Thursday; February 19
I’ve got an interesting factoid for you: on this date in 356 A.D. Constantius II ordered the closure of pagan temples and, thus, prohibited public access to them. What a change from a Roman world that just a few centuries before this had embraced paganism to the point that it felt justified in persecuting Christians. When you think about it within a modern context, it seems that distancing itself from paganism sounds pretty good doesn’t it – or does it? Now, before we move forward, I must admit that I am happy that I live in a pro-Christian society. Are there times when people treat us less than pleasant because of our beliefs? Sure; but all-in-all, we are free to worship as we see fit and openly live our lives based on a belief in God. However, we must be careful not to rely on a government’s backing to practice our faith. I am sure that the Christians under Constantius II were happy for the change in policy, but righteousness cannot mere...