Angry in the Great White North

In 870 AD, the King of East Anglia, Edmund, met the invading Danes led by Ubba and Ivar the Boneless. Edmund was given the opportunity to retain his lands and his power and his privilege, if only he renounced his faith and hold his lands as a vassal of a heathen overlord.

He refused, was tortured, and was beheaded.

It is a cool story, in part because I just love the names of the Danes.

But it is one of countless stories in the lives of the saints in which a Christian figure chose death over denying Jesus.

So what of the two FOX News correspondents who were forced to convert to Islam?

Both of the men were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint, [Steve] Centanni said.

"We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint," Centanni told FOX News. "Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on."

Hey, guns were pointed, so what are you going to do? No one would hold it against them, not even Centanni's family priest, assuming he had one.

But what if, for argument's sake, Steve Centanni or Olaf Wiig refused to convert? What if, like Saint Edmund, they defied their captors' demands?

What if, like Saint Edmund, they were beheaded?

In days past, such a person would be applauded for his dedication to his faith. What would happen today? Would they be ridiculed for suffering death rather than deny their faith?

If this turns out not be an isolated incident, but the beginning of a new element in kidnappings by Islamic terrorists, we might yet find out. Kidnap enough Westerners, and eventually you'll find the guy who either has incredible devotion to his faith, or develops that devotion the moment the gun is pointed at his head.

It'll be a test of faith for him, and for the rest of us, a test in understanding what faith means.

[Full roundup at Michelle Malkin. LaShawn Barber asks more questions about what to do in that situation.]