A creepy, grotesque statue greets you when you walk into the Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma, southeast of Milan in northern Italy. It depicts St. Bartholomew, one of the Twelve Apostles, with his body completely flayed from head to toe, with his skin nonchalantly tossed over his shoulders like a silk scarf. Ancient tradition holds that St. Bartholomew preached the Gospel as far as India after Jesus ascended into Heaven. For his trouble, the saint was skinned alive and killed. Why? It's the same reason why Christians are killed and hated in our day. We profess that Jesus is the Truth. In an age that holds no truth, only "your truth and my truth", the Christian will always be irritating.
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