In 1651, Obadiah Holmes traveled two days to visit with an elderly man who was too infirm to travel to Baptist churches anymore. He and his fellow Baptists held their own home service the following Sunday morning. The state barged in. Holmes and two others were arrested for the failure to attend the state approved church and were forced to attend an afternoon service at the local congregational church. While there, Holmes indignantly refused to remove his hat during the pastor's prayer and had to have it forcibly removed.
In Massachusetts at the time, the government did not consider themselves persecutors of Christians. One was given the choice to be whipped or pay the fine, therefore no one was whipped for their faith that did not choose to be. Were they not merciful? No one chose the whip, no one except Holmes. Holmes was convicted for not attending church, refusing to remove his hat during prayer, baptizing those who had already been baptized before, receiving sacrament, and preaching against infant baptism. He faced thirty lashes or thirty pounds.
His fellow Baptists raised the money for the trio's fines, but Holmes refused to pay his fine. This stubborn minister believed that paying the fine acknowledged that he had committed crimes and he knew that the state had no right to fine or whip him for these activities. He had committed no crime and would pay no fine.
If it was not the fine, then it was the whip and Holmes prayed for the courage to face the ribbons that his back would be sliced into. After the whipping, he said that the whip had felt as painless as being whipped with roses. Still for weeks, he was unable to find relief on his back or stomach, only able to rest while supported by his knees and elbows. [1]
This is one American that we all should be more familiar with.
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