I

Edward I was known as "Longshanks" as well as "the Hammer of the Scots". It is often said that his son and successor, Edward II, was the reason that Scotland was never conquered as he was seen as weaker than his father.

Of course it would be incorrect to assume that the death of Edward I was the only reason for the English failure to conquer Scotland. It was men such as Wallace who fought bravely to defend their country that was the real key factor. Wallace remained as a leader of the Scots until his execution in 1305 and with his death achieved the status of "national hero" which still lives today.

Answer: Joan Waste

There are few who were famous and became martyrs and fewer who became famous as being martyrs. Waste was such a martyr. In the face of pro-Catholic attitudes enforced by Queen Mary, Waste opposed the reading of services in Latin and maintained the belief that the bread and wine served at the last supper were not the body and blood of Christ.

Joan Waste was born blind and worked with her father (a part time barber and part time rope-maker). She had a twin brother who she was said to have held hands with right up to the point of her execution.

Answer: The Edict of Nantes

The Edict of Nantes was issued in 1598 by Henry IV (Louis XIV's grandfather). This gave French Protestants many legal and civil rights which had already been provided to the country's Catholics.

Upon its revocation there were many groups formed who aimed to remove Protestants, either by forcing them to leave the country or by forcing them to become Catholic. The methods used by these groups have been described by some sources in horrific detail. In the face of such extreme terror tactics the resilient Huguenots knew that their refusal to give up their faith would most likely result in their death.

Another outcome of this revocation was the hostility towards France from neighbouring countries. The council were very much divided on the issue of what should be the main course of action to rid the country of Protestants. Some believed that they should be forced to become Catholic. However others, suspicious due to the previous wars of religion, felt that doing this would only create unknown religious enemies within the Catholic community of France. Therefore there were some who saw the killing of Protestants as another suitable answer.

Answer: James Connolly

It was not during the Easter Rising that these participants were killed, but in the aftermath. General Maxwell of the British army quickly took control of the responsibility of dealing with those involved in the rising and 90 people were sentenced to death over the matter. 15 of these had their sentences confirmed and so, in the eyes of many Irish Catholics, became "martyrs". Among those executed were the two leaders, Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, as well as Patrick's younger brother, William "Willie" Pearse.

The prophecy of Patrick Pearse that this event was to be a "blood sacrifice" came true and the fame/infamy gained by those who died as a result of it helped generate the power to end the British rule in Ireland.

Answer: 6

These six attempts on Gandhi's life took place from 1934 to his eventual assassination in 1948. The second, third AND forth attempts involved the man who was to eventually be the assassin of the peaceful leader, Nathuram Godse.

Godse, along with Narayan Apte had purchased a gun after their previous unsuccessful attempts and in January 1948 Godse was able to shoot Gandhi three times, killing him. Godse never denied his desire to kill Gandhi and during his trial openly accepted all responsibility. He was sentenced to death in November 1949 and was executed later that month along with his fellow conspirator, Apte.

The fame Ghandi gained through his life and the precedent he set through his death caused many to view his beliefs on nonviolence differently.

Answer: Emily Davison

Before her death Emily Wilding Davison was a militant member of the WSPU (Women's Social and Political Union), of which she had been a member since 1906. She had committed many crimes in order to get her voice heard by the people over the issue of a woman's right to vote. In one instance Davison violently attacked a man who she had mistaken to be Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lloyd George. Like many of her fellow suffragettes, Davison went on hunger strike during her time in prison and incited extreme backlash from the prison officers which was force feeding.

The reason for the quotation marks in the question is because Davison did not intentionally jump in front of the King's horse, but aimed to jump beside as it ran past and to attach a suffragette flag to the animal. This shocking event was captured on film.

Answer: Charles Russell

It is now generally accepted within the Jehovah's Witness community that anyone who does accept a blood transfusion will become an outcast of the religion. Obviously in severe medical emergencies this will often result in death but in less major incidents many have elected to use "bloodless surgery". The method of "bloodless surgery" was pioneered by Dr. Adolf Lorentz (the "bloodless surgeon of Vienna") and practices treatment via non-invasive surgery. There are many well known faces who are, or have been, Jehovah's Witnesses.

These include the Jackson family, Venus and Serena Williams and even former president Dwight. D. Eisenhower.

Answer: Edith Stein

The 10 martyrs chosen were taken from all across the globe and the unveiling was attended by religious leaders from many countries as well as the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

The 10 martyrs who were commemorated were:
- The Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia - killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918. It is said that Elizabeth and other prisoners persisted to sing Russian hymns up to the point of their death.
- Manche Masemola - an Anglican catechumen from South Africa and was killed in 1928 by her parents at the age of 16 in protest of her desire to be baptized.
- Maximilian Kolbe - he harboured many Jews in Poland who were hiding from the Nazis. He later killed by the Nazis in 1941.
- Lucian Tapiedi - an Anglican from Papua New Guinea and a medical missionary who was killed during the Japanese invasion in 1941.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer - a Lutheran pastor. He was involved in the German resistance movement against the Nazis and in plots to assassinate Hitler. This led to him being killed by the Nazis in 1945.
- Esther John - a Presbyterian evangelist from Pakistan who was killed by a Muslim fanatic in 1960 after leaving Islam to become a Christian.
- Martin Luther King - he often spoke publicly about racial equality and helped to advance the Black Civil Rights movement in America. He was assassinated in 1968.
- Wang Zhiming - he was a pastor and evangelist killed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1972.
- Janani Luwum - an Anglican Archbishop in Uganda who was said to have been killed by either Idi Amin himself or by the leader's henchmen in 1977 after his criticisms over the excesses of Amin's regime.
- Oscar Romero - a Roman Catholic Archbishop in El Salvador. He was assassinated in 1980 after speaking out against both Marxism and capitalism in response to the El Salvadoran Civil War.

The legacy these 10 people left behind was addressed by the Rev Dr Anthony Harvey, sub-dean of Westminster, who told the congregation that "There has never been a time in Christian history when someone, somewhere, has not died rather than compromise with the powers of oppression, tyranny and unbelief,"